Triple Cork

Do you remember Shaun White?

Yeah. Of course you do. He's that shaggy redheaded Olympic champion who's been tearing up the skateboarding and snowboarding worlds for the past decade. His prowess in the snowy half-pipe is particularly impressive, and his back-to-back double corkscrews - two twisting rotations performed in mid-air - are the stuff of legend. 

In the past few years, Shaun has been working on a new trick: the Triple Cork. As far as I know, he has yet to successfully throw that insane three-rotation twist in a half-pipe competition, but I admire his gumption. He's the kind of guy who's always pushing himself to higher levels, challenging himself to master something new, and trying things that no one else has done before.

So it was with great interest that I recently checked out Shaun's latest venture: he's now riding switch as a rock star.

Blue skies, green trees and a golden sunshine-y glow. Perfect day for some outdoor music.

Yeah. Shaun's in a band. He plays lead guitar with some childhood buddies in an effort known as Bad Things, and this past weekend, they performed at Bumbershoot, Seattle's late-summer arts festival. 

Humble and reserved onstage, Shaun (center) left the role of frontman and crowd-rouser to lead singer, Davis DeLuke (left).

And you know, I don't have the technical know-all to thoroughly appraise Shaun's musical expertise. But I've seen a few rock gods in my day, and I must say, I was impressed with his chops. His riffs were blistering and his focus and drive intense. This guy is a legit musical talent.

As I stood in the warm midday sun, surrounded by a young and eager crowd who seemed to appreciate Bad Things' sound as much as I did, I noticed there was a palpable undercurrent of enthusiasm for Shaun's sporting accomplishments. 

In the lull between songs, the young man standing next to me yelled out, "TRIPLE CORK!!"

We all laughed. Even Shaun cracked a grin.

And while that sassy throwback to Shaun's previous career was probably tossed off in casual admiration and a teenage boy's never-ending need to get a laugh, it touched my soul.

What an bold man is Shaun White. Not only does he push himself to the limits of his outrageous success as an extreme athlete by attempting tricks of ridiculous difficulty, but then he steps out beyond the comfortable glow of those accomplishments and challenges himself in a completely new and starkly different endeavor. Even more impressive, Shaun has definitely landed his Double McTwist into the music world. 

Yeah. As I enjoyed the rest of Bad Things' set, I thought a lot about Shaun's bold and fearless passion for pursuing life. And then I dared myself to discover and pursue my own Triple Cork.  I wonder what it will be. 

Apparently, my daughter's Triple Cork was to meet Shaun face to face. Mission accomplished.