Shaun White American Snowboarder

Shaun White will defend his halfpipe title this weekend at the U.S. Open snowboarding championships, as the competition moves out west to Vail, Colo., after a 30-year run at various mountains in Vermont.

As always, White will be the boarder to beat at the event where he once turned heads as a 7-year-old, when he took a practice run before the big names competed. The freckle-faced kid with fiery red hair put on a dazzling show, too. Fans even asked for his autograph.

Not really knowing cursive, he scribbled his name in big, block letters - Shaun White.

White says: "First time I signed an autograph."

The Olympic gold medalist has certainly perfected his signature over the years, much like his signature tricks in the halfpipe.

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