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Shaun White Documentary Spells Out The Tough Choices He Made For His Sport

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1 year ago

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shaun white olympic

Shaun White- Years after their sport was elevated to the Olympic stage, most elite snowboarders still felt filthy about competing for large money and gold medals. They were more concerned with having fun and making new friends than winning money and rewards.

For every death-defying calculation Shaun White made throughout his two decades of risk-taking on the halfpipe, his decision to encourage other riders to reconsider their role in the sport was a game changer.

The first episode of the documentary series “Shaun White: The Last Run,” which premieres Thursday on MAX, focuses on the exact moment White chose to try to make a career off snowboarding rather than making friends.

“We saw a future in this sport that others didn’t, and we wanted to prove them wrong,” says White, now 36, in the series, reminiscing on a watershed event when he was 15. “I could potentially make what (my parents) were making for a whole year in one day.”

White received more than his fair share of criticism for that choice, but the next two decades proved him correct.

By the end of the series, no one has second thoughts about risking their life for a gold medal. Ayumu Hirano, 23, who won one in the Beijing Olympics — where White placed fourth after his final pass — is one of many who freely confess they wouldn’t be on the halfpipe if White hadn’t set a precedent.

“What’s beautiful about the documentary is, in the end, it’s not all about the wins,” White told The Associated Press. “In the end, it’s about leaving a legacy in sports.” “How it changed my life, how it changed the lives of my family, and, hopefully, how it changed the sport.”

For every death-defying calculation Shaun White made throughout his two decades of risk-taking on the halfpipe, his decision to encourage other riders to reconsider their role in the sport was a game changer.

For those who have only followed the three-time Olympic champion every four years, his decisions and the risks he takes in this four-part series will feel revelatory and as terrifying as they were in real time.

For those who already know the narrative, there’s a new opportunity to experience the ups and downs — specifically, the difficult, often life-changing and life-risking decisions he made in starting gates, ice tubs, and hospital beds with his coaches, Bud Keene and, subsequently, J.J. Thomas.

Along with years of home- and handheld-camera film, there are new interviews with White’s mother and father, Cathy and Roger, and his brother and sister, Kari and Jesse. They were all on board with Shaun as the family business. Excursions to Mount Hood and Mammoth in the family’s converted white van quickly turned into international flights to see their son and sibling transform the sport.

In a 2021 phone call, Kari reminds her brother, “Winning is your only friend,” as Shaun lies on a massage table, remembering when that was true but also experiencing the changes that 20 years had exacted on his body and psyche.

If there is a main opponent throughout this series, it is the triple cork — the enormous and hazardous three-head-over-heels move Hirano used to win in China last year.

White had been practicing that move for eight years before it was finally landed in a competition. In dozens of dives into airbags and foam pits, we witness him do it brilliantly and not-so-great. We see him commit to it, abandon it, then return to it, all the while knowing that if he loses his bearings on that trick — or any trick — while flying half-blind above a rock-hard halfpipe, his career and life are in jeopardy.

“That’s what the current riders were doing, and that’s where we are today,” White explained when asked why the series focuses on the triple jump rather than the other breakthrough techniques he pioneered. “And I thought it was important that they reacted by saying, ‘Hey, look, I tried this ages ago.'” But the sport did not change that way” when he first tried it.

It did, however, happen in the end.

The series alternates between eras. Early in Episode 1, White notices Hirano and the other Japanese riders landing triples weeks before the Beijing Games, and there’s a sense that his position atop the podium is in peril.

And yet, as he approaches the starting gate for his final ride in Episode 4, it feels as if he could try the triple and pull it off. After all, he had previously taken comparable risks and walked away with gold.

There are no spoilers in this section. Everyone knows how this is going to end.

But there were three gold medals and another fourth-place finish before that, each catapulting White to a different level of fame, satisfaction, happiness, or unhappiness. The objective of this story is not his career-ending fourth-place finish.

Instead, White made it acceptable — even desirable — for elite snowboarders to face the harsh realities of their jobs: Pushing the boundaries is admirable in and of itself. But there’s nothing wrong with being wealthy and famous for doing something you enjoy, especially if you’re willing to sacrifice your life.

SOURCE – (AP)

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Kiara Grace is a staff writer at VORNews, a reputable online publication. Her writing focuses on technology trends, particularly in the realm of consumer electronics and software. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for breaking down complex topics. Kiara delivers insightful analyses that resonate with tech enthusiasts and casual readers alike. Her articles strike a balance between in-depth coverage and accessibility, making them a go-to resource for anyone seeking to stay informed about the latest innovations shaping our digital world.

