Shaun White: A living snowboarding and skateboarding legend
After the American legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk exited the mainstream action sport scene, a void was created in the sport and it seemed that nothing would ever be able to fill this void. While the absence of Hawk is still felt, there is an athlete that
is often compared to the retired skateboarder. This athlete is none other than the renowned Shaun Roger White.
White, who is also known as the Flying Tomato because of his long flaming red hair, is an American skateboarder and snowboarder who has moved on to become one of the most recognisable stars in action sports over the last few years. All one has to do is take
a look at his collection of Winter X Games and Winter Olympics medals to accept him as probably one of the living legends in action sports. The 24-year-old is also strengthened his fan base through his charismatic personality.
Born to Roger and Cathy in 1986 in San Diego, California, White grew up in Carlsbad. He was born with a heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot and underwent two cardiac surgeries before even turning one year old.
White took up skateboarding after following in the footsteps of his older brother, Jesse. By the time he turned six, he mounted his first snowboard. He was only allowed to snow backwards or perform a switch instead of anything more riskier. Within no time,
the young White started entering amateur competitions and winning nearly all of them.
The young talent caught the attention of Burton, who began to sponsor him when he just seven years old. By the time he was 13, White had turned a professional snowboarder.
His skateboarding skills were also getting recognition in the skateboarding community. When he was nine years old, Hawk took White under his wing and began to mentor him, turning him into a pro by the time he turned 17.
The family support that White got while his career was still in its infant stage was without any doubt priceless. The family was not financially strong and were even burdened by his career. He had to travel around a lot to compete in different competitions,
but fortunately his family was extremely supportive and accompanied him to the contests.
Ever since winning his first pro event at the Arctic Challenge in 2001, White has gone on to win numerous skateboarding and snowboarding competitions over the years, with the Action Sports Tour title as one of the biggest highlight of his career. Over the
years, White has become responsible for introducing various new tricks creating numerous records in snowboarding as well as skateboarding.
In just his second appearance in Winter X Games, he took home two silver medals. He returned a year later to improve on his previous results and take home two gold medals instead. He also competed in Summer X Games in 2003, becoming the first person to compete
and win both the Summer and Winter X Games in skateboarding and snowboarding respectively.
White has collected 15 Winter X medals to date, with 10 of them being gold, three silver medals and two bronze.
Other than shining in the winter and summer editions of X Games, the flying tomato also secured the gold medal in the 2006 as well as the2010 Winter Olympics.
White has won various awards over the last decade, which includes the Snowboarder Magazine naming him as the ninth-best snowboarder in the world in 2009, the Revolver Golden Gods award for “Most Metal Athlete” and getting named as the Rider of the Year by
Transworld Snowboarding twice.
Ever since competing at Winter X Games 15 in Aspen earlier this year, White has been staying away from the competitions, focusing on his film projects instead. However, as we approach the X Games 17, the fans are getting even more anxious to finally get
a chance to see their favourite dual-action sport athlete in action.
White is making a huge contribution to the progress of action sports through his exciting performance during the events and pushing the boundaries in his films. Indeed, athletes such as the Flying Tomato are a rare breed who are born once in a blue moon.
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