| American snowboarding icon, Shaun White did it | | | | estimates predict his 2010 income to top $10m. |
| again on Wednesday 17th February. He won his | | | | He has a video game which has sold over 3 million |
| second Olympic Gold Medal for the Men's Halfpipe | | | | copies, and sponsorship deals with Amex, Hewlett |
| competition. This may have been buried beneath | | | | Packard and Red bull. He has designed goggles and |
| the fact that this was America's best ever Winter | | | | sunglasses with Oakley and has a designer range |
| Olympics day for medals. Except that White did it | | | | of street-wear with Target and another called |
| with total style with his McTwist trick which | | | | The White Collection. |
| cements his position as one of the coolest | | | | He insists that it hasn't altered him: |
| atheletes on the planet. | | | | “I go out there and take falls and learn these |
| Having the Gold medal in the bag after two of his | | | | tricks. This is what I’m good at. This is what I |
| three runs, he decided to have 'a bit of fun' on | | | | do. If I’ve been doing photo shoots and |
| the final run. | | | | meetings and product design and all this stuff, |
| He performed, and that is really the best word | | | | yeah, it’s really cool but it’s not what I |
| for it, a snowboarding trick which he invented and | | | | originally started doing. |
| only he can do. It is called the Double McTwist | | | | “I’m pretty sure I would have been |
| 1260, which is a gravity defying off-axis spin that | | | | corrupted a long, long time ago by the money. If |
| incorporates two forward rolls. Take a look at the | | | | I was going to do it, if I was going to go down |
| video to see what it involves. He developed this | | | | that path and turn into some other guy, I |
| trick at an Olympic sized halfpipe built especially | | | | definitely think it would have happened already. |
| for him at a remote location in Colorado by | | | | I’m glad that money hasn’t changed me, |
| sponsors Red Bull. | | | | and I’m glad that my family is still the same |
| So who is this man with the shock of red hair | | | | people. I go home and I have to, you know, clean |
| some are calling the David Beckham (or fellow | | | | up after the dog.” |
| snowboarder Scott Lago calls the Mike Jordan of | | | | His Olympic team-mates may disagree. He has |
| …) of snowboarding? Who is the coolest dude in | | | | rented separate accommodation from the rest of |
| the coolest sport? | | | | the team and is absent during the parties that this |
| White started snowboarding at age 8 travelling to | | | | sport is famous for. This, in fairness, could be to |
| competitions with his family, staying in Motel 6s | | | | do with the fact that he is now publicly recognised |
| and cooking in the room to save money. | | | | a lot, especially around high-profile events. |
| Times have certainly changed. Conservative | | | | |