Jake Living Hero Blog Post 3

My 3rd and final living hero is Shaun White. Shaun was born in San Diego, California on September 3rd, 1986. Before I get into all of his life achievements, I want to say that Shaun White was dedicated to the point that nothing could alter his passion for snowboarding/skateboarding. He was born with a Tetralogy of Fallot, which is a congenial heart defect. White had to go through 2 open heart surgeries before he was the age of 1. At the age of 6, which took after his older brother and switched from skiing to snowboarding. Immediately he began to rise through the levels of competition and advancement in his skill, and while he was snowboarding he was also skateboarding. By the age of 9 he met Tony Hawk. Tony took him under his wing and by 17 Shaun was a pro at skateboarding. With his snowboarding, he had received his first sponsorship by the age of 7, and to this day he has 25 medals hanging from his neck. He has 2 gold from the olympics, 13 gold, 3 silver, and 2  bronze from the winter x games, and 2 gold, 2 silver, and 1 bronze from the x games. Shaun inspired me to pursue my passion of snowboarding, and now I consider myself a decently skilled snowboarder. I may not be able to ride every rail at the terrain park, but I know how to get myself around. I remember whenever I thought of the winter olympic games, I thought of Shaun. I consider Shaun a living hero because he was able to stay dedicated to something he was passionate about and now has proof of his success in medals and skill.