When I was 12 years old, I was hanging out with 23-year-olds. I was into cartoons and Pokemon, and they're all talking about girls. It was a strange way to grow up.
— Shaun White
I'm just having fun.
I want to perform well.
I can kind of picture what I want to do and my body just does it. You feel your way through a trick. I close my eyes sometimes.
I mean, I get letters in the mail because I had a heart defect when I was one, I had surgeries and stuff. And so you get these letters in the mail that just, they are crazy, they are just like, yes, well our son is dealing with the same thing and we saw you on TV and I mean it is such a cool thing to inspire and kind of give hope.
I am a pretty recognizable, like, I walk through the airport or something, you are going to spot me right away.
Games have always a big part of my life. I was that kid freaking out over his new Nintendo.
Cement doesn't give as much as snow.
Honestly, I feel really grateful for everything.
I was sponsored when I was about seven by Burton Snowboards.
I couldn't do my homework if my room wasn't clean. And it has carried on now that I am older, in a very freakish way.
I like being able to have things that identify you in a brand without blatantly showing a logo.
Meeting actors and TV personalities is one thing, but I just feel like meeting musicians is the coolest.
Boards and myself get along somehow.
I was a monster, a problem child.
I'm just going to keep dialing it in and keep practicing.
You take a crash, you get back up and next time you succeed and that's a great feeling.
I totally forget about snowboarding in the summertime.
I love the sport of snowboarding so much, but I just don't want to talk about it, ever.
You know the best thing about competition? There's this whole strategy game, and when it all works out its like solving that hard math equation. You finally get the answer and you're so happy.
I'd like to date, but I'm not really in a position to meet girls.
What drives me now is the fact that I feel like I still have so many tricks that I want to learn and so many things that I can still do. And so many cool things outside of sports that I have been doing.
My dad got me a huge board when I was little. He loves to surf. He suited me up and sent me out on this huge wave. I went under, and when I came out and the board hit me in the face. So I said, I never wanted to do this again. I stayed away until I was 13.
Trick names are so ridiculous!
You can only jump so far until you break your leg. You can only land so hard until something explodes.
Skateboarding is training, but I don't think of it as training. It's fun.
You have to be prepared to take a spill.
I like that you can easily flip the sheets over and have a different feel or vibe in your room. You don't have to go get a whole brand-new set of sheets.
If you do a trick and it doesn't work out, that can stick with you. I like to go back, nail the trick, and, 'OK, I'm cool, it's all good.'
I always tell people that our sports aren't that dangerous.
I don't know where my first gold medal is.
I am pretty bow-legged. It's annoying.
There are plenty of skills I've learned from playing video games. It's more interactive than watching TV, because there are problems to solve as you're using your brain.
I can't really describe a trick as much as I just feel it.
I like to stay in the moment.
Having all eyes on me at all times is hard to deal with, but it's great. It feels like you've already accomplished something. It's already predetermined that you're going to do well.
I get e-mails from mothers asking me to call their daughters for a date. I have a great life.
It's hard to just kinda get some privacy and do your own thing.
We all started snowboarding in the beginning as a family just to be closer together, go on trips. It was our soccer, but instead of Dad yelling at me from the sideline he is there riding with me and hitting the jumps even before I am hitting them.
I personally think skateboarding is harder because it has so many moving parts. With snowboarding, your feet are strapped to your board.
If you're going off a 90-foot jump, you can't say: 'Oh, I don't want to do this now.' You're going no matter what.
My dad, he's the rocker.
When I went pro at 13, I had plenty of sponsors that give me endorsement deals and stuff like that.
I know my family and I would always go up to the mountains just for fun. We always skied. Then, all of a sudden, my brother started snow boarding. Older brother thing, I had to do what he was doing. So I started snow boarding.
Ask anyone who knows me - I am constantly moving things around in my place.
I've just had this fight since I can't even remember.
I've always been under the impression that it would be such a bummer to be in a peaceful place like Hawaii or the tropics and be stressed about catching waves.
I was knocked out by a skateboarder when I was 11.
There's always room for improvement, but the judges are looking for big airs and stylish tricks.
I don't think the sport is any more dangerous than it's ever been.
