Snowboarding

The benefits of asking a celebrity to the prom certainly outweigh the negatives. The worst-case scenario is that he or she declines. If he or she accepts, it will turn out to be an unforgettable experience—especially if it's a surprise.

Mount Saint Joseph Academy (Flourtown, Pa.) senior Carly Monzo hatched a brilliant plan to ask Olympic snowboarder Shaun White to the gala. She did it by using a GoPro camera, which happens to be one of White's sponsors.

Check out her "GoProM" video:

Monzo and her friends tweeted the video at White numerous times, hoping to get his attention. Although she didn't know it, White was planning on attending.

Fast-forward to Friday, May 2, which is when Mount Saint Joseph's prom took place.

School officials called a clueless Monzo onto the stage during the prom. When the curtains dropped, White appeared with his band, Bad Things. From there, Monzo rocked out with her date:

Of course, after the fact, White was able to tweet out some photos of his day:

As a result, one teenager learned that tweeting at a celebrity is worth a shot.

[Vimeo, Instagram, Shaun White; h/t CBS Sports]

The men's snowboarding halfpipe event is one of the most exciting Olympic competitions at the 2014 Winter Games, and there are a few worldwide superstars who enter as favorites to win the gold. 

Snowboarders from around the world are preparing themselves to launch into the air at high speeds while performing a variety of twists, flips and turns. This is not your grandparents' Olympics, but the spirit of competition is the same. 

Every rider goes into the Olympics with one goal in mind: win the gold medal. 

Shaun White of the United States comes into the Games as the two-time defending champion, but he'll need to bust out all of his tricks to defeat the top challengers to his crown. 

Here's a closer look at White and the other top contenders in the upcoming halfpipe event. 

Shaun White, USA

For many, this list begins and ends with White, who will be looking for his third consecutive gold medal in this event. However, there's a growing number of young riders who are coming up with new, more difficult tricks that will be tough for White to beat if they can land a clean run. 

It's worth noting that it's a big "if."

For well over a decade, White has proved himself as the most technically sound halfpipe rider in the world, and he's constantly innovating new ways to express himself in the pipe. His gold-medal-winning run in Vancouver four years ago was proof of that, as he busted out and landed a Double McTwist 1260 (Tomahawk) in the final run.

He famously pulled out of the inaugural slopestyle competition in Sochi to focus solely on winning his third gold in the halfpipe. 

“With the practice runs I have taken, even after course modifications, and watching fellow athletes get hurt, the potential risk of injury is a bit too much for me to gamble my other Olympic goals on,” White told NBC, via John Powers of the Boston Globe.

Certainly, he put even more of a bull's-eye on his back with the move. But given the way White's backed up every move he's ever made on the pipe, the pressure's liable to slide right off his back. 

Ayumu Hirano, Japan

White, at the age of 27, is looking behind him at the next generation, and Japan's Ayumu Hirano is the guy looking back at him. 

There's no need to search for the next Shaun White; he's already here.

"Mumu," as he's known on tour, is a 15-year-old phenom who finished in second place behind White at the 2013 Winter X Games, featuring back-to-back double-cork 1080s to earn his silver medal. He unfortunately withdrew from the 2014 X Games while recovering from a foot injury sustained in practice. 

Like White, Hirano isn't a big guy, which makes him all the more watchable, according to Jason Blevins of The Denver Post:

I love watching him ride. It's a nice reminder about the sport to me ... because he's not the biggest guy out there, and I'm not the biggest. It doesn't really make a difference, the size. It's all your mind-set and how you use the terrain, and he's a great example of that. 

To this point in his young career, Hirano's mindset has been all about winning. He seems impervious to pressure, and if anyone is going to dethrone White at the 2014 Winter Games, then my money's on Hirano to sit in his stead. 

Danny Davis, USA

While both White and Hirano sat out the 2014 Winter X Games, Danny Davis took the opportunity to shine, winning gold with an impressive score of 95.0. 

He would have been a favorite to win in 2010 if not for a devastating back injury in an ATV accident that occurred while he was celebrating a first-place finish ahead of the Games. He had been on a tear before the injury, which helped him endure the brutal recovery period. 

He knew he had more left in the tank. 

"I wasn't ready to be done," Davis told Rachel Axon of USA Today. "Like I've always said, to have the chance to go to Russia, to have the chance to be on an Olympic team, I'm psyched. It wouldn't have killed me if I didn't make it, but I'm very happy that I did and I'm very excited for the opportunity."

Based on his excellent showing at the X Games, Davis could finally get his chance to shine on an Olympic stage this winter in Sochi. 

