From Booklist
Richards is a world-class snowboarder, one of the sport's superstars, an Olympic contender, inspiration for a video game, and subject of numerous magazine articles. This is his autobiography, written (with coauthor Blehm) for readers familiar with the sport and its lingo (the uninitiated might find the whole thing a little perplexing). It's the story of a young man who comes to a sport in its infancy, who grows up as the sport is catapulted onto the world stage, and who, in fact, helps turn it from a pastime into a sport. If it were just about Richards, the book would seem drastically thin and rather self-absorbed. But, because it also chronicles the growth of snowboarding from skiing alternative to Olympic event, it has value for those interested in the history of winter sports. Ignore the book's oft-tedious then-I-did structure and concentrate on the bigger story of how a new sport graduates to the mainstream. A niche book, certainly, but just the thing for snowboarding fans. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Book Description
Not so long ago, in a galaxy not too far away...
How does a pipsqueak outcast with unnaturally blond hair, a Godzilla fetish, and the nickname "Toddler" grow up to be a world champion, Olympic competitor, and action sports icon? The truth is even weirder than you might think.
Growing up as an only child in a small town in Massachusetts, all Todd Richards wanted to do was play with his Star Wars toys in the woods behind his house -- and, oh, be a ninja. When he started high school, he transferred his obsessive tendencies to a new hobby that was sweeping the nation: skateboarding. But fighting off the Massachusetts weather and tangling with his parents over skateboarding and its ripped-jeans, bleached-hair image made him one depressed kid during the winter of 1987.
That's when a friend introduced him to snowboarding and revealed to him a whole new world. Before he knew it, he was a sponsored pro, but he still had a lot to learn. Fortunately -- or unfortunately, depending on who you ask -- Todd found himself in the company of some of snowboarding's most influential pioneers and most notorious wild men. A second childhood with a bunch of free-spirited snowboarders and former skate punks as an extended family taught him many things: from how a g-stringed Italian can broker a peace deal to why you should never wear novelty underwear if you are planning to knock yourself senseless on the mountain.
As Todd's career and skills advanced, he found himself no longer in the shadows of legendary snowboarders, but at the forefront of a new wave of snowboarding fanaticism that was sweeping the nation. He spearheaded the movement that pushed snowboarding from a derelict sport to the forefront of the Olympic games and into the American mainstream. Through stories of his wild experiences on tour, blow-by-blow details of his most famous victories (and most crushing defeats), and more than one hundred photos, Todd relates the story of his life, the history of his sport, and what it's like to be one of its biggest stars.
About the Author
Todd Richards continues to compete in and win the world's most prestigious snowboarding competitions and is currently producing his second trick-tips video. He makes frequent television appearances but is avoiding a commentator job for as long as possible -- at least until he lands a major role in a future Star Wars movie. He lives with his wife and son in Encinitas, California, and Breckenridge, Colorado.
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