Shaun White Snowboarding Essay

When many people reminisce about their childhoods, most were not being sponsored at the age of seven or beating snowboarders twice their age during competitions, but one man has accomplished both of these things and much more. During a halfpipe event, the snowboarder will ride down a huge 22 foot U-shaped ramp. At the top of each side of the ramp, the snowboarder will jump and try to complete the most elaborate and skilled tricks as cleanly as possible. Shaun White is one of the best at doing so. Many people who have worked with him have had nothing but compliments for him. A coach of Shaun’s calls him “head and shoulders above the rest” (Source 1) and has been amazed with what Shaun has been able to do with some snow and a board made of fiberglass. White has also been called “the Michael Jordan of the halfpipe” by Sean Gregory, a Time Magazine journalist (Source 4). Years ago, many would not know what halfpipe snowboarding was, but Shaun White has made snowboarding into a “prime-time sport” (Source 3). Through the numerous obstacles he has overcome, Shaun White has changed the world of snowboarding by mastering unheard-of tricks and setting high expectations for fellow competitors.

White’s talent did not just come from his own passion for snowboarding.

Not only is he the best known snowboarder, he is very well the most decorated. Shaun has made his mark on snowboarding by drastically increasing the skill level at which the riders must compete at to try to beat White. Many riders even try to use the tricks that Shaun made himself to try and beat Shaun during competitions. He has also become, and continues to be, a role model for young kids (Schweitzer 45) to strive to pursue their dreams, no matter the cost. Shaun White has changed the halfpipe by developing unimaginable tricks and redefining the skill level of competitive snowboarders for generations to