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Shaun White has yet to compete at the 2014 Winter Olympics, and yet some already view his Sochi run as a disappointment. 

Of course, much of that criticism stems from White's controversial decision to withdraw from the slopestyle event after jamming his wrist during a practice run. While White received flack for backing out, most notably from Canadian snowboarders Max Parrot and Sebastien Toutant, he justified his decision at the time by claiming a focus on the halfpipe, per ESPN.com:

I can understand if it's your first time to the Olympics, you wouldn't understand a decision like the one I made. But you set your goals according to what's important to you. Halfpipe is important to me and I didn't want to jeopardize that.

I'm OK with that. It keeps me going, keeps me progressing, keeps me guessing. And I'm hoping to have a great Olympics. I'm feeling very, very confident and healthy, which is nice.

Well, the halfpipe is fast approaching, and White has two days to validate his decision and win his third consecutive gold medal in the event.

In terms of challengers, the field is fairly thin. Fifteen-year-old Japanese sensation Ayumu Hirano looks like the stiffest competition for White, but the precocious star will need to increase his difficulty level to match White's potential maximum score. "Mumu," as he is known, might be the American's successor at the halfpipe, but he seems unlikely to supplant White this year.

Elsewhere, American teammate Danny Davis has a legitimate chance to reach the podium, and he could threaten White if the favorite slips up. Davis missed 2010 after an accident forced him to withdraw, but he recently won gold at the X Games and features a backside 360 and a McTwist.

However, White's biggest challenge may once again be the course itself. It's an unfortunate deja vu for White, who once again sees dangerous flaws in the course design:

White described those faults to USA Today's Lindsay Jones, noting the uneven conditions along the pipe:

"Today was, uh, not the best," White said, trying to be polite, as he stopped for a brief interview with several reporters after the session.

"The first day, the walls were a little over-[vertical], so everybody was doing airs, and then landing like pretty flat," White said. "Today, they made the walls better so everybody lands [correctly], but in the flat bottom, where they cut it, it's like a bump, so everyone is riding along and then hits the bump, and that's really not very good."

Jones notes that the course will be re-cut before the final training session on Monday, so White and the other snowboarders who crashed numerous times should find the conditions more amiable.

Even while his confidence might not be totally unassailable, the halfpipe is White's domain. He dissuaded any concerns about an ankle injury he was nursing coming into Sochi and has had time to rest whatever issues his wrist may have caused from the slopestyle accident.

The halfpipe event will ultimately be what defines White's Olympic legacy, and in that regard his reputation is still flawless. For an intense competitor like White, all the recent hand-wringing and criticism should only catalyze a better performance in his signature event.

The 2012 Summer Olympics in London had a number of superstars, including Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, the United States women’s gymnastics team and Usain Bolt among others.

If there is one athlete in the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi who could be considered a superstar stateside before the actual events take place, it would be snowboarder Shaun White.

White is the two-time defending Olympic gold medalist in halfpipe snowboarding and is a one-man dynasty when it comes to the sport. He has countless X Games medals, plenty of endorsements, was known by the marketable nickname of the “Flying Tomato” and has reached legendary status even though he is still competing.

However, White pulled out of the slopestyle snowboarding event to focus solely on defending his crown in the halfpipe. Here is the schedule and broadcast information for the men’s halfpipe finals that will feature White:

Men’s Halfpipe Finals

Date: Feb. 11

Time: 12:30 p.m. ET, 9:30 p.m. Sochi time and 5:30 p.m. GMT 

TV Broadcast: NBC 8 p.m. ET (rebroadcast) and BBC 5:30 p.m. GMT

White is dealing with an ankle injury, and if there was ever going to be a challenger to take the gold from him, it will be in these Olympics. 

With that in mind, let’s dig into a discussion on some of White’s biggest competitors in the snowboarding event.

Ayumu Hirano, Japan

White’s biggest challenger for the gold just so happens to be 15 years old and the likely heir to White’s snowboarding throne.

Ayumu Hirano of Japan, otherwise known as “Mumu,” was the silver medalist at the 2013 X Games Superpipe behind White and featured back-to-back double-cork 1080s. It wouldn’t be much of a surprise considering the stage if Hirano tried to increase the level of difficulty of his tricks with a chance at gold on the line.

While he may be a threat to White, the American enjoys watching “Mumu,” per Jason Blevins of The Denver Post:

I love watching him ride. It's a nice reminder about the sport to me ... because he's not the biggest guy out there, and I'm not the biggest. It doesn't really make a difference, the size. It's all your mind-set and how you use the terrain, and he's a great example of that. 

