With the Winter X Games a week away and occurring during the one-year countdown to the 2014 Winter Olympics at Sochi, Russia, the spotlight shines most brightly upon Shaun White.
Why?
Because this year's X Games in Aspen will serve as a proving grounds for aspiring Olympians, a place to issue statements. Also because White, whose two Olympic gold medals are in the halfpipe discipline, is placing added emphasis on slopestyle, which will debut as an Olympic sport in Sochi.
But mostly because White, who has not performed well in slopestyle during the previous two X Games, this week delivered a powerful statement in the form of a triple cork 1440 (that's three filps and four spins) performed in the terrain park at Breckenridge, Colo.
Only a few athletes can land this absurdly difficult trick on the slope course. White, apparently, has joined the crowd. Here are two videos posted Wednesday, showing White's practice sessions. Understandably, next week in Aspen, the X Games slopestyle competition will replace the halfpipe competition as the marquee snowboarding event. (Hat tips to GrindTv.com and the Denver Post).
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