Original subtitles

[film crew] Shaun White, take one.

[producer] So Shaun...

...is this gonna be the last run?

[sighs]

I really don't know. I mean...

...as long as I can remember, I mean, this is what I've done.

-Love you guys. -[man] Love you too, dog.

You got this one, man.

[Shaun White] This is who I am,

It's not really walking away from the sport,

it's walking away from a piece of identity.

And I just don't know really who I am without it.

[commenter] Shaun White is about to drop in.

He has two gold medals already.

He wants to go again, he wants three.

But at the moment he has a problem,

he's only in second place.

Shaun White is dropped in for gold.

[Cathy White] You know, you see these athletes...

...that are so self-motivated.

[commenter] He's gonna do the run.

There it is! Surely seals the gold medal.

[Cathy] People say, "Oh, your parents pushed you" and stuff like that.

No, it doesn't come from being pushed it comes from within.

He's the one that says "I'm gonna do this," and does it.

I don't know what makes him tick, his dad is kind of like him.

[laughing]

[Cathy] And Shaun, for some reason, just thrives on winning.

[crowd cheering]

[Shaun] When I think about it, I don't really know

whether it's just the will to win

or just the fear of not...

...amounting to anything.

That's why so many competitions

is just not enough, I gotta keep going.

[announcer] Can make his own fate.

[crowd cheering]

[Frank Wells] He truly transcended the sport with everything he did.

I mean, he won Summer X games, he won Winter X games, he won pipe, he won slope.

He won everything.

I mean, who does that?

[person yelling]

[commenter] Shaun White, the biggest name in winter sport right now.

[Kari White] He loves crowds.

He loves pressure.

And I think he lives for those moments.

[commenter] Absolutely spectacular.

Delivering the Olympic gold.

[woman] Athletes kinda have this different mentality.

To us they're, like, always winning,

but to them they don't see it that way.

They don't think about how much they've won.

They think about how much more they need to win.

[cheering]

[Shaun] It would mean the world to me,

to wrap a career with another Olympic gold.

I'm gonna be giving my all, for sure.

[theme music playing]

* Every day is just a little white lie *

* Telling myself I'm getting by *

* Just stay in this room and cry *

* The snow covers up the ground *

* King of a one horse town *

* I'm a king of a one horse town *

* And I barely pull my weight around *

[theme music ending]

Take one.

[man] 'Kay, perfect.

Okay, hey Shaun, how old are ya?

10.

-[man] 10 years old and where... where you from? -Yeah.

San Diego.

[man] Uh huh. What do you think you wanna be

when you... when you get... when you get older, Shaun?

-Pro snowboarder. -[man] Yeah?

You have a girlfriend, Shaun?

Hm, I liked this girl, but not anymore.

[man] Well, what's your favorite kind of snowboarding?

-Powder. -[man] Powder?

Yeah.

[Cathy] It's been an interesting ride, it has.

You know, ever since he was a baby

and born with the stuff that I had to go through with him...

...it's been a crazy ride, and he's always been that different kind of a kid.

[crying]

[Cathy cooing] Shaun!

Shaun!

[Roger] Say a few words for us here.

Can you say a few words for us?

[Cathy] When Shaun was born, Kari had a brain cyst.

And I was pregnant at the time.

So I had Shaun and we were still going through brain surgeries and stuff,

and didn't notice anything about Shaun.

He was just the afterthought because we were so busy with her.

I took him to the pediatrician,

and all of a sudden he goes, "You need to go to the ER right now."

They did a test on him, and then they did another test and said,

"Oh, he's a got a tetralogy of Fallot,"

which is four defects of the heart.

And so from there it was just a whirlwind

of Kari, Shaun, Shaun, Kari.

They used to share the same crib in the hospital.

[baby crying]

[Roger] And Shaun had to have two heart operations

the first one didn't work.

[crying]

He was so little, he was only like [puffs air] you know?

I remember sitting in the waiting room

and somebody goin', "Oh, well, you know, it's gonna be really,

um, amazing if he doesn't have to have a pacemaker."

[laughing]

And I was, like, "Oh, my God."

[Kari crying]

[Shaun] I remember having, you know, a big scar on my chest

from the surgery.

And then I remember going in for these routine checkups,

they were called "stress tests."

And I would basically exert myself as much as I can

to see how much pressure I could put on my heart, see what it could take.

[Kari] Can I go in, Mommy?

[Cathy] I don't think it's big enough for both of you.

Mommy!

[Cathy] Hi!

The only things I was told I couldn't do was stay in the jacuzzi too long

and scuba dive.

[chuckles]

Other than that, my parents were like, "Go for it."

[Cathy] Come here, Kari. Look at Mommy.

-[Kari squeals] -[Cathy] You're going too fast!

Shauny!

Shauny!

-[laughing] -[Cathy] Shauny.

Hi-yah!

Hi-yah!

[Kari] Shaun and I were the closest.

And my mom worked nights,

so I kinda was, like, the weird day mom for him.

I'd make him French toast after school,

and, like, keep an eye on him.

He was also, like, always in that space of trouble.

[Cathy] What... What did you do?

I made a mess.

You know, the thing with Shaun growing up, what I remember the most,

is just he had this motor.

Like, he was always on.

So energetic that he'd just be a little shit.

[Cathy] Shauny, what do you have?

A kitty cat.

[Cathy] Let me see it, bring it here.

[Shaun] Let's go!

He's just run around, he'd punch you, he'd wrestle.

Like, he'd always wanna, like, express himself physically.

-[Shaun] Help me! -[Cathy] Jesse!

[Jesse] And he was fearless.

[squealing]

[Shaun] The dynamic with the family was pretty, I guess, ordinary.

Whatever that means.

My dad went to work in the mornings,

then he came back, uh, midday.

Then the shift would switch and then my mom would go to work.

So she was always there to see us to school,

and then we'd come home and then my dad would kinda like pick up from there.

We'd didn't make a lot of money, I was, like, a blue collar worker.

But, I mean, it wasn't like we were living from hand to mouth or anything.

[Cathy] I was a waitress and where we lived

it was kind of like, you know...

...kind of a lower job.

[Shaun] I mean, everything was standard until you got to the backyard.

In the backyard we had, like, a jacuzzi, we had a trampoline,

and we had a mini ramp.

Some kid broke his arm in the neighborhood and they had a ramp.

So I went and we cut it in pieces

and I remember carrying it down the side of the house.

So we're jockeying in pieces of this pipe

through and then put it together.

