Olympic Hopeful: Brooke Shaw

Christina Johnson profiles Olympic hopefuls in women’s snowboarding for the 2010 Olympics.  Selection of the final Olympic Snowboard team still hinges on this season’s competition results: watch for the official announcement after the 3rd stop of the US Snowboarding Grand Prix in January. 

Brooke Shaw may be a native of Connecticut, but she is far from tied down.  This rising star also calls Colorado and Vermont home.  When not spending time with friends and family, this snowboarder cross champion has had the pleasure of traveling across the globe to places like Japan, Korea, Argentina, New Zealand, and even Italy.

Although Brooke may only be 18, don’t let her age fool you. She began skiing at the age of 2 but quickly hung them up for snowboarding at the age of 6.  She was then introduced to boardercross through close friend Lindsay Jacobellis.  They both raced at Stratton Mountain in Vermont and the rest is history. Eventually having to be home schooled, Brooke recently graduated from high school after concentrating on academics following a tear to her hamstring in competition.

Aside from traveling, Brooke has had her fair share of time in the limelight.  She has been named a “Next” athlete by Sports Illustrated and even appeared on a Cartoon Network special with her brother Spencer.  Most recently, Brooke also appeared on an episode of Fuel TV’s New Pollution which aired in April 2009.

Her first World Cup competition took place in March 2007 in Lake Placid, NY which resulted in an 8th place finish.  That was followed by a 6th place at the 2008 World Cup in Argentina.  Brooke went on to win the Chevy Revolution Tour stop at Copper Mountain in January and is currently the overall tour leader in boardercross.  She was a member of the US Snowboarding C Team in 2008 but was quickly bumped up to the B Team after her increase in podium finishes this past season. Aside from a US Snowboarding sponsorship, Brooke also has a hefty sponsor load, including Stratton Mountain, Pac Sun, Swix, and O’Neill.

When not snowboarding, Brooke spends time with friends and family wakeboarding, dirt bike riding, surfing, playing soccer and even making hats. She claims her goal for the season is to compete on the Burton Open tour circuit and land a coveted spot on the 2010 US Olympic team.  It’s safe to say Brooke Shaw is a force to be reckoned with and a competitor to keep your eye on.

Posted by Christina Johnson on 11/03