White ends monster year in style
STRATTON MOUNTAIN, Vt. -- ''Finally," said Shaun White, the 19-year-old with the flowing red hair, ''I can go home."
He has been on the road for a while, from the early December meets in Oregon and Colorado, to the start of the Olympic drumbeat and on to the Turin Games, then here for the finale at this weekend's US Open Snowboarding Championships.
Not only has White competed in it all, but with yesterday's slopestyle finale, he's won it all. The halfpipes, the slopestyles, the Sessions at Vail, two Olympic qualifiers, the Olympics, and the national title.
Known as ''The Flying Tomato," the kid who grew up skateboarding on the streets of San Diego and surfing off its beaches had 12 straight wins in major events -- a feat not unlike a golfer winning a dozen tournaments, according to the father of the sport, Jake Burton.
Yesterday, White once again mixed huge amplitude with his backside 720, a frontside 9 into a cab 1080, and a switchback 720, all in a seemingly effortless style. He scored 88 points, with Chas Guidemond, originally from New Hampshire and now a Californian, second with 85.16. Jussi Oksanen of Finland was third with 80 points.
It was quite a weekend for White, who heads home with two daily prizes of $20,000 and a $40,000 Volvo.
On the women's side, another Californian, Hana Beaman, won the slopestyle after taking the quarterpipe Friday night, making her total haul $30,000 plus a Volvo.
Beaman scored 71 points yesterday to squeak past Spencer O'Brien (70.16) and Jaime Anerderson (66).
Slopestyle is a finale that combines two rails and four jumps as riders work down the course. Points are awarded by six judges at different locations, and the best run of three is counted.
For White, the day did not start as promising as it ended.
''I woke up and [had] missed practice," White said. ''It was cloudy and snowing and I'm like, 'What am I doing?' But I knew everyone was going to be bummed at me if I didn't do the whole season. So I just decided to do what I do. I was floating yesterday, but I'm really walking on air today. I just feel so good. It's done. It's finally over. I'm going home. I'm going to the beach. I'm going surfing."
White began his season with two Grand Prix wins at Breckenridge, followed by wins at the Mt. Bachelor Grand Prix, two wins at the Vail Sessions, two at the New Jersey Grand Prix, slopestyle and halfpipe wins at the X Games, the Olympic halfpipe gold medal, and this weekend's US halfpipe and slopestyle titles.
''I knew I could do well this year because I had all the tricks," added White during a champagne-soaked celebration. ''But I didn't think I'd win everything. I knew I was on a roll, and then it turned into this monster that was just fueling me."
To Burton, who founded the US Open 24 years ago, White's accomplishments have been monumental.
''There have been some great riders," said Burton, ''but this sport has been getting more competitive every year, tougher and tougher. For a rider to come along and set out the kind of challenge Shaun did, and then to accomplish it, well, it's just phenomenal.
''There hasn't been anything like it before, and it will be something we'll be talking about for a long, long time."
White makes it all look effortless.
''Some people say, 'You make it look too easy out there,' " said White. ''And some people would say it didn't look like I was trying. But that's what it's like sometimes. I'm looking for perfection."
White is happy for the break, but he knows another competitive season will begin again in a few months.
''What's great about next year is that all these people I've been beating will come at me with a vengeance and we'll have some more battles," he said. ''I'm really looking forward to that. But not right now. Now I'm going home."
