Shaun White Biography

Fast Facts

• Became the first athlete to receive a medal for both the Summer and Winter X Games for two separate sports
• Has won the U․S․ Open Championship four times, and has won a gold medal at the World Cup three times
• Has been the super pipe champion for the Winter X Games eight times, six of those years are consecutive
• Before he turned one he underwent two surgeries to correct his heart defect
• Began skiing at age four with his family, switching to snowboarding at age six copying his older brother Jesse
• During the summer he traded the snowboard for a skateboard, catching the attention of professional skateboarder Tony Hawk, who later helped him become a professional skateboarder at 17
• Quote: "My biggest passion at the moment is playing music because it so much fun to do; there's no competition․"
• Quote: "You've got to just get back on the horse․ It's one of those things where if I backed out at that point and saved myself for the Olympics and never tried the trick till the games, I just feel like it would have mentally kind of messed me up․"
• Appeared as himself in the 2011 film "Friends with Benefits․"
• He has the most gold medals, 12 medals, and overall medals, 17 medals, in Winter X Games history
• In 2012 he cut off his signature long red hair and donated it to Locks of Love, a charity that makes wigs for underprivileged children experiencing medical hair loss
• Is known and highly recognized for his bright red hair, receiving the nick name "The Flying Tomato․"