Why Snowboarder Shaun White Didn't Quit

Olympic Snowboarder Shaun White   Getty Images

So what makes Olympic champion snowboarder Shaun White so good at what he does and what makes him do it?

The San Diego County native already had won two gold medals in his career before this Winter Olympics.  But he suffered a terrible accident just months ago that smashed his face, put him through surgery and led to five days in intensive care with a near fatal condition.  He has said he thought hanging up his snowboard.  After all, he’s 31 years old and that’s old for what he does.  So after an already successful career as a snowboarder, why not quit?

To find out why he didn’t quit and why he wouldn’t give up…all you have to do is listen to what those closest to him had to say to the San Diego Union Tribune:

His coach calls Shaun a “relentless competitor” and says “he almost needs the pressure to perform.”

His dad says that when his son was a little kid, there’d be a contest and he’d say, ‘Maybe I can do that.’ That’s just how he’s always been.”

And a fellow and a much younger snowboarder calls Shaun “a psycho and really, really, really good”, adding “I think the dude thrives on pressure.”

Well that dude now has his third Olympic gold medal and the admiration of all of us in San Diego and around the world.

(Photo credit Getty Images)


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