And [sighs] Shaun was doing, Jesus.

He'd get on the top of the ramp...

He was doing, like, stunts.

Dive off of, like, the ramp onto the trampoline.

As an adult, you think, "Well, I know better.

They can hurt themselves, I should stop 'em."

But for some reason or other I had faith in him.

I just thought it was so cool,

I... I just remember being obsessed with, like, being in the air.

[Cathy] That's what really flipped the switch,

thinking, like, "Wow, he's got great balance,"

and he had nerves of steel.

The kid, I don't even think he feels pain sometimes.

[Shaun] And I remember the kids in the neighborhood hitting this point

where, you know, they would let off the gas and they get fearful.

And I just never hit that point.

I would always just want to go bigger,

and... and if you built a jump, I would hit it.

[male reporter 1] The Winter Olympics in Beijing. just 100 days away

[female reporter] And this morning we're joined by an electrifying athlete,

three time Olympic gold medalist in snowboarding, Shaun White.

[male reporter 1] What... What does Shaun White's training regimen look like today

then it did when you first started, you know, with the Olympics?

Yeah, I mean, goodness. My first Olympics I was... I was 19.

I'm... I'm 35 now.

Um, ooh. [laughs]

No, I... I think it's... [laughs]

I... I will be honest, I need a couple more days of rest than, uh, I used to.

-[laughs] -[reporters laugh]

What does it feel like going up against guys now

who are... are quite literally almost half your age?

You know, it was a trip.

I... I think it was around the last Olympics I... I remember...

...hearing the announcers going on,

"Dropping in, the oldest competitor, Shaun White."

-And I was like... -[reporters laugh]

-Oof. What? -[reporters laughing]

I... Forever I've been the youngest competitor.

So, um... So that was a big change.

Um, I kinda wear it proudly now.

[female reporter] Kinda feel like you should have some seniority, you know?

-[laughs] -[female reporter] So do you still have to qualify?

Seriously, what does that journey look like?

I do. I... I do, yeah.

You know, it keeps me on my toes, you know?

And, um, so around December will be, uh, some of the qualifying event.

Tune in and, uh, check it out,

'cause I'll be, uh... I'll be battling.

One step at a time gonna try to make the team,

and then, uh, set the sights on, uh, China.

No hopefully about it, we will see you in Beijing.

I can feel that nervous tension starting to begin.

Why? I know what's looming in the distance, and I just... I wanna be ready.

Oh, my God!

[groans]

Like it could be you had to do, like a giant speech in front of...

...the world. [laughs]

And you're, like, and you don't have the speech yet.

You're like, "Okay. Like...

I gotta write that thing," you know?

[man] Shaun.

[Shaun] In halfpipe snowboarding we call it your run.

It's a routine that you're building.

Just like a figure skating or like a gymnastics routine.

You get five to six hits in the halfpipe,

and each hit is your biggest and best tricks.

But within that routine,

you need to have certain tricks

that your competitors might not have.

Something to separate you from the pack.

It's one of the only sports where...

...there's no real template to follow.

Tomorrow I could invent a new trick and be the best in the world.

You guys are watching how things are learned.

Everyone always asks, "How do they learn this stuff?"

Like this. [laughs]

You do hundreds of reps into this bag

until it gets in your muscle memory.

Beat it to a pulp and then, on the right day, take it to the hill.

This close. This close.

The work you gotta put in now to learn a new big move.

[Shaun] Dammit.

Saas-Fee camp.

That's on a glacier that's probably 9,000, 10,000 feet high.

Probably our highest training camp of the year.

[JJ Thomas] Ooh, now we're talking.

[Shaun] It's work.

They're hiking straight up this halfpipe at 10,000 feet.

And some guys are in better shape than others.

It's brutal. And then they have to go risk their life.

So it's like this combo of working out...

...and taking on this massive amount of risk.

That's what you have to balance.

[panting]

[panting] Today's the first day the knee's been feeling...

...better.

I don't wanna jinx it but...

But whatever it's doing's workin'.

[distant cheer]

-[man 1] Good? -[woman] What's goin' on?

-[man 2] You all right? -[Shaun laughs]

Was that the plan?

-[man 3] Uh, not exactly. -[Shaun] Okay.

[man 3] Kind of.

[Shaun] And I thought I was having a mediocre day. [laughs]

[pants]

-[man 4] Good job today. -Thanks.

[man 4] Just stay with it though, it's gonna happen.

[Shaun] This is the nitty-gritty of it all.

This is us kinda, like, doing whatever it takes

to get the experience and get the...

...tricks accomplished and, um,

with that comes, like, a lot of sacrifice.

I could easily fly home the 24th so that I'm home the 25th.

That gives me an extra three days in Europe.

[Cathy] Okay.

Maybe we do it all after the Olympics.

[laughs]

[Kari] Also, I... I'll probably be as big as a house in February.

Oh, yeah, I forgot you're pregnant.

[chuckles]

-[Kari laughs] -Oh, my god!

[inhales sharply] Um, wow.

When are you... When are you due?

[Kari] May.

I'm a little nervous but I'm trying to be, like, "It's fine!"

It'll be okay.

[Kari] All right, well, we love you so much.

-All right. -[Cathy] Hope you're having fun.

[snorts] Okay, love you. Bye.

[Cathy] Love you.

So the 25th...

[Cathy] Shaun, don't... don't hang off the... get on the chair.

Put your arm around the chair.

[Shaun] Yeah, bro!

[Cathy] Shaun.

[Shaun yells]

[Roger exclaims] Oh!

[Shaun] I mean, I was 5 when I started snowboarding.

I was entered into competitions of snowboarding at 7.

It wasn't that, like, I found this love for this sport,

destined to be the next great thing.

It was that everyone loved snowboarding.

And it was our family that, like, did it together.

When I started snowboarding

it was after my brother started,

then quickly my sister started.

And then my dad was the next to go

and then my mom eventually started snowboarding.

So everybody in the family snowboarded.

[Jesse] Like, we just got it.

And Shaun really got it.

You know, it took me...

...I don't know, seven days, to, like, really get it.

And it took Shaun, like, four runs.

It was incredible.

[Cathy] It just became a thing with our family,

'cause we aren't mountain people.

We didn't know anything about the sport.

We just did it.

[Roger] The only time we were a family was on weekends.

I mean, I worked all I could.

His mom worked shifts all the time.

I mean it was a commitment, I guess, is what I'm trying to say.

But, I mean, we were all so into it.

When we had time to go, we went.