Hirano mixes style and poise with the ability to soar high into the air despite his slight frame. He should put on a show in Sochi.

Danny Davis, United States

White’s American teammate would have been in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver were it not for an accident on an all-terrain vehicle merely weeks before the Games.

Davis will finally get his chance at the Olympics podium in Sochi after winning a gold at the most recent X Games. He features a backside 360 and a McTwist and will likely try to bust them out at the Olympics.

After the crash that cost him a spot in 2010, Davis told Rachel Axon of USA Today that he is thrilled to have this chance:

I wasn't ready to be done. Like I've always said, to have the chance to go to Russia, to have the chance to be on an Olympic team, I'm psyched. It wouldn't have killed me if I didn't make it, but I'm very happy that I did and I'm very excited for the opportunity.

Look for him to take advantage of his chance in Sochi.

Yuri Podladchikov, Switzerland

Yuri Podladchikov will be competing for Switzerland, but he was actually born in the host country of Russia. Don’t be surprised if the home crowd pulls for him as he tries to unseat White atop the podium.

He finished just off the podium in fourth in the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

Podladchikov is known as “iPod,” and he won the 2012 World Snowboarding Championship after finishing in the top three in nine straight events. What’s more, “iPod” became the first snowboarder ever to successfully land a "Cab double cork 1440" in competition.

If he busts that out again in Sochi, a medal may be in the cards.

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The Canadian snowboard team talked a big game coming into the first-ever men's slopestyle competition, but they came up short. In the end, it was a resounding "U-S-A! U-S-A!" chant that broke out at the end of the first medal event of the 2014 Winter Olympics.

When U.S. snowboarding favorite Shaun White dropped out of the slopestyle event to focus on the halfpipe competition, Canadians Max Parrot and Sebastien Toutant criticized the two-time gold medalist by claiming he was withdrawing because he knew he couldn't win, according to Stephanie Myles of Yahoo! Sports Canada.

But after expectations of at the very least two Canadians medaling, only one finished on the podium. Mark McMorris earned the bronze medal behind silver medalist Staale Sandbech of Norway and Sage Kotsenburg of the U.S.

U.S. Snowboarding's official Twitter account reported the news immediately after the final scores were announced:

With the slopestyle event coming to an end Saturday, here are the full results and a look at the three medalists.

Sage Kotsenburg, USA

All eyes were on the Canadian team members, but Kotsenburg stole the show.

While most of the men in the final had to rely on their second run to show their full potential, Kotsenburg threw it down on his first ride and came away with the gold medal.

His clean run featured two huge pulls and resulted in the first gold medal in the Winter Olympics. Prior to competing in the event, Kotsenburg appeared shocked just to be in the final, per his Twitter account:

Kotsenburg followed that tweet up with a much more euphoric one after winning the event:

After making the final thanks to a second-place run in the semifinal just to earn a spot, Kotsenburg threw down a clean run as the No. 3 rider and never relinquished the lead.

As the only American in the final event, Kotsenburg held his own and showed humility on the podium by inviting both of the other medalists onto the gold stage, per Kate Pettersen of CBC:

The talk coming into the slopestyle event was that White was afraid of the Canadians. Kotsenburg clearly wasn't fazed.

CNN's Rachel Nichols gives more insight into Kotsenburg:

Staale Sandbech, Norway

Another favorite to medal in the competition, Sandbech pulled off the best run of contenders having to rely on the second leg. The Norwegian's 91.75 was the only other run outside of Kotsenburg's to eclipse the 90-point mark.

While he wasn't competing in the event, White still congratulated each of the competitors, with Sandbech's run being the final of the three:

When the final began, Sandbech pulling off a medal seemed manageable. But with the Norwegian competing just in front of Max Parrot to pull off the feat, it was certainly one of the most clutch performances of the Olympics thus far.

Mark McMorris, Canada

The Canadian nearly missed out on the final after having to get through the semifinal just to compete, like Kotsenburg.

But following the semifinal, McMorris sounded confident about his chances, according to Pettersen:

The two-time X-Games gold medalist in the event came into the Olympics with a broken rib, but he was determined to represent his country. He did finish on the podium, but winning the bronze as the lone Canadian on the stage was a surprise.

Regardless of his finish, Team Canada still tweeted out the final result of their first Olympic medal in Sochi:

While McMorris and his fellow countrymen didn't wind up with the result they wanted, the halfpipe event is still another one they hope to pull out.

What's Next?

The Canadians might have come up well short of their goals in the slopestyle event, but there is still much more to come.

The unfortunate part: This was their chance.

