“Every time I have had a bad performance at an event, I come back more determined and focused.”(Quote from Shaun White). Shaun White showed that this isn't just one of his meaningless quotes. He achieved many things through his determination, including his two Olympic gold medals. He has loved snowboarding and skateboarding all his life, he strives every day to improve regardless of the circumstances. Shaun Rodger White was born in San Diego, California on September 3, 1986, to Rodger and Cathy White. By the age of 5, he had already undergone two heart operations due to a heart defect. Even though it was hard for him when he was young, it didn't stop him. He grew up in a house with a family of five. His favorite pastime when he was young was skiing. At the age of 4, he was already hitting the ski slopes with his brother Jesse. Shaun's mother Cathy was afraid he would get hurt while skiing because of his carelessness. So Shaun's mother introduced him to snowboarding, to try to prevent him from going too fast and injuring himself. This encouraged him to go even faster, he loved snowboarding. During the summer you would find Shaun skateboarding and the crowds would watch him. One day when Shaun was seven years old, he was able to participate in his first snowboard competition. Unsurprisingly, he won, but then received a wild card to the 12 and under national championships, where he finished 11th. Anyone who had competed against Shaun in any capacity knew that he was meant to compete. Shaun's fame began to grow when Tony Hawk befriended him and began mentoring him at the age of nine. A few years later, Shaun was invited to participate in MTV's Sports & Music Festival. He was able to join the Tony Hawk Gigantic Skate park...... middle of paper...... he finds a chance to compete, he wants to win. He's also not like most snowboarders who aim for the biggest and hardest tricks, instead he focuses on the difficult tricks and makes them look easy by executing them perfectly. When his nerves aren't getting the best of him, you can expect him to pull off perfect moves. and just because of his determination and competitiveness, he will return for the next Winter Olympics and win gold for the “Biography of Shaun White” cited by USWorks. Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, and Web. February 16, 2014. “Shaun White.” Np, and Web. February 18, 2014. “JockBio: Shaun White Biography.” » JockBio: Biography of Shaun White. Np, and Web. February 17, 2014. “Shaun White.” - Biography. Np, and Web. February 18, 2014. “Why Snowboarders Hate Shaun White.” Slate Magazine. Np, and Web. February 20, 2014. “Quote from Shaun White. » BrainyQuote. Xplore and Web. February 19. 2014.