[Cathy] We had my, um, minivan.

And we took the backseat out, we built some beds.

And we started traveling in that,

and then we figured "Oh, it's too small."

So I went down to the border and bought a border van

where they would look through the binoculars at night,

trying to see the border.

And I got one of their vans 'cause it had the big sleeping thing on the top.

[Jesse] This classic white beast

that our parents picked up outside of Mexico,

and somehow shellacked wallpaper across everything.

My parents tried to make it feel like a, you know, home.

[Kari] It was this shit box on wheels,

but [laughs] it was the only way to, like, kind of make it happen.

It was the way to get us to the mountains and, like, save money.

'Cause, like, Aspen was not cheap.

[Shaun] It's exactly what you can imagine.

I mean, it was a family road trip.

We were just going from mountain to mountain,

we're getting on each other's nerves.

You know, the heater goes out, we're freezing at night. it was... it was amazing,

It was... it was amazing,

like, it was just the best time.

[Jesse] And we'd go to Mount Hood

and we'd stay right on the mountain a lotta times.

We used to camp out right over there in our family van.

They had hot water at the rest stop.

So we'd fill up, like, one milk jug to get wet

and then a second jug to, uh, clean the soap off.

It's really dark out, so my dad's, like, doing the...

And I'm standing there in front of the, um... showering.

And Jesse gets in the... in the van and...

Throw on the high beams and started honking, and he just... naked,

ran off into the woods.

Butt naked.

So angry.

I'm just so happy I did that.

And that was every day.

But that's the kinda crap that we all did with each other

and we had some of the best times.

[Jesse] You know, it's such a funny thing

'cause when we started snowboarding

it was the end of one era and really the beginning of another.

[man] Well, we've got a lulu for you tonight.

It's called snowboarding.

And this is one of the zaniest we've seen in a long time.

[Jesse] The old era was this world

of snowboarders versus the mountain.

And it was, like, snowboarders aren't welcome.

[people yelling]

[reporter] This is what all the fuss is about.

It's like snow surfing...

...an idea that originated in, where else, California.

[Jesse] Living in southern California, you know,

everybody was surfing, they were skate boarding, they were snowboarding.

Like, that's what you did.

[Wells] When we first started snowboarding

we were seen as the freaks.

[screaming]

We weren't allowed at, you know, half the resorts.

And, to be honest, they didn't know how to handle us.

It was the bad boys.

It was just like the skate boarders at the 7-Eleven,

'causing a ruckus, you know, looked on as criminals.

And on the hill it was even worse

because skiing is such an elitist, expensive sport.

You got the skier in the one piece,

you know, $5,000 Obermeyer suit,

and then you got this guy in baggy jeans, smoking weed, cussing.

It added to that bad boy persona.

[reporter] The ski patrol says it's got its hands full.

Quite a lot of them were uncooperative.

Um, some of them have had a little bit to drink.

And, uh...

...smart alecks.

They tend to flip you off if you ask them very nicely to leave,

that they're endangering the public, and possibly themselves.

[Jake Burton] Snowboarders in the beginning

we stuck out like a sore thumb.

We had one board, we didn't have ski boots on, we didn't have poles.

We were not even allowed on ski resorts at the time.

We were just, I think, anti-establishment.

[reporter] You see any compromise in the future at all?

No. No. We just like to say that we don't want them at all.

[Thomas] I mean, snowboarding back in the 90s, it was way more rogue.

But it was cool because you were kinda part of a tribe.

Especially as a young kid back in the day.

If they saw you, they would "Oh, hey! What's your name?

Come... Come hang out."

And you're just instantly in this family.

And then you had people like Jake Burton

who was basically the godfather of the sport,

and he was taking riders under his wing

and putting on these huge events.

[Cathy] I think that was the time period

when I thought, "Okay, this is more than just a family fun time."

I went to Burton and said, "Hey, I got this little kid."

[Shaun] It just so happened that they were coming out with a kids line,

and all of a sudden I was sponsored.

[man] Shaun White!

-[Shaun] Yeah, bud, how are you? -I'm living. You?

[Shaun] I'm good.

But yeah, those early days were so much fun.

I couldn't get enough. I would snowboard all day long,

and then rush down to the camp,

and I would just skate until it got dark.

I just remember going and going and going and never getting tired.

It was so much fun.

He would just fall asleep in our arms.

It was like turning a light switch.

[laughs]

I think it was probably the best time of his life.

[man] Yeah!

[woman cheering]

[Jesse] We grew up skateboarding.

This was the first love, this was the first sport.

This is what opened the doors for everything else.

[Shaun] We had some really talented and amazing people that lived in that area,

Tony Hawk, Bucky Lasek, Bob Burnquist,

all these amazing pro skateboarders.

[Tony Hawk] Kids that start skating vert, like,

they're scared to death to drop in.

And if they start getting above the lip,

it's like a whole new world, a whole new experience.

And for Shaun, it's like he lives above the lip.

[crowd cheering]

[announcer] Now put your hands together

for the Tony Hawk' Gigantic Skatepark Tour, everybody!

The guy had never seen a skate video until I invited him to a premier

of one that he was in.

[laughs] You know?

Hi, I'm Shaun White, uh, I'm a skateboard and snowboarder.

[Hawk] I think we gave him a crash course

simply because he had to live the life of a pro-skater.

We just sort of...

...beat him in, so to speak. [laughs]

[Cathy] I really put him out there a lot too.

Like, skateboarding, I took him to MTV things

just so that he could demo skate.

'Cause he just loved it so much.

Shaun White and Bob Burnquist, ladies and gentlemen.

[cheering]

The first round we did, when he gapped the channel...

[Bob Burnquist] Almost hit.

[man on speaker] Yeah.

Shaun's really risking his life.

I mean, Bob's got, like, 10 times the body mass that Shaun does.

I was really nervous about doubles.

And so I was in the audience and... and they were skating,

and started skating, it was really cute.

Everything was going good.

And then all of a sudden I saw...

[announcers] Woah, boy.

[crowd gasps]

[Roger] Shaun, are you all right?

It's your dad, Shaun.

I launched over an 8 foot fence, was it?

-6, 8 foot chain-link fence. -Yeah.

We both flew over it.

All of a sudden we found ourselves on the ramp with him.

[Cathy] It was the scariest moment of my life.

-It was... I thought we lost him. -We were lucky.

All we can do at this point is, uh, just, you know, pray for... pray for Shaun.

Just, uh, think real positive.

Ah, that... that day was brutal.

