Shaun White Red mop update
Catching up with snowboarding's first superstar.
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Shaun White graced the cover of the very first edition of HUCK way back in 2006. He was fresh out of the Olympics and basking in the glory of his gold medal.
But really, it was all just the beginning. Two years on and Shaun has now reached a status even he didn't expect. Besides dominating the core market, he has now transcended the sports arena to become the face of brands such as American Express and HP. He has his own video game and, incredibly, even his own clothing line at Target.
Here, HUCK scratches beneath the surface to see what is really going on these days. Because let's face it, even with fame, money and hot chicks chasing you around, they can't all be good days.
Or can they?
HUCK: Since the Olympics things have really gained momentum in your career. Did you ever expect to reach this level of fame?
It was never the plan to become famous with snowboarding. It was something that I really liked and happened to be good at. As things progressed, it's been really interesting to see what opportunities have come from this. Right now I trip out on how people react to me, it's totally weird sometimes. It has been at a certain level for some time, but now with my video game it's been gaining more and more steam. Crazy days, for sure.
Do you ever wake up in the morning and just think: "I'm too tired to deal with my commitments today?”
There are times that can be annoying, for sure. When you travel all the time, it's tough to keep up on time zones and commitments. But I always try to remember that it's for the fans, and the fans are really the reason that I am able to do anything with this sport.
Speaking of fame, I know from riders who have travelled with you that you are as recognised in public as most actors and rock stars. Do you ever find this level of invasion into your life hard to handle or is it something you enjoy?
There is no way that I can be bummed on people because they are the ones that let me live this lifestyle. In the end, all I have to do is plan things to account for running into fans. Like if I go to a basketball game, I just know that if I want to get away quickly, I probably have to use a side entrance. Not a big deal, really.
You kind of grew up in the public eye. Do you feel like you had a lost childhood in any way?
No way, I mean, really, am I bummed I missed my eighth grade graduation party? I feel totally blessed that I was able to have a childhood like I did. You learn a lot of stuff on the road, stuff they can't teach you in a classroom.
Other than Tony Hawk, there are no other snowboarders or skateboarders who have your level of commercial success. Can it be lonely to be standing at the top all alone?
I think I deal with pressure very well, so I don't get too lonely, but I think it's hard for people to understand how busy I can get. I don't have summers off, and I'm not complaining, but when other people want me to come for a surf trip, it sucks to turn people down.
Snowboarding and skateboarding are sports that put a lot of emphasis on remaining 'core'. You have embraced some very mainstream, commercial sponsors, and yet that doesn't seem to affect your image. Why do you think that is?
Whenever I do anything mainstream, I really try to make sure our sport is represented in the best way possible. If you go through the ads, commercials, whatever, there are things that I made sure were changed in order to make sure the sports don't look stupid. In the end, I just try to make sure that when my friends see the stuff I'm in, they aren't going to make fun of me later. I think that’s the best way to approach things when it comes to your image.
Do you ever question any of the choices you have made? Are there brands out there you wouldn't endorse?
Totally, out of all the sponsors that everyone sees me with, there are four times as many that I have turned down. As crazy as it sounds, I have turned down more money than I make. I try to partner myself with companies that are willing to work with my sports and me. I like to build relationships with sponsors because those seem to have the most opportunity for giving back to our sport.
If you could take a year out from all your commitments right now, what would you do with that time?
Party naked with Bon Jovi.
Do you have any closing words for HUCK's readers?
Don't listen to a word I say. It's all lies!
To read the full feature, check out Huck #013.
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Shaun White (text) by Zoe Oksanen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
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