White and the Americans have dominated the halfpipe event in recent Olympics, with the Flying Tomato winning the last two gold medals. In fact, of the 24 medals awarded in the halfpipe competition over four Winter Games, the United States have won 14.

The Canadians have work to do if they want to prevent another American from standing atop the podium when the next round of snowboarding takes place.

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The Sochi Winter Olympics have begun with a spot of slopestyle snowboarding in the Russian snow.

Four places in the men's final were up for grabs during both qualification heats. These pit challengers with performing flips, grabs and other tricks down a terrain of rails and jumps along the Caucasus Mountains. 

Six judges were on point to dish out the scores, all of which are marked out of 100. Difficulty, creativity and final execution are the main criteria to satisfy, while a little originality also goes a long way.

Let's take a look at the men's qualification scores, per the Winter Olympics' official website.

Heat 1 Recap

Staale Sandbech recovered from a disappointing opening run to claim the dominant score of the first heat. The Norwegian fell during his initial attempt—producing a measly score of 45.25—but the medal contender only needed one more opportunity to highlight his potential.

A second-run score of 94.50 sets the pace right now, but Sandbech certainly can't afford to relax. Peetu Piiroinen is ranked No. 1 for this competition and posted two excellent attempts down the Russian course.

The 25-year-old opened with 90.75 and followed this with an 80.00. Such was the power of his first score, Piiroinen wasn't ousted by Canada's Sebastien Toutant or Jamie Nicholls of Great Britain, who both qualified with second runs of 87.25 and 86.75 respectively.

Nicholls can be especially pleased with his effort after bumping Charles Guldemond, who is ranked No. 2, away from the automatic qualification spots, as noted by NBC journalist Skyler Wilder:

Guldemond will now have to improve his game in the semifinals if he is to make the medal contest on Feb. 8.

Heat 2 Recap

Sandbech may have impressed during the opening heat, but the overall performance of Maxence Parrot stole the show by the day's conclusion. He was the first rider to take on the 3rd rail feature, and after successfully doing so, felt the benefit on his score, per Jason Blevins of The Denver Post:

Roope Tonteri previously took top spot with an impressive 95.75, blitzing his first-run mistake of 33.75. He was followed closely by Sven Thorgren, who botched his second landing after posting a nerve-calming opener of 94.25.

Gjermund Braaten became the second Norwegian to confirm his place in the final with a handy 91.25, building on Sandbech's excellent showing with a confident performance of his own.

American riders didn't enjoy the same success during qualification, with zero gaining an automatic route to the final.

Current slopestyle hotshot Mark McMorris attempted to match the stunning form of Canadian teammate Parrot, but he fell heavily during his first effort. McMorris, regarded by many as a favourite for gold, also failed to qualify with a second score of 89.25—a total that appeared harsh on inspection, as noted by American TV presenter Sal Masekela:

Vicki Hall of the Calgary Herald followed with a statement from McMorris discussing the score:

Although this would have been enough to easily advance through Heat 1, he will compete in Feb. 8's semifinal for a place in the medal run.

Shaun White's quest for two golds in Sochi ended before it could even begin, as the decorated snowboarder announced Wednesday that he was withdrawing from the slopestyle competition.

White, who is still going for his third straight Olympic gold in the halfpipe, cited concerns over the safety of the course and a desire to be healthy for halfpipe. One of his rivals, however, said the snowboarding legend was merely afraid of losing. 

It's a big loss for the event, since White is one of the most popular athletes in the Games, and he had trained incredibly hard to become the only medal contender in both slopestyle and halfpipe.

This is the first year that slopestyle—a downhill run with obstacles and jumps—has been part of the Olympics. When he was younger, the redhead from San Diego dominated slopestyle in the X Games competition, but in 2009, he stopped competing in it to focus on the halfpipe for the Olympics.

Excited about the prospect of winning two medals in one Games, White came back to slopestyle when he found out that it was going to be an event in Sochi. However, he had a hard time catching up with all the advancements that took place while he was gone, particularly the triple corks.

He worked hard to catch up with the competition and blew away the field at the final U.S. slopestyle qualifier to make the Olympic team. But, in the end, it just became too much.

Just 24 hours before the slopestyle qualification rounds were set to begin, White shared the news of his withdraw with an exclusive announcement to NBC's Today show:

After much deliberation with my team, I have made the decision to focus solely on trying to bring home the third straight gold medal in halfpipe for Team USA. The difficult decision to forego slopestyle is not one I take lightly as I know how much effort everyone has put into holding the slopestyle event for the first time in Olympic history, a history I had planned on being a part of.  