He was, like, 10, and, like, fractured his skull.

And I just remember his body and, like, him being so limp.

and I literally can't stomach watching him fall.

Put him in the ambulance, and, um rushed him to the hospital.

[Shaun] Um...

I don't remember a thing.

From what I was told from the paramedics,

my hand hit the ramp, it broke my hand.

And then my head hit Bob's hip, it pushed my helmet back.

And then I smacked the ramp and it actually fractured my skull.

[Jesse] You know, that was, like, the first

very serious injury that came across our family.

And you know, Shaun's a kid. He's a kid.

You know, the guilt that my parents felt...

...for him being there and getting hurt.

It's not something you think about.

I know they felt terrible.

Uh, the community made us feel worse.

[Shaun] It's my first day back to school.

I threw on this dirty t-shirt, and I, like, strolled into school.

And, um...

...you know, the teacher just took one look at me and started crying.

I looked like I got hit by a bus.

I had no idea it was picture day.

It... It was a funny situation.

But at the time things really changed.

I remember the community...

...thinking "Okay, like, how could you let your son do this?"

And, "You're doing these sports

that we don't really understand,

and... and think are dangerous, and look what happened.

Look what happened. You guys got what you deserved."

[Jesse] You know if we were playing football,

if we were playing soccer, if we were playing baseball, and Shaun got hurt?

It's totally cool.

But he was hurt doing something that most people thought was, uh, outrageous.

[Shaun] Now people are kinda looking at my parents

as, like, bad parents.

People that, you know, like "Hey, your endangering your son."

I can't imagine...

...being my mom at that point

and not kind of thinking, like, "Ooh. Am I doing the right thing?"

The thing that did frighten me

is I realized that I wasn't invincible at that point.

I had just kinda lost this drive to go skateboarding.

And my mom...

...would kinda come up and "Hey, do you wanna go to the skate park today?"

And I'd just, "No. I... No. Maybe tomorrow."

And I just kinda would brush it off.

And so she finally kinda confronted me

and said, "Hey, you used to go all the time. Like what's goin' on?"

[Cathy] I think deep down he was afraid.

But I kept taking him to the Y.

You kept taking him to the Y?

Yeah, you know, he's like--

You didn't lock him up in a room?

God, no.

[Shaun] I think that my mom just, you know,

I don't think she wanted to give into the fear of what could happen

and "Oh, he's skateboarding again."

And... And I don't think she wanted me to give into the fear.

[grunts]

-[man] Bradly might end up capturing it. -[Shaun] Yeah.

Looks like.

-[Thomas] Oh! -[man] Whoo-hoo!

Whoo!

[cheering]

[Thomas] Yeah!

[group cheering]

[Thomas laughing]

[man] That was so sick.

[laughs]

[woman] Yeah, dude!

Damn!

Nothing motivates more than standing there watching somebody do a trick

that you've been wanting to do.

There's a lot of that kinda brewing.

[Thomas] These guys are feeding off of each other.

They watch their friend do 'em.

It's just nuts. It's like a fast moving train.

[Shaun] You don't wanna be...

...totally outgunned.

If you're... If you're in the big game and it's time to go.

You wanna have all the ammo.

That's what you want. That's what you need.

You need to be put in the start gate with everyone else,

and, like, feel the, you know, excitement and the pressure.

-Oh. -[man] I see. He'll be sore.

[man 2] Yeah.

Fuck are you doing that shit.

Ah!

Fuckin' stupid bullshit.

When I was younger I... I made these leaps and bounds,

and just kinda, like, stuck with it every single season.

And, you know, maintained this sort of distance from the pack.

And I was able to keep this sort of dominance in the half pipe

because of that distance and separation I kept.

If they were working on this then I was working on that.

It's been intense so, a lotta the, um...

...Japanese riders are just crushing it.

I mean, um, two of 'em have dropped, uh,

front triples in the half-pipe,

which is, like, the big new trick.

[person 1 cheers]

[person 2] Ooh, yes!

-[cheering] -[Thomas] Wow!

[Ayumu Hirano speaking Japanese]

[Shaun] Ayumu's looking solid.

He's snowboarding better than we've ever seen right now.

I think he just did a combo that's never been done.

He just went front triple into cab double.

No one's done that before.

Like, triples just started getting thrown,

but we didn't know if you could come out of it into something.

[Hirano in Japanese]

[Shaun] It's kinda my fault, I think. [laughs]

I tried the trick when I was...

...younger, uh, probably 2013 gearing up for the Sochi Olympics.

But, um, since they're doing that now

it's kinda like set the tone for the season.

Like you have to have this trick in order to do well.

Which makes me feel like I'm falling a little behind

in the race towards the Olympics.

But I know I've tried that trick before...

But yeah, that's kinda how far and advanced that trick was, the triple cork.

[man] Yeah, Shaun!

Yeah!

[Shaun] Triple corks, three flips.

You're counting the rotations.

Okay, one, and then the second, two.

And then where you're like, "Okay, I should be landing," you go in again.

And that's the very intense moment of commitment.

You have to know inside that, like, "I'm gonna do this."

[Jesse] You're probably goin' 30 miles an hour.

You're 18 feet out of a 22 foot pipe,

which means that you're 40 feet from the flat bottom.

When you're off axis and you're looking up to

[Jesse] the sky, you just have to trust that you are high enough.

There's not much more you can do beyond the triple.

It really is the pinnacle of this sport.

Yeah, it was beautiful.

Full power. Keep that momentum.

[man] You gonna be all right?

Shaun's gonna ride the sled down, Bobby.

[Shaun] Yeah, dude, I was seeing sparks.

All right?

-[groans] -There you go, stand up.

-Just relax. -[groans]

-There you go. -[exhales]

-[exhales] That hit... -Yep.

Good thing you're tough.

-[machine beeps] -[chatter]

[groans softly]

[man] You already did the thing, Shaun.

[exhales] It's my hip. [groaning] Ohh.

-[woman] Okay, that's your pelvis. -Oh, right on.

[woman] There's your hip.

The radiologist agrees with me you're not broken.

-Thank you very much. -No, you're welcome...

-I appreciate all the help. -...you're welcome.

I'm still gonna be a dancer.

-[man chuckles] -You know what I mean?

All in the hips. [chuckles]

Let's go back up and do it again.

Good luck, happy healing.

[Jesse] It's just been this journey,

it's been a 10 year span, something like that,

in which Shaun has thought about the triple

but never really had to dip back into it.

