Kari White
by Kyanna Sutton
Snowboarder
14 years old
Q: When did you start snowboarding?
When I was 11, I pretty much taught myself how to do it.
Q: How did you become interested in snowboarding?
I first tried when I was about ten and hated it because it was so different than skiing, but when my brothers were doing it I had to learn because it looked like so much fun.
Q: How much time do you spend training?
I go to Mammoth Mountain (in California, home of the 2000 Gravity Games) with my brother Shaun on the weekends and it's super fun to ride there.
Q: Do you play other sports?
I play on my high school soccer team and it helps me stay strong for snowboarding. We practice every day unless we have a game.
Q: Do you get injured in your sport?
The worst I ever got hurt was when I was 'boarding and overshot the landing of a jump and broke my wrist. It was really broken. They had to pop it back in place and I was too scared to get it numbed by the huge shot so I just had them do it cold turkey. It hurt really bad!
Q: Why do you think snowboarding has become so popular?
It's just so much fun and I think people like to get away from work and school and enjoy snowboarding in the mountains.
Q: Do you consider snowboarding an extreme sport?
I think snowboarding in the backcountry is really crazy; you have to be really brave. All those avalanches and hidden rocks are scary.
Q: Why do you snowboard?
I snowboard because it's really fun and I like learning new tricks and meeting new people.
Q: What's it like being a female snowboarder?
I think being a female snowboarder is hard because nobody compares you to boys. They just say, "Oh she's good -- for a girl!" But there are a lot of girls out there that I look up to because they're charging just like most boys.
Q: Do you find that other girl snowboarders are competitive?
The girls my age at nationals are really competitive but some are nice. They all have coaches and most don't even go to school. (They have tutors.) I think they take winning really seriously.
Q: Do you compete with the guys?
No, not usually. But it's always fun to free ride with them and race and stuff.
Q: What advice would you give to other girls who want to get into your sport?
Don't be scared, just go out and charge. Don't worry about falling. Ride with a bunch of boys that are going to push you to keep up.
Kari's little brother Shaun is a semi-pro snowboarder. Read his profile.
