The Schedule Of Shaun White's Olympic Competitions is Here & We Can't Wait
We're just a little more than two weeks away from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, which means the countdown is officially on. I can't wait to watch some of my favorite athletes compete to bring home the gold. And while there are lots of exciting new names on the Team USA roster this year — like all the members of the U.S. ski jumping team, for example — the person I'm most pumped to watch try and score a medal is a certain red-headed Olympic snowboarder, who's back in the Games for the fourth time. So what is the schedule of Shaun White's competitions? If you're anything like me, you need to know ASAP so you can set that DVR!
A little bit of background, first. The 31-year-old snowboarder — who earned the nickname "The Flying Tomato" thanks to his formerly long and curly, bright red mane that's since been cropped short — has already won two Olympic gold medals. Now he's back in an attempt to become the first snowboarder in history to ever win a third. While snowboarding at the 2018 Winter Olympics will consist of five men's events — Parallel Giant Slalom, Snowboard Cross, Big Air, Slopestyle, and Halfpipe — it's this last competition, where athletes perform jumps and twists in the air as they criss-cross a semi-circular ramp — that White is famous for.
Here's how you can watch him compete: The Games will be broadcasted on NBC, NBCSN, and across all the networks of NBC Universal. The Men's snowboard halfpipe qualifying will air at 11:00 p.m. EST on Monday. Feb. 12, and the Men's snowboard halfpipe final will air at 8:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday, Feb. 13. Of course, since this is 2018, viewers will also be able to stream every event both live and on-demand on NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app, so you should probably hit up the app store and go download that baby now!
I am really excited to watch White compete, but pretty nervous, too. After all, on his last trip to the Winter Games in Sochi back in 2014, he came in fourth in the Halfpipe event and failed to bring home a medal — his first time not winning Olympic gold. He also almost lost this latest trip to Pyeongchang back in October, when he crashed into a 22-foot superpipe during a training sesh in New Zealand. White was rushed to the ICU, where he received 62 stitches.
Scary stuff! But White remained determined. "I’ve always lived my life by pushing the limits," he explained on Instagram. "Winning is great, but it’s the tough times that truly define you. I took a slam while training the other day, but don’t worry I’ll be back soon and better than ever!!"
Turns out, he's a man of his word, and just three months later he secured his spot on the 2018 Men's Olympic Snowboarding Team with a perfect 100-point halfpipe score at the U.S. Grand Prix of Snowmass.
So yeah, what have you done in the last three months?
Meanwhile, the two-time Olympic gold medalist isn't taking any chances this time around — and good on him, because I wouldn't, either. After suffering from a bout with the flu, he announced on Jan. 28 that he had withdrawn from the Winter X Games in Aspen so he could return home to rest up for the Olympics.
Smart move, considering he leaves for Pyeongchang on Saturday, Feb. 3.
We're rooting for you, Shaun! Rest up and then go get that third Olympic gold!
To learn more, visit teamusa.org. The Winter Olympics will air live starting February 8.