That trick has been seared into him as just, like, a nemesis.

[exhales]

These doors are just swinging open.

These guys are gonna drop a triple right now, too,

right here.

Holy hell.

-Ahh. -[all cheer]

What the actual fuck?

-Whoo. -[man on radio] Yeah, I'm all right.

It's pretty apparent that

if you have a triple cork right now you're ahead of the game.

Whoo!

I don't know if I've ever seen a day like this on the halfpipe,

in my, like, 30 years.

We're behind.

[fire crackles]

[cell phone rings]

-[JJ on phone] Yeah, buddy? -Yo, I heard it was a big day.

[JJ] Yeah, this time, let's see here...

Ayumu started it off

-with a front triple to cap double... -Nice.

...and then Yuto, he started trying for cap triples.

Ruka got it the third time.

-So all the Japanese riders have done triples? -[JJ] Um...

-[JJ] Yep. -Wow.

Do you want me to go up tomorrow,

and start focusing on, maybe, dropping something like this?

-[JJ] Um... [sighs] Good question. -Yeah.

-It's a good one. -[JJ] Good.

-I mean, the hype's here, everybody's doing it... -[JJ] I think it would be...

-...you know? -[JJ] I just, I mean...

...I think a triple, honestly, takes precedence right now.

Okay, well, we'll start there, and then go...

-I don't know, go to pipe after -[JJ] Exactly.

-if it feels good. -[JJ] I understand.

We're running a marathon here.

All right, bud, we'll talk to you.

[JJ] All right, man. Rest up, buddy.

[Shaun] Well, that sucks. [laughs]

[smacks lips] The one day I don't go up, it, you know...

But it's okay.

God, if I'd just aired a little better, I would've been in.

The road's kind of being paved in front of my eyes.

It's kind of like...

That's just the new normal now. We got to do the triples.

Um... I was kind of, like, waiting and saving up for it

because I had a plan in mind,

but now it's like, it feels like

things are getting pushed along,

and I need to, you know, get on it

before I get left behind.

[groans softly]

[man] Um... do the other players push you?

Um, yeah,

during contests and stuff.

That's why I enjoy 'em a lot.

It'll push you to do that, you know,

that gnarly trick you've been saving up.

Thinking about those last contests

when they called me Future Boy,

I don't like that. [chuckles]

I'd rather have them recognize my skills more than my age.

[Roger] Summertime was skate, wintertime was snow.

I used to call it, like, Donkey Kong,

because it was like that gorilla carrying the barrels.

He'd just climb until he'd get to this level at skating,

and then winter would come and he'd take snowboarding to this level,

and then, you know, just, like, climbing a ladder or whatever.

[JJ] He started getting podiums in the pro events

at, like, 12, 13, 14, 15, almost unbeatable.

I remember sitting on a chairlift in Park City, and we were watching him,

and he goes, "Man, that kid hasn't even hit puberty yet.

When he's 16 we're done."

I was like, "No." He's like, "We're done."

I'm like, "Yeah, you're right."

[Jesse] Every pro at that time was in their late teens, was in their 20s, right,

and had, you know had worked so hard to get to where they are,

but this is the problem when you, you know, you play basketball

and then Michael Jordan shows up.

It's like it doesn't matter anymore.

[man] With qualifying, are you the present of the sport

or the future of the sport?

-Present. -[man 2] Why?

I guess I've been, you know, Future Boy when I was a lot younger

because that's when I was, you know, up and coming, training,

but now that I am starting to become, like, more of a...

...force to be reckoned with.

No, I'm just kidding. [laughs]

So, it's kind of cool.

I can, maybe, you know, start going somewhere

and doing something with this, you know?

-Shaun, give me Shaun. Shaun White, go! -[crowd applauds]

I've been to Japan, Norway,

a lot of places in Europe.

[indistinct] Whoo!

I'm out of film.

* I see you baby shakin' that ass *

-[Shaun] Yeah! -Oh, my God.

[Kari] My mom, she wasn't, like, pushy,

but it was, like, you could, like, see the sacrifice,

and so it made you, like, have more fun

and, like, appreciate it, and, like, be more there

because you couldn't, like, take it for granted.

-[hums] -[Cathy] Shaun, did you pack enough clothes for the trip?

[Shaun] Uh... Kinda.

[speaking Japanese]

[Cathy] As Shaun needed to travel,

we didn't want him turned loose.

I'm not gonna go through two open hearts

to give my kid to somebody to raise.

This is Roppongi?

-[man] Shaun White. -Whoo!

[Cathy] At 13, he made quite a bit of money from his sponsors,

but in the beginning, it was mostly money that he got for travel.

And I just didn't want it all to be about Shaun,

so if he got, you know, like, $1,000 for a plane ticket

I turned it into six plane tickets

[laughing] for $1,000, so everybody wins.

[indistinct chatter in Japanese]

-[Roger] I don't know. -[Kari] We are officially lost.

[Cathy] I thought...

[Cathy] How early are we?

-We're early. -4 in the morning.

-[Cathy] Are you guys having fun? -[Kari] No.

-Fucking filming me. Fucking A. -[Kari laughs] Shh!

[man chuckles]

My parents had taken a loan out on their home

to pay for the snowboarding.

-[crowd cheers] -[Shaun] I didn't come from a ton of wealth in the family,

but with that came that fight.

Okay, got it.

[Kari] Those early years,

the choices that my parents had to make

really molded Shaun's career,

and it just built and evolved,

and, you know, there was no norm, [chuckling] you know?

He has the talent, but I think that he was lucky

to have a mom with some [chuckling] balls.

That early notoriety helped, in the end,

mold this character that Shaun is.

I think it was cool to come home

where you're kind of, like,

the shit kid that, like, misses a lot of school,

and, like, it's kind of illegal,

and, you know, like, we're a little worried

about, like, if this doesn't pan out.

Oh.

-[man] Why aren't you in school? -Huh?

-[man] Why aren't you in school? -I got kicked out... [laughs]

-[man] What? -...and it kind of sucks.

I had pretty good grades, too.

-[man] Why'd you get kicked out of school? -[Shaun] Um...

[exhales] Because I wasn't there enough, really. [chuckles]

[shouting] Shaun! Come on, it's time to start homework.

-[Shaun chuckles] -Now.

-[Kari] You're off the team. -[chuckles]

-[chuckles] -[Cathy] Now.

I'm not fooling.

You're not gonna go skateboarding

if you don't get it done.

I like doing this better because I can sleep in

and, you know, do whatever I want, so it's kind of cool.

