Shaun palmer biography

In , the cover of USA Today posed a question that stunned the sports world: “Is Shaun Palmer the world&#;s greatest athlete?” No matter what sport—snowboarding, skiing, motocross, mountain biking, and skateboarding—he will be the first to tell you “The Palm” wins. A lot. Aside from his cocky attitude and his punk-rocker status, his drive and determination to win has set him apart his entire career as he dominates at virtually every sport he chooses. Shaun Palmer&#;s documentary “The Miserable Champion” is a shocking portrayal of one of the most notorious athletes to ever enter the world of action sports.

The documentary takes an inside look at the highest podium moments and the lowest of shortcomings in the life of Shaun Palmer. Exclusive interviews with other athletes such as Terry Kidwell, Steve Caballero, Andy Heisel, and Danny Kass, “The Miserable Champion” producer Brad Holmes, Shaun&#;s mother, and Shaun Palmer himself help us gain an understanding of the personal life behind the revolutionary sporting icon. It features film clips and photos from his early days as the “mini shred” to his most recent trials at the X Games combined with fluctuating blend of agro rock metal and acoustic soulful tunes coinciding well with the editorial style that seems to match the up and down rhythm of Palmer’s life. From his father&#;s abandonment and his own dabbles with drugs and alcohol to the top of the action sports world, his story is unlike any other athletes in history.

Beginning at the Mile High Ramp in Lake Tahoe, California in ’85, Palmer was deemed the “mini shred” and took his skills from skateboarding in the half pipe to the first ramps ever to be ridden on a snowboard, showcasing his soon to be world-recognizable talent. Seven sports, five times World Champion, six X Games gold medals, 38 Elite victories, and tour podiums; we can all only help but wonder: what kind

American snowboarder

Shaun Palmer (born November 14, ) is an American professional snowboarder, skier, mountain biker, and motocross rider. Nicknamed "Napalm" and "Palm Daddy", he is known as one of the forefathers of extreme sports. He won the Laureus WorldAction Sportsperson of the Year in

Early life

Palmer was born in South Lake Tahoe on November 14, and from a young age, he maintained a strong interest in all things fast. His mother told People Magazine in , "Whether it was on wheels or on a board, it had to be superfast—he had no fear. I remember once when he was 13, I had grounded him. Well, he jumped out of his second-floor bedroom window, got on his bike and took off. He was like that—always pushing the limits."

While Palmer showed potential in both skiing and baseball, Shaun grew enamored with the still-infant sport of snowboarding. At the age of 12, he built his own snowboard.

Snowboarding career

Palmer taught himself to snowboard, as he was never formally schooled in the sport. In an interview with People Magazine, Palmer stated: "I didn't watch tapes or study other guys—I just figured out what felt right." Just three years after building his own board, Palmer dropped out of high school to become a professional snowboarder.

Throughout his snowboarding career, Palmer received various accolades, including USA Today's World's Greatest Athlete, Details Magazine's Athlete of the Year in , and the NEA Extreme Athlete of the Year in Also in , Palmer was named as the inaugural Laureus World Alternative Sportsperson of the Year. In February , Palmer was awarded the ESPY Awards' Action Sports Athlete of the Year.

In , Palmer earned himself a spot on the U.S. Olympic Snowboarding Team. Palmer was a long shot, qualifying for the team after an 11th-hour World Cup podium finish in Bad Gastein, Austria, just one month before the

video game

video game

Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder is a snowboarding video game with a similar feel to the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series. It was developed by Dear Soft and published by Activision under the Activision O2 label. The game features ten famous snowboarders, including Shaun Palmer, Ross Powers and Shaun White. A demo version of the game is available in the options menu of the PlayStation 2 version of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3. A sequel was in development by Treyarch, with a concurrent GBA version by Vicarious Visions, but was later cancelled.

Development

The game was at first originally developed by UEP Systems, who developed the first Cool Boarders game on the PlayStation, but after UEP went bust, much of the team joined Dear Soft to finish the game there.

Reception

The Game Boy Advance and PlayStation 2 versions received "mixed" reviews according to video game review aggregatorMetacritic.

Cancelled sequel

A sequel, Shaun Palmer's Pro Snowboarder 2, was announced, but cancelled prior to release in late It was one of number of titles cancelled due to publisher Activision's poor financial performance that year.

References

Most mainstream sports fans know Shaun Palmer for his scene-stealing multi-sport performances at the Winter X Games. In the early days of X, Palmer bounced between gold medals in Downhill Mountain Biking and Snowboarder x wins before taking top slots in Skier X and Ultracross, too. Between and he earned multiple "athlete of the year" accolades.

But snowboarders know him as something more than a fierce competitor. Palmer played a major role in the development of snowboarding, and for years was the poster boy for the culture's early unruly, anti-conformist attitude. He is also the owner of one of the all-time best methods.

Catching up with Palmer is no easy task. So it's no wonder that the movie version of his life, "Miserable Champion" has taken so long to make it to the screen. The biopic, done by Brad Holmes, traces Palmer's trajectory from childhood through his early snowboarding career and onward through podiums, an overdose, and the end of Olympic dreams due to an Achilles tendon blowout right before the Winter Games.

Palmer's story is without a doubt unique, revolving around a missing father figure, the influence of drugs and alcohol, and a relentless and some say unmatched desire to win, no matter what the sport. The idea for the film started in , but was delayed when Palmer became injured, and was slow going after because Homes and Palmer wanted to make sure they got the film right.

"Miserable Champion" finally debuted at the X Dance Film Festival in January, and took home awards for "Best Biography" and "Athlete of the Year," so we got Holmes on the phone to find out more.

ESPN: Why are you releasing "Miserable Champion" now?
Holmes: A lot of stuff went down during the making of the movie. Shaun got hurt, and we just wanted to take some time off. And another reason is that this is a totally independent film, we don't have any sponsors or any reason to have to come out with it. We just wanted