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Megan Fox Says She’s Done with Machine Gun Kelly

Published

3 days ago

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2024-12-18

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Megan Fox says she's is focusing on herself and her family.

Pregnant Megan Fox, despite her pregnancy with Machine Gun Kelly’s child, claims she will never live with the singer again. She stated that she would like things to remain platonic between the two.

Megan announced her pregnancy on November 12, only days before the couple divorced over Thanksgiving. She already has three children, Noah, 11, Bodhi, 9, and Journey, 7, with her ex-husband Brian Austin Green.

Megan Fox and Kelly have a long history of on-and-off dating, and suspicion immediately circulated that their current breakup was temporary.

However, a source close to Fox said that she is ready to break the cycle as she prepares to give birth to her next child.

According to a source for Us Weekly, Megan Fox is currently focusing on herself and her family. “She’s been working a lot this year, so she’s looking forward to spending time with her kids.”

Showing that she is serious about ending her chapter with Machine Gun Kelly, the insider revealed that the two “haven’t been in contact this last week,” further demonstrating that “things are not looking great between them right now.”

“She hopes that with them taking time apart right now, they will be able to have a healthy co-parenting relationship,” the insider said of Fox’s “table environment” for her baby.

Despite their no-contact condition, the source stated that Fox was “trying to focus on being positive” and looked forward to co-parenting with her ex. “No matter how she feels about MGK, she has a lot of love for him and is excited that they are going to become parents,” they told me.

“MGK is really letting Megan lead the way right now and is giving her space.”

Megan, who has stated that she believes she helped shape the rapper-turned-rocker into the person he is, has been relying on her ex-husband’s fiancée, Sharna Burgess, as she navigates the difficult breakup.

‘Sharna understands how tough it is to be pregnant and has been supporting Megan,’ a source told DailyMail.com last week.

‘She truly cares and feels for her. Breakups are terrible enough on their own, but being pregnant makes them worse.

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Gypsy Rose Claims Ex Got Aroused Over Mom’s Murder

Published

3 days ago

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2024-12-18

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Gypsy Rose Blanchard Says Her Ex Had "Murder Fantasies" and Found them "Arousing"

The tragic story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard continues to unearth chilling details, even years after the 2015 murder of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard. Her tell-all book My Time To Stand offers a series of unsettling recollections.

In a recent surprising disclosure, Gipsy accused her former boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, of becoming “aroused” by dreams about her mother’s murder. This claim sheds a darker light on a case already fraught with troubling issues about deception, abuse, and twisted connections.

Gipsy Rose rose to prominence after the murder of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard. Dee Dee suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a disorder in which a carer fabricates or causes illness in someone in their care.

For years, Dee Dee persuaded doctors, neighbours, and the general public that Gipsy was seriously ill, limiting her to wheelchairs and unnecessary medical procedures.

Behind closed doors, Dee Dee had complete control over Gypsy’s life, including her meals, social activities, and thoughts. Her physical and psychological abuse produced a toxic atmosphere from which Gipsy desperately sought to escape.

Planning the Murder

Gipsy and her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, planned to murder Dee Dee. Godejohn carried out the murder by stabbing Dee Dee while she was sleeping. Gipsy and Godejohn were both captured shortly after the incident.

Gipsy pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and received a 10-year jail sentence, while Godejohn received a life sentence for first-degree murder.

In a recent interview and previous publications, Gipsy Rose claimed Godejohn found the murder “arousing.” Gipsy claims Godejohn has a history of violent fantasies and an obsession with manipulating women.

These traits could have influenced his involvement in the crime.

Gypsy’s assertions paint Godejohn as a manipulator who exploited her vulnerability for his gain. She characterized him as ready to carry out the plan, not because he loved or supported her predicament but because it appealed to his dark desires.

The Abuse of Gypsy Rose

Their internet relationship, which began innocently, quickly evolved into something evil. Godejohn’s aggressive inclinations, combined with Gypsy’s desperate need to escape Dee Dee’s abuse, formed a dangerous situation.

In it, she described meeting Godejohn on a Christian dating service in 2012 and how the two developed an explicit relationship. Gipsy Rose wrote on how swiftly Nick supposedly exposed her to a world of “sexually perverse things,” recalling.