Get down here now.

Right now, I'm doing independent study.

I get packets of work and I turn 'em in, you know, whenever I get 'em done.

That's pretty much it, and just get the work done, and go play. [chuckles]

Go have fun.

You can be doing your homework

on a plane ride to Japan, [chuckles] yeah.

-[man] Shaun White with that kickflip. -[crowd cheers]

[Cathy] Shaun, this is either gonna make you or break you.

[man] Do you wanna grow up?

I think it would be cool to grow, you know, get older

and, you know, start just being more independent,

and just doing that whole thing.

[scoffs] There's this story that my mom loves to tell

where we went to this one restaurant.

Oh, my God, yeah, so Shaun...

because we didn't have sodas, we didn't have anything, you know,

we really were on a tight budget.

So, we get to this restaurant, and you want everything,

and I say, "Okay, everybody get some fries, we'll all share the fries,

and we'll all get a burger and we'll split the burgers."

And he goes, "No, I want ribs." And I said, "What?"

I had just won some major event. I knew I had some money.

Well, it was kind of like, "Well, you know, what?

Why do you have to have ribs? I mean, we're all having hamburgers."

Everybody's kind of like... [laughing] like, "How are we gonna play this?"

[Cathy] We just got in this big fight with this, [laughing] the ribs,

like, I don't even remember how it finished.

Just don't think about it.

[Cathy] But that was my biggest fear,

to a point where I wouldn't even let Shaun spend any money.

I was so strict with it.

You know, it wasn't about the ribs,

it was about my mom

having the ability to control the situation,

and I just wanted to celebrate.

I just wanted to, like, you know, live a little.

[Jesse] We didn't expect snowboarding to make money.

You know, you don't set a plan for a sport

where most people [chuckling] are just, like, the outcasts of society,

but it was incredible.

Shaun's all of a sudden making six figures.

Like, what do we do?

[Shaun] You know, I've always been having

a really great time snowboarding,

but for different reasons.

Like, having a good time,

to me, was, like, winning...

-...the whole thing of it. -[crowd cheers]

It's like you carry the trophy home on the airplane,

and everybody's like, "What is that?"

Being paid in cash, you know,

they'd handcuff a briefcase full of money

and police escort to the hotel.

It was wild, like it was out of a movie, you know,

and I was, like, infatuated with it.

[crowd cheers]

[man] Shaun White!

It's a funny question to be asked, I guess, you know, like,

at what point in my career did the innocence die?

[Cathy] Come on, Shaun, get your money.

[Shaun] I remember always feeling

like I had to fight for what I was doing,

it was never handed to me,

so I would say that the innocence was...

it was, was never really there in many ways, you know.

We saw a future in this sport and others didn't,

and I wanted to prove them wrong.

I was young but I could do the math.

I was looking at the top riders

and what they were making, you know, every competition.

I could guess what they were making from their sponsors.

I mean, I knew what my parents earned,

and I could potentially make what they were making, you know, for a whole year

in one day.

I think I was 15 at the time, and I was invited to this competition.

It was called the Toyota Big Air.

I was so excited because this was a major event,

and it had the biggest prize purse in the sport.

[crowd exclaims]

[Shaun] And I remember being there with my mom,

all the other riders, they were out partying,

-and we show up to the competition day... -[man speaking Japanese]

...and I'm in love with the jump.

-[man speaking Japanese] -[Cathy] Good job, Shaun.

[Shaun] You know, a lot of the riders were hungover

and were not feeling the jump, and they were like,

"We should split the prize money, no competition."

[man speaking Japanese]

[Shaun] And I'm doing the math,

and the flights that I paid for,

the hotel, all the expenses,

and I'm thinking, like, [scoffs] "No.

No, I want to ride. I want to compete."

You know, snowboarding is an individual sport.

It's not like, you know, football or baseball,

traditional sports where you have a team built in,

you have this camaraderie, you have a family.

And, at this point, I'm 15 years old.

Like, I wanted that friendship so badly.

I wanted to be accepted in that community.

And now, I have to stand up to my heroes, [chuckling] basically,

and fight for what I thought was fair.

I wanted to ride.

There was this big board

that had all the invited riders faces on it,

and they were drawing dollar signs on my picture, over my eyes...

-[man speaking Japanese] -...and then they would just continually

keep coming up to me, you know...

-...and giving me shit. -[man speaking Japanese]

I remember just, like, putting my headphones on,

and um... I'm thinking like...

"You're going down.

This is, you know, this is my moment."

[crowd cheers]

[man] Shaun White! USA!

[Shaun] And I nailed it. I put down my jump and I won.

I won $50,000 and a car.

-[Cathy] Yeah! Whoo! -[crowd cheers]

[Cathy] Yeah, Shaun!

[Cathy] How about we take it on the plane?

[Cathy] Shaun! Shaun!

I'm watching.

At this point, who was gonna tell me

that I wasn't on the right path?

That I wasn't gonna amount to anything?

Here's the proof, like, and from that point on,

like, it wasn't...

I wasn't looking for acceptance from the riders around me.

I wasn't looking for, you know, approval

from, you know, the neighborhood or community I lived in.

I was like, "I'm doing this."

-See you later. -Okay, man.

-Thanks. -Call me if there's anything.

Oh, she's gonna love it.

-[Shaun shouting] Mom! -[Cathy] What?

Ew.

-[Cathy] Ew what? -I think I saw something in the garage.

-What? What? -Ew.

-Ew. -What?

-What? -A critter.

-Oh, you're kidding me. -Ew!

-Yeah, Daddy's really good with critters. -Oh, my God.

-Hey! -[Shaun] I'll let it out.

-No, don't let it out. -Chase it out!

-Out! -[woman giggles]

-There's no rat over here. -Freaking rat.

I love you, Mommy. Got you something.

-[car honks] -[woman giggles]

-[Cathy] No. -[Shaun chuckles]

[car honks]

[man chuckles]

I love you.

-[woman laughing] Oh, my God. -You deserve it, Mom.

-[sniffs] -[man] Isn't that awesome?

[man and woman laugh]

-Love you, Mom. -[Cathy cries]

[crying] Why did you guys do that?

-You deserve it. -Because you're...

You know how much you do for me?

-[Cathy] It's so extravagant. -[Shaun] No, it's not. Not for you.

[Cathy] This is all that you made

-while you've been snowboarding. -[Shaun] No, no, no, it's not.

[Shaun] All of a sudden, I'm a millionaire at 15.

