Snowboarding

Snowboarding

Snowboarding
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 4 to 6
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	6.78

Vocabulary

	challenging words:		boarder, defect, fiberglass, jubilant, niche, surfing, determination, athlete, bolting, gold-medal, matches, original, core, unique, victory, fans
	content words:		Flying Tomato, Shaun White, Sherman Poppens, Dimitriji Milovich, New York, World Cup, International Snowboard Association, Flying Tomatoes

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Snowboarding
By Colleen Messina

¹     As the bold athlete dropped into the halfpipe 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.

²     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 the winter X Games and has received medals every year since 2002. He has won a total of six gold medals at the X Games. Even though he can do some amazing tricks on his board, the red-haired, cheerful athlete enjoys Monopoly games during his time off from training and competitions.

³     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 and started in the 1970s. The original inventor of the snowboard was Sherman Poppens. He invented a board called the Snurfer by bolting two skis together for his daughter. Soon, all of her friends wanted them, and he began manufacturing his invention.

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