The loveable wunderkin of the 2006 Torino Winter Games is back for a repeat.  Shaun White takes on Vancouver’s halfpipe tonight, placing his focus on defeating the ice-laden half cylinder in a dominant manner and leaving his competitors in the event watching him in awe.

Shaun White has become the Michael Jordan of halfpipe snowboarding.  He enters each event not just wanting to win, but to dominate.  Not satified with just a mere victory, White aims to distance himself in grand fashion every time out.

White Looks To Wow Olympic Fans

Now 23, White is looking to match his gold from Torino and establish himself not only the best snowboarding athlete, but the best athlete from these games.  The only thing that stands in White’s way of another gold medal is himself.

A Southern California kid, White’s parents introduced him to skiing at the age of four.   White instantly took to the sport, flying down the mountain at breakneck speeds with his older siblings.  His parents introduced him to snowboarding at the age of 6, hoping that the snowboard would make him go slower.  It backfired.

White entered his first amateur contest at the age of seven, winning his first event and earning entry to the Nationals.  Racing against much older kids, White was able to place in the Top 10.  His prodigy caught the eye of Burton Snowboards and White struck a sponsorship deal with them after his showing at his first Nationals.  Burton would continue its support of White for years to come, helping him go pro at age 13.

By the age of nine, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk took White under his wing and mentored him for his next stage of growth.   White would win 5 national title before turning professional.  He then took his mastery of the sport to the Summer and Winter X Games, where he holds 16 total medals, 10 of which are gold.

White’s stardom and success transcend his sport today.  With support from Red Bull, White built his own halfpipe in the side of a mountain in Colorado.  The training facility allowed White to train in isolation for a month, preparing to unleash new skills and tricks never before seen in the sport.  The training session was dubbed, “Red Bull Project X”.

All the training comes to fruition tonight, as White takes the international stage with new skills that are expected to drop the jaws of the average spectator.  On tap for the viewing public will be the manuever called the “Whitesnake”, a double corked variation that includes approximately 3 1/2 rotations (1260 degrees to be precise) with a double twist motion.

Needless to say, if he hits the move, the rest of the halfpipe entrants will be fighting for the Silver.  The qualification runs begin at 1:05PM PST, the semifinals start at 5:15PM PST and the medal round kicks off at 7:15PM PST.

Thanks to the IOC for forcing NBC to show this live!

Tags: halfpipe, red bull project X, shaun white, snowboarding, tony hawk

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