What were you doing at 14? This writer is hard pressed to remember much beyond petty thuggery and mischief that would be deemed criminal in today’s U.S of A.
Snowboarding sensation Chloe Kim on the other hand? Well, on January 24th of this year, she was busy becoming the youngest person ever to win the half pipe at the Winter X Games. She got stronger on each run. Her first run saw an 81.66. This run alone would have garnered her a 2nd place finish in the event.
Nathan Bilow/Getty Images
Perennial snowboard powerhouse Kelly Clark had beaten Kim at the 2014 Winter X Games. However, think of it a bit deeper. At a mere 13 years old she placed 2nd at the Super bowl of snowboarding. She did so by beating out women who, a month later, would be given medals at the Sochi Olympics. The very same games she herself was to young to attend!
Wrap your brain around that. At 13 years old this young lady was giving all snowboarding veterans a look at the new generation of their sport.
Fast forward to 2015′s games. Clark starts strong, posting a daunting 90 on her first run. After the 2014 defeat, some might think nerves might overtake the young boarder. Not so.
As is the earmark for great athletes, irrespective of sport, she got better as the competition wore on. Her second run garnered a score of 87.66, leaving the silver well in hand while still having one run left. And what a run it was! A 92 brought her history. The youngest gold medalist ever at a Winter X Games event. Better still? She snapped Clark’s run of five consecutive gold finishes.
Nathan Bilow/Getty Images
This writer cannot help but think that her inability to compete at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics (she was too young to compete per the event rules) fueled her already white-hot competitive fire. This writer thinks there may be more that fuels her, on a subconscious level at the very least.
To those not immersed in its goings on, Shaun White has been the face of this sport for some time. Other names more instantly recognizable include Travis Rice. Nicolas Muller. Gigi Ruf. Torstein Hormo. All time great (in all things ‘board,) Tony Hawk. See a pattern? Male-centric coverage like so many other sports before it.
Chloe Kim obviously understands the intricate facets and subtle nuances that go into a mastery of this sport. This writer believes that it is also not lost on her what her excellence can do from a cultural perspective.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter (formerly of the Rocky Mountain News and Denver Post) is a big supporter of the #likeagirl movement. The basis being simple: doing things “like a girl” should in no way be a derogatory statement. Young women like Chloe Kim, and Kelly Clark (who soared #likeagirl while hitting the 16 ft amplitude for the first time ever by a female boarder), are helping the evolution of the sports culture towards one of “great athletes” as opposed to the long-standing, misogynistic sporting viewer mindset of “pretty good…for a girl”.
Her support system seems to understand her unique position in the sporting world, evidenced by how fondly she speaks of one in particular.
“I also have a good coach, my Daddy, who cannot show me any tricks, but is good at talking.” - USA Snowboarding profile for Chloe Kim.
Since 2010, Chloe Kim has seen podium time at 23 out of 29 events, with an average finishing position of 3rd. And that is due mainly to some lower finishes in her early, non-junior level entries.
Chole has been said to train by riding switch foot only for a month at a time, if this is true she will bring a new style to Womans Snowboarding not previously seen.
Rachel Axon of USA Today offered the following perspective:
In addition to her ability to ride switch comfortably — something Mike Jankowski, head coach for the U.S. Freeskiing and Snowboarding teams calls “groundbreaking” in the sport — Kim’s riding showcases the amplitude she gets out of the pipe. Her silver-medal clinching run in the X Games last year included a hit that brought her nearly 14 feet above the 22-foot wall.
Within the same piece by Axon, Chloe relayed her initial feelings about snowboarding as a sport:
“I didn’t really like snowboarding in the beginning,” says Kim. “Now, I just love it. I’m in love with it.”
She is not afraid to go big or go home.
It is unfortunate that some fear a similar situation that faces Shaun White. He became a machine of the industry, desiring to be not simply an athlete, but a “rock star” per Travis Rice. Rather than soaring with passion and living for the overall betterment of the sport, the fruits success provided allegedly became his focus. He was in to win, not make friends. Mission accomplished on both ends. I do not see such a mentality in Chloe Kim.
Speaking of the differences between Shaun White and Chloe Kim, our snowboarding expert Milissa Chandler offered this perspective:
“Chole however is embracing the riders that have come before her and the sport.”
Daniel Petty/The Denver Post
Yes Hannah Teter and Torah Bright get coverage, largely because both are physically attractive, and thus easily marketable to male fans. No slight on their talent, but this is largely an acceptable truth. Kim is proving that the world is definitely ready, and willing, to accept skill before visage.
The last two years have been especially monumental for this great athlete. This writer sees a potential legacy being constructed by this remarkable human being that will have all competitors, in all of the sporting world, aspiring to perform #LIKEAGIRL.
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Contributor: Milissa Chandler – Follow her on Twitter: @Teamtimebomb22
