This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2010, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
As the only athlete who got his own media day last month at the Portland, Ore., Dew Tour stop, the hardest-working man in snow business strolled into a room full of balding media types, his famous red hair unfurled past his shoulders.
With a skateboard resting at his feet, the two-time Olympic snowboarding gold medalist then sat patiently before TV crews, who took turns getting their stations' microphones some shared airtime with the one of the most recognizable faces in the world.
Shaun White, who turned 24 last week, took each question in stride, sometimes answering the same ones again and again. He has the promotion aspect of his job down, and he easily handled topics ranging from his status as an international superstar …
"It's an amazing thing to meet people, and they already feel like they know you."
… Then, inevitably, to his performance in February's Olympics …
"You saw that? Man, everybody saw that."
… To his affection for the city in which the event he chose to participate in was held …
"It's an amazing city, I always love to come here."
It wasn't until a question about a different city that his stream of quotables was interrupted. Would White ride his skateboard in the Dew Tour stop in Salt Lake City, which starts next week in — and around — EnergySolutions Arena?
White, who lives in Carlsbad, Calif., but has a home in Park City, paused.
"Uh, I'm hoping, yeah," he said. "I know, uh … schedule. … Hopefully, I can make it there. I'd love to."
Later, though, White said it was unlikely he would compete at the Dew Tour's third of four stops. In addition to being a showman, he's a businessman.
After a summer filled with commitments to his sponsors and preparation for his first skating video game, White needed a break.
However, he isn't very good at taking breaks, especially when there is something to be won.
In Portland, skating on the vert ramp — picture him winning in Vancouver, British Columbia, earlier this year, but add wheels — White obliterated the mainstays of the tour such as Bucky Lasek, Bob Burnquist and Pierre-Luc Gagnon.
After taking more than a year off from competitive skating, White has re-emerged at the top and is a leading contender for the Dew Cup, the coveted season championship he won in 2007.
"I definitely want to go to the next stop and see how I can do," he said.
Hello, Salt Lake City, the next stop on the Shaun White summer appreciation tour.
Mixed reaction
In Utah, action sports have taken off since the Olympics, and Utah Sports Commission President Jeff Robbins said it's understandable that White is a big draw — even off the mountain.
"My sense is, it would give added excitement and it would be fun for the people to come out and see one of the most prominent Olympians from this year come out and compete in a summer sport," he said.
Of course, while fans find news of White's participation cause for celebration, it can elicit grumbles from his peers.
"It can be kind of annoying that all the guys that have been here paying dues, winning contests for years, are kind of getting their spots taken away by someone who hasn't been skating for the last year and a half," Gagnon said. "He's got all the limelight for something he's accomplished on a snowboard, really."
Fans didn't seem to care why White was there. After he won, a large man in VIP seating wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the logo for Monster energy drinks — which endorses Gagnon — stood up, lifted his arms above his head and let out a guttural endorsement of White's performance:
"Yeeeeeeaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!"
Global appeal
People are always yelling at White. As he walks off the ramp, fans clamor for his attention.
"Shaun! Shaun!"
It's as generic a name as they come, but in that moment, it's as if it belongs only to White.
Whereas other stars such as Gagnon — famously known as PLG — are immediately recognizable only within the action-sports world, White is global. His face is in dozens of marketing campaigns, and he received oodles of international airtime during the Winter Games in Vancouver and in Torino, Italy, in 2006, where he won his first gold medal.
"Apparently, I'm huge with grandmas," White said. "Everywhere I go, 'Dude, my grandma loves you.' "
That's part of what makes White's appearance at the Dew Tour such a symbiotic relationship. It's a niche event, targeted at a specific demographic, and White is able to briefly slip back into his comfort zone after spending most of his time on multiple platforms.
Still, when he was introduced by the public-address announcer before skating in Portland, it was as "a two-time Olympic gold medalist in snowboarding."
"I'm proud of that accomplishment, so it's something you can't hide," White said.
But he also can't hide his competitive nature. Being a two-sport athlete isn't nearly as impressive as dominating in two sports.
With Lasek and Gagnon leading White with scores in the 90s, he went to the biggest move in his arsenal. He busted out his trademark "Armadillo," a move that only he has ever landed, in which he flips the board under his feet while spinning 540 degrees.
After he landed, White immediately lifted his arms in victory, even as he completed his final few tricks of a run that would eventually score 93.5.
As time ran out, he let his board fly upward while he slid down on his kneepads, first raising his arms, then grabbing his head. As he walked off the ramp, he pumped his fist toward the stands.
Shaun White doesn't take breaks.
boram@sltrib.comTwitter: @oramb —
Dew Tour
What • Action-sports competition featuring stars of skateboarding, BMX and motocross.
When • Thursday through Sept. 19.
Where • EnergySolutions Arena.
When you can see Shaun White • He will ride in the skateboard vert finals on Sept. 19 at 2 p.m., on NBC.
Tickets • Available at www. SmithsTix.com or the EnergySolutions Arena box office, starting at $15.
Other athletes you may know • Shaun White isn't the only star on the Dew Tour. Longtime competitors such as skateboarders Bucky Lasek and Bob Burnquist, as well as BMX riders Jamie Bestwick and Dave Mirra, will compete. The SLC stop is the final one before October's Dew Tour Championship in Las Vegas.