The Shaun White X-perience
Floating around the Home Depot Center with snowboard/skateboard icon Shaun White was a circus event unto itself.
The autograph seekers. The girls. The photo ops. The girls. The chance to see this 19-year-old bad-ass from Carlsbad in all his glory, and in one piece.
And there were girls.
We documented most of what went on in our story that appeared in today's newspaper. Here's the link.
But for more snapshots we were able to procure during our trip around the park with Shaun, take a look, careful not to get a Sharpie stain on our T-shirt:
So if you're coming into the X Games without an escort, here's a few rules you need to know:
Beware of flying objects, and ...
Go back right now and leave your pet snake, and the AK-47, back in the Honda Element .... now, push forward...
There are all kind of interactive stuff. For the kids, instead of a petting zoo, it's a dirt-bike park.
There's a rock wall, for the overweight kids to help with their self esteem ...
Just don't show them the backside. It'll ruin the illusion ...
If you haven't made the investment yet, there's a booth where you can buy -- surprise! -- and ESPN Mobile phone ...
Or, there's the official P-Rod board. That's in, Paul Rodriguez, the son, not the comedian.
And when you realize what you've just bought, you can put the plastics with the recyclables, not with the eco-sentric grass clippings or hot dog wrappers... There's a place for everything.
But you know what we've come all this way for and ... don't look now, but THERE'S SHAUN WHITE!!!
Psyche ....
OK, here he is, for real. Sneaking in the backway, with an escort, already acosted by some autograph seeker. If we could just get him onto the stage at the PlayStation-sponsored booth so those who've been waiting in line forever ...
... and have kept waiting and waiting in the beatdown sun ...
OK, Shaun's made it through the backdoor, and despite an injured right hand, he's ready to sign away. All for free.
First, a shot with a close, personal fan ...
Then, signing the obligatory shoe ...
Our favorite shot: This 8-year-old, Griffin Jones, from Arizona, shows Shaun how he rocks his world ...
Then, the little dude's brother and cousin get their shirtless moment with the Flying Tomato ...
Sign more here ...
Deface a skateboard there ...
And, for those of you who've made it this far, we've saved the best for last.
This is Alessandra Domiele, from Rome, Italy. She came all this way to see the X Games. And the U.S. Open, in New York, later this month. But as long as she was here, she hooked up with Shaun, and shared a laugh. Yes, she does have a scribble there on her left .... that's from Travis Pastrana, the famous bike racer who pulled off that double flip last night. And right next to Travis' name, if there's any room left ... if you can barely make it out ....
Can we get a closeup of this? ...
Keep going ..
OK, now look fast ...
Now there's some flying tomatos.. And you know what, we think Shaun's autograph is buried under the bikini top at the moment. He personalized it by first signing "To Alessandra, love ..." You know the rest...
That'll be it for Shaun, except he'll show up later at the Mountain Dew booth to sign a bunch of stuff for more boobs, or ... you know what we're saying here...
But first, someone catches him backstage for another scribble.
And it's off to the customized motorcoach for a few minutes of rest, soak the hand in some ice water, and do whatever else the sponsors tell him.
Don't forget your wash-off tattoo before you leave .....
If you want more behind-the-scenes with Shaun White and his entourage, check out this link at the EXPN site ...
Here's a recap of his attempt at the 1080 on Friday night ...
And there's this classic from Rolling Stone magazine when he made the cover right after his gold in Italy for the Winter Olympics ...
And, of course, Shaun's official website.