She described alarming moments in which he would “threaten” to take his love away from her if she did not perform what he wanted sexually.

Things climaxed when they met and discussed the prospect of living together in Nick’s home state, Wisconsin. Soon after, Gipsy recounted in her memoir, the young couple considered killing Dee Dee to stay together.

Gipsy Rose described them as “gradual,” having been “baked into an elaborate fantasy world” starring Victor and other Nick-created characters. Even creepier was her claim that he “got sexually aroused” when discussing rape and murder.

The latest claims against Godejohn have sparked renewed public interest in the case. Some interpret Gypsy’s words as an attempt to disassociate herself from the crime, while others see them as a legitimate insight into Godejohn’s character.

Whatever your point of view, it’s evident that this isn’t a simple story. The complicated relationships between Gipsy Rose, Dee Dee, and Godejohn continue to intrigue and horrify people following the case.

Nick is serving the remainder of his life in jail, while Gipsy Rose continues to market her memoir as she prepares to give birth to her first child.

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Gipsy Rose Blanchard Opens Up Over Mother Murder

Published

1 week ago

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2024-12-12

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Gypsy Rose is believed to be a victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy

Gipsy Rose Blanchard has spoken out about her involvement in her mother’s murder in 2015 by her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn. Godejohn. Gipsy reflects on the trauma she experienced and how it influenced her decisions.

Godejohn received a life sentence without parole plus an additional 25 years for armed criminal action. Gypsy Rose released from prison after serving time for mom’s murder. She received a 10-year sentence after pleading guilty to second-degree murder.

Gipsy Rose, a victim of years of torture linked to Munchausen syndrome by proxy, admitted working with her then-boyfriend, Nicholas Godejohn, to organize Dee Dee’s murder.

According to the now-33-year-old, the “final straw” came a month before the murder, when her mother “tried to cut” her neck after her voice grew “high-pitched.”

She described appealing to her mother, saying that there was nothing wrong with her voice, but Dee Dee nevertheless took her to a pulmonologist, who advised “exploratory surgery of her larynx.”

Gypsy Rose Muzzled

Gipsy Rose had already tried to flee twice and shot her mother with a “BB gun” after Dee Dee allegedly “chained” her to the bed, stating she was becoming “harder to control” as she aged.

Gipsy Rose called the suggested voice box operation “completely unnecessary” and claimed it made her “truly” worry about the “scope of [her mom’s] malice.”

Gipsy said that her mother would “muzzle” her mouth at night with a CPAP machine “for my fake sleep apnoea” and use Orajel to “numb” her mouth, causing her to “drool and slur.”

She also blamed Dee Dee for her teeth falling out, which she explained as a “side effect of superfluous medications.”

“By speaking for me and scripting every interaction, she prevented me from discovering my voice. In my opinion, my literal voice, no matter how squeaky it was, could be taken away. She wrote, “Her final play.”

Dee Dee successfully persuaded multiple doctors that her daughter had a variety of medical issues, including asthma, cancer, Down syndrome, epilepsy, and more.

Second-degree murder

Gipsy revealed that her mother even went so far as to shave her head, saying, “It’s going to fall out anyway, so let’s just keep it nice and neat.”

In terms of how Dee Dee deceived so many doctors, it is believed that the drugs she gave Gipsy “induced many of the symptoms of diseases [that] doctors thought they were treating.”

Over nine years, Dee Dee admitted Gipsy to the hospital more than 100 times, citing various fictitious medical ailments.

Gipsy pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2016 after her mother, Dee Dee, died. She was sentenced to ten years and will be freed on parole on December 28, 2023, after serving 85 percent of her sentence.

Her then-boyfriend, Godejohn, who carried out the fatal stabbing in 2015 at Gypsy’s request, was sentenced to life in jail with no chance of release.

During her trial, Gipsy claimed that the reason she conspired to kill her mother was the years of abuse she had undergone, which left her feeling as if murder was her only option. She described how Dee Dee pushed her to use a wheelchair and endure numerous unneeded medical exams and treatments.

Her mother also exploited Gypsy Rose by portraying her as a terminally ill and crippled kid to garner sympathy and charitable donations from organizations such as Make-A-Wish and The Walt Disney Company, all while maintaining complete control over Gypsy’s life.

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Gypsy Rose Talks Parenting Plans After Announcing Pregnancy

 

 

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