With the practice runs I have taken, even after course modifications and watching fellow athletes get hurt, the potential risk of injury is a bit too much for me to gamble my other Olympics goals on.

White wasn't the only one who had legitimate concerns about the safety of the slopestyle course. On Monday in Sochi, Norwegian Torstein Horgmo, a medal favorite in slopestyle, fell and injured himself on a practice run and had to withdraw from the Games. Female snowboarder Marika Enne of Finland fell on the course Tuesday, got a concussion and had to be taken off on a stretcher.

Injuries are an inevitable part of an extreme sport like snowboarding, but the steep course in Sochi seemed to be exacerbating the concerns.

White himself jammed his wrist Monday, adding another tally on the long list of nagging injuries he's experienced this season. He called the course "intimidating" and hoped that the officials would be able to make it more "friendly" before the competition began. But in the end, he just never seemed to find his comfort level on the course. 

There were scheduling issues as well. The medal rounds for slopestyle coincide with the first day of halfpipe practice, so White was likely going to have to miss a crucial day getting prepared on the halfpipe if he went through with the slopestyle.

These logical—albeit last minute—reasons didn't keep X Games champion Max Parrot from taking shots at the legend, though. In a now-deleted tweet, saved by Sports Illustrated's Richard Deitsch, Parrot said White withdrew because he knew he couldn't win.

It's not a surprise that White's competitors are speaking out against him. That's happened before, with Parrot and fellow Canadian Mark McMorris taking most of the shots. McMorris has said in interviews before that White is "lame" and a bad person to be the face of the extreme sport.

Parrot later tweeted a pseudo-apology, seemingly saying that slopestyle wouldn't be the same without White's star power.

McMorris and Parrot will now be co-favorites of the slopestyle event with White on the sidelines. For the Americans, Chas Guldemond, Sage Kotsenburg and Ryan Stassel will compete—there will be nobody replacing White, since snowboarding doesn't allow alternates. 

Despite what his competitors say, White's decision was ultimately more about fear of injury than fear of failure, though it would be hard to blame him if it was a bit of both. But like any great athlete, he had to make the decision that was best for his career.

White is no longer chasing two gold medals in Sochi—now, he's merely chasing history.

Shaun White doesn’t have “hobbies” as much as he has a list of things he will eventually dominate.

This list, however, may be becoming too long for his own good. 

According to Liz Clarke and Cindy Boren of The Washington Post, the 27-year-old snowboarder announced on NBC that he has decided to drop out of the slopestyle competition to better prepare himself for the halfpipe. 

White’s departure comes as a surprise to many but fits within the snowboarder’s competitive plan of attack. As he told Rolling Stone’s Dan Hyman in a 2013 interview, he prefers to tackle one thing at a time—music notwithstanding.

You may not know this about the two-time Olympic gold medalist, but in addition to his skateboarding and snowboarding endeavors, White has begun touring America in a synth-rock band.

White’s group, Bad Things, has played at a number of major music festivals, including Lollapalooza in Chicago. He understands that fans’ knee-jerk reaction is to label the group a “hobby band,” per Hyman's interview, but White and his fellow band members insist they’re dedicated to the craft.

“I drop everything for these guys,” White told Hyman. “[Photo] shoots, practice, anything I need to do. Because it’s a very serious thing for us.”

White began playing guitar after winning a snowboarding competition as a teenager. The grand prize was a yellow Fender Stratocaster—a showpiece trophy, but an operational guitar that kicked off his addiction to playing music.

Here’s “Anybody,” a song off Bad Things’ self-titled debut album.

Warning: Video contains NSFW language.

To be clear, White isn’t singing. He plays guitar while lead singer Davis LeDuke carries the majority of vocal duties.

LeDuke says he was uncertain about joining what appeared to be a lark venture by a famous snowboarder.

“People are like ‘Oh, [Shaun]’s just a snowboarder. It’s a hobby band,” LeDuke told Hyman. That isn’t the case, however. 

“Not only does Shaun have musical input, he also lights that fire under our [expletive],” LeDuke said.

White maintains that his focus for music is wholehearted, and that he commits to it like he would a sport.

“I stop snowboarding and I completely dive into skating. I forget everything about snowboarding ... and I focus completely on skateboarding,” White said. “And that’s how its been for music.”

With this in mind, White’s recent decision to forgo slopestyle at the Sochi Olympics makes sense. Couple that attitude with a recent wrist injury and the allegedly rough conditions of the Sochi course, and there’s plenty of reasons for White to stick with his time-honored tradition of dominating one thing at a time. 

Look for Sean to use his singular focus and come back with a medal in the halfpipe.

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