“My Hero”- Shaun White Opens Up About the Influence of Tony Hawk on His Life and Career

Every champion needs a source of inspiration or a mentor who can guide them through the course of their career. The saying, ‘Champions are not born, but raised’ is indeed true, and only a mentor can turn an athlete into a champion.

That being said, Shaun White wasn’t always a legend, certainly not when he stepped onto the snowboard or the skateboard for the very first time. He was just a kid with flowing red locks and a bucketful of dreams. Luckily, the kid Shaun White found the legend Tony Hawk hanging around in the same skating park as him and thus began the start of a new legacy.

What role did Tony Hawk play in Shaun White’s career?

Tony Hawk has been a prime inspiration in Shaun’s life and the three-time Olympic gold medalist has great admiration for the American Skateboarder. In conversation with Dan Patrick, recently, the Olympian revealed how he was inspired by Tony Hawk as a kid.

He said, “He basically was my hero and every kid my age was fascinated with him and he would skate at my local skate park, and I just assumed one day, I had this grand plan in my head, that if I just skated well enough, he might come talk to me. So I was too terrified to approach him and it worked.”

Tony’s lifestyle and the way he maintained a balance between his personal and professional life also influenced Shaun. He said, “I got to watch him interact with the fans and how he divided his time with his family and things. And he really remained the same guy, through all of it. The success and the ups and downs, so he was like that perfect person to be around.”

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Tony Hawk offered Shaun White to come back to skateboarding

After Shaun bid farewell to snowboarding, Tony Hawk invited him to come back to the Ramp. The champion hasn’t taken any decision regarding his career yet, but we secretly hope he might consider the option from his mentor. He started his career as a skateboarder and it would be great to see him head back to his roots.

Irrespective of the next decision Shaun White takes in regard to his career, fans would love to watch these two legends perform together. Now that Shaun has retired from snowboarding, he has plenty of time to do whatever he wishes to.

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Will fans see these legends skating together soon?