Fourth Grade
Worksheets
Snowboarding
As the bold athlete dropped into the half-pipe on his sleek board, millions around the world held their breath. Swoosh! With his flaming red hair streaking out from his helmet, the Flying Tomato did not disappoint his fans. The young American snowboarder did a stellar run to win the 2006 Olympic gold medal. It was a personal triumph for Shaun White, and it was also a victory for his sport.
Shaun White got his flaming name because of his shock of bright red hair. His colorful nickname matches the unique atmosphere of this sport. Shaun began snowboarding at age 6, but he had some obstacles to overcome to achieve Olympic victory. The future gold medalist had two cardiac surgeries before he was five to correct a heart defect. He learned his sport after his older brother took lessons. He became a pro when he was only 13. He has participated in a long list of Winter X Games and has won thirteen X Games gold medals. He also has two Olympic gold medals from the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Even though he can do some amazing tricks on his board, the red-haired athlete enjoys Monopoly games during his time off from training and competitions.
Snowboarding as a sport, like Shaun, has had obstacles to overcome. Today, snowboarders have earned the respect of other winter athletes, but it has been a long journey. Snowboarding is a fairly new sport that started in the 1970s. The original inventor of the snowboard is sometimes said to be Sherman Poppens. He invented a board called the Snurfer by bolting two skis together for his daughters.