I mean, I've got billboards on Sunset Strip.

Epic balls... there.

You can't miss 'em.

[Shaun] I always wanted to win.

-I wanted to be the best, I wanted to succeed... -[crowd cheers]

...but the sport had finally grown into the mainstream,

and now the sponsors are coming in.

[woman] Set and action.

-[crowd] Shaun! Shaun! -[Shaun] And mind you...

...in the public eye, I'm like this massive figure,

but on the inside it was literally just my brother, my agent,

and my mom.

-[man] Shaun! -[Jesse] And that was the beginning,

I think, of, you know, the rocket ship,

or the snowboarding for his endorsements.

[Kari] As he was locking himself into deals,

the expectations just kept growing, you know,

and then with his mentality of an athlete,

expectations of yourself keep growing.

[man] Well, welcome, one and all,

to the US Grand Prix World Halfpipe.

Hard packed out there, had some fresh snow over the last few days.

And thanks for everybody joining us out here at Toyota US Grand Prix.

[Shaun] So, today's finals day.

Basically, you get three runs.

The best run score counts.

You know, my goal is, pretty much,

just to land, like, a solid first, you know, one or two runs,

and just post a good score so that I get the points in order to make the team.

The biggest goal is to be the top finishing American, that's the key,

and then podium would, yeah, basically lock it up,

so we'll see how that all pans out.

-[Nina] Car keys? -Bye.

Bye. [kisses]

I think they're on the dash.

-You got this. -Love you, baby. Bye.

Okay.

[JJ] Our Olympic qualifying process

is different than other countries.

We pick our team right before the games,

but we have four qualifying events,

the Grand Prix, the Dew Tour,

Mammoth, and Laax.

We're competing against the other countries who want to win,

but they're really competing against themselves.

You want to be the top American.

So, basically, there's, like, 12 guys who have a shot at it,

and there will be four spots.

[man] Athlete for team one.

[Rick] At this point right now,

there's a couple of doors wide open

to make this US Olympic team.

There's a ton of pressure on these guys and girls.

[man] Shaun in a podium position with still one to go.

If you get a podium

you pretty much lock up a spot,

but if that doesn't happen yet we go down the points list.

[JJ] So, that's kind of the two ways you make it.

One podium, they're going to the Olympics,

or we go to that point list, the world snowboard point list,

and just, you're gonna go down the line of Americans who's on that list.

Right now, Taylor Gold's probably our highest ranked athlete,

Chase Josey is right behind him,

Chase Blackwell, Lucas Foster,

Toby, Ryan Wach, Shaun.

He didn't compete a lot last year and the year before,

so the point list for him is a mess.

He's not sitting good on it.

I remember going to the US Open when I was 12.

Shaun won that year and he signed my goggles.

We grew up watching him when we were 5, 6 years old.

He was dominating already so it's pretty surreal.

[Rick] To get some of those other guys in the same pipe with him,

I mean, the energy changes.

They want to take him down.

He's got to earn this. It's gonna be tight.

[man] Good luck to all the athletes out there.

Shout out to everybody for being on hand.

You ready to see some riders, Copper?

-[crowd cheers] -[man] This is gonna be rapid fire action.

Dude, I'm feeling, like, dizzy.

-Dizzy? -Yeah.

Do you have any water? Just have a sip.

[exhales and sniffs] Can I see your t-shirt?

Okay.

[man on radio] 15 minutes.

[sighs]

[woman] I'll give you the thumbs up.

-Is that him? -Yeah.

[man] Dropping in, here we go.

Three time Olympic gold medalist, Shaun White.

-[crowd cheers] -[man] All right, Shaun White, the pipe for his first of two.

-[man 2] Yes, sir. -[man] That's what I'm talking about.

[commentator] And the Double McTwist 1,260.

Almost goes down. Able to power it out. 1,600.

-That's right. -[commentator] He is working on a strategy here.

He just needs to put one on the board.

[commentator 2] Then the score comes in as a 75.50,

so Shaun White goes in to first place early here

in the men's competition.

Only your best run of the three counts.

Shaun knows exactly what he needs to do.

[man] All right, check it out, are we gonna see a 1080 twist in the game right now?

-Let's try to see. Yes, we are. Oh. -[crowd gasps]

[man] Yeah, are you all good up there, brother?

-[man on radio] Yeah, we got eyes on him. -[sighs]

-[crowd applauds] -[JJ] One crash, you could be done.

Just that simple.

When you're young there's no crashing.

You crash and you just keep fighting, and you keep fighting.

But once you're in your 30s,

you start crashing and you just go,

"Do I really want to do this again?"

Don't worry about pushing real hard right now if you don't want to.

Just, kind of, get the confidence back.

That shit's scary. I've done that.

[JJ] These guys are gladiators,

and as the pipes have gotten bigger,

and the tricks have gotten bigger,

the risk is just huge.

-[sighs] -[JJ] We hate it when people get hurt...

...but it's why people like snowboarding.

It makes your heart beat, it makes you feel alive.

-[man] This is Raibu Katayama. -[crowd cheers]

[man] Gigantic frontside 1080.

[crowd gasps]

Jesus. Poor guy.

Fuck. [sniffs]

[JJ] Raibu got hurt horribly

on the same trick Shaun got hurt on four years ago.

You know, it's, like, called a Yolo,

and, yeah, it's a bummer,

but it's just part of our sport.

We all know what we're signing up for.

[sighs]

[JJ] It's very calculated risk,

but it's just like racecar driving.

People watch it because if there's a crash

it's like nothing you've ever seen before.

Same with these snowboard crashes,

they're basically a car crash

but it's a human body.

There's probably something wrong with the human race,

something... I don't know. [chuckles softly]

-I'm guilty. -[crowd chatter]

[Shaun sighs]

-[crowd chatter] -You got one more lap?

[sighs]

[man] All right, let's see some redemption here for Taylor Gold.

-[man] He's just working up the grab on 'em on a tube. -[man 2] Yeah!

[man] Switch madness for ya right there.

-Coming in switch again. -[crowd cheers and applauds]

-That was huge. -Awesome.

-[man] 87 for Taylor Gold. He goes into second place. -[crowd cheers]

So, that's gonna put Shaun White

off the podium now, into fourth.

Let's get right back into the action here.

-Here's Ayumu now. -[crowd cheers]

Frontside double cork 1260, three doubles in a row.

[sighs]

[man] And look at this, he's done it. 87.25.

Japan one, two, three right now.

