Shaun Palmer always the Joker

Shaun (Mini Shred) Palmer turned 40 years old this month. I’ve known Shaun for over 25 years now and would have to say he’s the same little stinker that I met 25 years ago at Lake view sports, except he could now beat the crap out of me….not saying he would, but I’m just saying. The nick name Mini Shred was given him way back in the reign of Terry Kidwell, Bob Klein, and Damian Sanders. I recall hooking him up one year on our Snowboard team, this is at a time when he rode for Sessions officially and for us on the sly. That year he got a cover shot wearing the Shoreline team wear in International Snowboard Magazine (ISM). He later asked for some long underwear because he was cold…..I was such a jerk back then that I said “NO, no one will know what underwear you have on, only the logo wear counts”….As I look back at that encounter it says much about the Sponsorship athlete relationship, it can be an evil one if you forget the human aspect as I did. Now I remember back then I was 26 year old a drug infested self centered ego maniac, it would be four more years until I kicked the drugs and alcohol. Life is a trip, in my case it wasn’t until I encountered the power of god did I learn what true love was. The Corporate attitude to treat athletes like a disposable commodity is nothing new. When you’re young, you feel so invincible that you think you’ll some how be the guy still ripping when your 40…. The carnage of young extreme athletes is huge! The years of productivity for a Skater or Snowboarder is at best 10 years, and for most is much less, Tony Hawk & Shaun Palmer are freaks…not the norm. So if you plan on making it in the extreme sports pay attention, get clear contracts from your sponsors, and save your money because your career may be short lived.