"In some ways, Shaun White's next trip to the Winter Olympics might be the toughest. Retired for four years and now trying to shape his sport from outside of the halfpipe he once commanded, White says he fully expects his upcoming trip to Italy the country where he won the first of his three gold medals to be an emotional ride, maybe with some unexpected turns."
"During his heyday, White was the first rider who made no apologies for aggressively trying to win in a sport that felt more concerned with being laid-back. In much the way he reconfigured that part of snowboarding's narrative over his 20-plus years in the halfpipe, he wants to leverage his influence in retirement by stamping a new blueprint on its future."
Shaun White retired four years ago and now seeks to shape snowboarding from outside the halfpipe while preparing to watch the Olympics in Italy, where he earned his first gold. He founded the year-old Snow League halfpipe tour that replaces traditional scoring with a head-to-head elimination bracket and best-of-three showdowns, requiring riders to drop from opposite sides. He recruited top competitors such as Ayumu Hirano and enlisted Eileen Gu for freeskiing. Crossovers with media personalities and NBC telecasts aim to widen exposure. White is single again and focused on leaving a new blueprint for the sport.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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