Ayumu Hirano in third place, Shaun White down in seventh.

[crowd cheers]

[man] Final run coming your way.

-Let's get it, bud, come on. -[man] Here's your three Olympic gold medalist,

member of the US halfpipe team.

-Let's give it up for Shaun White. -Go! Go, Shaun!

[man] Here we go.

Huge on the front as well...

-...but real heavy, uncharacteristic. -[crowd gasps]

[Shaun] Fuck!

[man] And you see the frustration,

but, guys, you are in the presence of greatness.

Please make some noise.

-Put your hands together for Shaun White. -[crowd applauds]

[commentator] His coach, JJ Thomas, will get with him,

and Shaun less than thrilled with that offering.

[commentator 2] This journey is not gonna be the cakewalk

that we've seen from Shaun White

in years past.

[commentator] This is the last and final qualifying event

for the 2006 Torino Winter Games.

Shaun White has won all four previous qualifying events,

and he's putting on a veritable clinic here

-with an extraordinary run. -[crowd cheers]

[Shaun] Did I win?

[groans]

Oh, my God, that's all five.

[man] I'm just so happy that you went to Torino.

[man 2] This is our Olympic halfpipe team right here.

-Shaun White! -[crowd cheers]

[man 2] Everyone at Mountain Creek

-make some noise. -[crowd cheers]

[announcer speaking French]

[woman] Ladies and gentlemen,

welcome to the opening ceremony

of the 20th Olympic Winter Games.

[Cathy] People are wearing red, white, and blue, you know,

all these countries are representing themselves.

I don't think he even had a clue what was gonna happen there.

You know, trying to tell Shaun, you know,

this is such a thing in your life

you're never gonna experience this before,

and he's like, "Eh, you know, it's just a comp."

We... are we, are we rolling?

-[bleep] -Buongiorno, hey, ciao.

[Shaun] I remember going to my first Olympics,

and at this point I was 19 years old, it was 2006.

I just thought, like, "Oh, this would be cool, like, if I win."

-You know, I don't think I knew the magnitude of it... -[crowd cheers]

and so at the competition I think I was a little too relaxed.

I was really confident [laughing] in myself.

I had this winning streak going in.

Whoo!

[commentator] Shaun White

determined to bring home gold here.

Remember, the top six in the first run

-is a fast track to the finals. -[commentator 2] Wow...

starting things off huge.

-[both] Oh! -[crowd gasps]

[commentator 2] Uncharacteristic for Shaun White.

You know Shaun is fuming right now inside.

[Shaun] I was like, "Oh, it's okay,

I've got another run, you know."

But I get to the bottom and I see my brother,

and he's just, like, the horror in his face.

He's like, "What did you do?"

And then it sunk in.

I only have one more chance

to make it into the finals of the Olympics.

Oh, my God, qualifiers.

I just remember having, like, a newspaper

that I was, like, beating this thing to death.

My mom was, like, gone,

like, throwing up in, like, the, like, bathroom area.

-[commentator] American Shaun White -[crowd cheers]

waiting to drop in on his second run.

He is in a rare and precarious situation.

[man] Yeah, Shaun!

[Shaun] What if I touch a hand?

What if there's a piece of snow

that's just three inches too far to the left,

and I hit it, and I fall?

All these variables started going through my head...

...and then the nervousness hit.

I have to put this run down,

and this horrible feeling sunk in

of, like, am I gonna be the guy that had an undefeated season,

only to blow it at the Olympics?

[crowd cheers]

[commentator] Has Shaun White ever felt this kind of pressure?

-I don't think so, I don't think so. -[crowd cheers]

Opening things up with a massive lien air. Here's his problem spot.

He goes backside by 40...

-...eliminating the 900 all together. -[crowd cheers]

All he needs to do is land this last trick.

-[crowd cheers] -[commentator] There is it. Okay.

-That is a qualifying run. -Okay!

[Shaun] Something about having to fight my way into finals

really set the tone for what was gonna happen next.

[crowd cheers]

[commentator] There is a massive crowd,

and the world's best are gonna throw it down.

Many of the crowd are here to see one man.

Shaun White, listen to the reception he's gonna get here.

He's got it.

He's got this one. This is it.

[commentator] The 19-year-old from San Diego

already got six X Games gold medals.

Starting off his challenge,

the biggest name in winter sport right now, Shaun White.

Oh, that is beautiful riding.

Here he goes into the 1080.

He sticks the landing.

Oh, Shaun White is putting on a show here.

-Absolutely spectacular. -[crowd cheer and applaud]

Shaun White delivering the goods

-Yeah! -on run number one.

[commentator] He scored 46.8.

Oh, yes!

Shaun White in top spot,

and that score is gonna take some beating.

[Shaun] And, all of a sudden, the last rider drops

and doesn't beat me score,

and I'm like...

"Oh, my God, I just won the Olympics."

[crowd cheers]

[commentator] The job was done

-on run number one. -[Shaun] And I've still got one more run to do.

You know, that's what we call the victory lap.

So I, my legs are shaking, I'm breathing heavy,

partly crying, I can't see where I'm going.

[commentator chuckling] Shaun White, going as high as anyone.

[Kari] It just felt like we were, like, on top of the world,

and it was like nothing else mattered.

This huge, like, "He did it!"

-[crowd cheers] -[commentator] His mom, Cathy.

His dad, Roger.

Time to celebrate for the American.

Whoo! [laughs]

[cries] I can't believe...

It's like a dream, right?

It really is. It's making me wanna cry. [chuckles]

[woman] You've had a lot of expectations

and pressure throughout the years.

Is it off your shoulders?

Yeah, you know, it's been crazy.

I mean, it's the best year of my life.

I don't think I'll ever have this again.

It's amazing.

I'm just happy my family's here,

and I told myself I wasn't gonna get all teary, but...

[woman] I know the family, they've scarified a lot for you,

throughout the years.

You told me you wanted to make your family proud.

-Do you think you did that? -[Shaun chuckling] I hope so.

[Shaun] I slide up to my family and they're all in tears.

Everyone's crying.

I see my mom, and she hugs me,

and she's just like, "You don't get it."

I'm like, "What do you mean?"

She's like, "You don't understand what you just did.

You will forever be known as Shaun White the Olympic gold medalist.

That title will follow you for the rest of your life."

[crowd cheers]

That's when it sunk in my life was never gonna be the same again, you know?

And everybody was congratulating me on this Olympics and this win,

but I couldn't help but think, like, [chuckles]

"This is just the beginning."