Shaun White took home his 20th X Games gold medal in L.A. last weekend. He also has two Olympic gold medals. His list of accomplishments within the snowboarding and skateboarding realm are extensive. One of the most recognized figures in extreme sports, White has accomplished all this by the age of 24. Born in San Diego, White proved he was a fighter from the get-go. He underwent two open-heart operations before the age of one due to a congenital heart defect he was born with.

White gets his hair color that brought on the nickname “The Flying Tomato” (which he doesn’t like to be called anymore) from his Irish American heritage.

His skateboarding career was helped along after Tony Hawk befriended him when he was only 9 years old. He turned pro at age 17. All the while, he was also focusing on his snowboarding career. He won gold medals for snowboarding at both the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympics.

You can catch Shaun White on the big screen in the new romantic comedy starring Justin Timberlake and Mile Kunis, “Friends with Benefits” that is in theaters now. White plays himself.

So, what do you guys think about Shaun White? Do you like his skater style and long hair? Hot…or not?

Photos: Andrew Evans / PR Photos

Cartoon Network’s 1st annual “Hall of Game” awards are airing Friday night on the network, and we have a few arrival snapshots of some of the athletes in attendance at the awards ceremony. Held at the Barker Hangers in Santa Monica, and hosted by skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, the awards will feature categories like “Alti-Dude” and “Dance Machine.” Nominees for the “Alti-Dude” award include extreme sports stars Travis Pastrana, Paul Rodriguez, Ryan Sheckler, and Shaun White. The nominees among the athletes who have the best celebratory dance skills are Jimmie Johnson, Terrell Owens, the South African Soccer Team, and Venus Williams (pictured above).  Watch the show on Friday night to see who else is nominated, who wins, and who else was in attendance. Pictured below is soccer stud Landon Donovan.

Photos: FayesVision/WENN.com

Pro skater Tony Hawk and his wife Lhotse Merriam announced they have filed for divorce after only five years of marriage. The couple, who have a two-year-old daughter together, released the following statement to UsMagazine, “We remain deeply committed and loving parents to our daughter, and out of respect for that responsibility we ask that people honor our family’s privacy during this important time of transition. Thank you for your understanding.”

Hawk’s first marriage back in the 1990′s only lasted three years, while his second marriage to Erin Lee lasted eight years. It looks like the third time wasn’t a charm in Hawk’s case.

Photo: Tommaso Boddi / PR Photos

Fun Facts About Ryan: According to the skaters website, he jumped on his first skateboard at 18 months and was able to do ollies (no-handed, aerial skateboarding trick) by the time he was just 4 years old! Noticing his passion for the sport, his parents installed a ramp in their backyard when he was 7 years old and he began skating every day.

In 2007, Ryan joined forces with MTV and starred in his own reality show titled, The Life of Ryan which ran until 2009.

In 2008, the Sheckler Foundation was founded to help the less fortunate, and also to donate to injured and recovering athletes. Ryan also put up his own Ranger Rover for auction last year to benefit the Children’s Cancer Research Fund, which raised almost $200,000 dollars.

In May 2009, Ryan entered the world of fashion and launched his own clothing line, RS, which is sold at J.C. Penney stores nationwide

Ryan will be celebrating the big birthday at Moon Nightclub at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas tonight! Happy Birthday Ryan!

Ryan Sheckler, the pro skateboarder and star of his own MTV reality show, is turning 21 on December 30th. He’s throwing a party at Moon Nightclub at the Palms in Las Vegas to celebrate the big day. One of his biggest sponsors, Red Bull, will be serving Red Bull featured cocktails, and other sponsors of the party include Ketel One, Bud Light, and Tequila 1519. The party will kick off at 11, and tickets for an all access pass that includes admission not only to Moon but to the Playboy Club and Ghostbar are going for only $23 online. The night before the biggest party night of the year must be a hard sell.

Pro skateboarder Ryan Sheckler created this short “Do You Flip?” spot for Flip cameras.

Don’t forget, you can get your own Queen of Sports Flip cam here, as well as lots of other goodies that would make great Christmas gifts for the Sports Queen in your life!

In the third part of the web series entitled “Chain of Adventure,” skateboarder Tony Hawk challenges adventure specialist Bear Grylls to skydive 13,000 feet from a helicopter with a skateboard attached to his feet and stick the landing. The series is part of a campaign for Degree For Men deodorant. You can watch an earlier episode featuring Mark Sanchez here.

Amare Stoudemire posted this picture of he and Shaun White on his Twitter, asking his followers, “What’s the height difference between my boy Shaun White and me?” He gave the first person to guess correctly on Twitter a signed copy of Shaun White’s new video game for Wii. The answer: More than a foot. The difference is 14 inches!

Skateboarding superstar Tony Hawk held his second fundraising event in Las Vegas over the weekend. The Tony Hawk Shred Presents: Las Vegas Stand Up For Skateparks 2010 took place at the Sunset Terrace at the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel and Casino and benefits the Tony Hawk Foundation.

Athletes and celebrities in attendance included former tennis pros (and husband and wife) Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf (pictured below), former Playboy model Holly Madison, Erik Estrada, snowboarder Shaun White (pictured above with Tony), NBA analyst Bill Walton and real estate developer Steve Wynn.

Photos: PR Photos

Many people don’t know that Matt Barnes, the newest badboy in basketball to join the Lakers, co-owns a clothing brand. Called Elusion, the brand started in 2001 as the idea of four freshmen at University of Toledo in Ohio. Three of the original four quit and left Danita Davis to design and head-up bringing the brand’s clothing to the streets. The brand expanded, and Matt Branes got involved after they designed and sent him some t-shirts for his charity golf tournament held in his hometown of Sacramento benefitting cancer awareness. He was impressed by the thought, and ended up throwing in some money to the up-and-coming brand. Now as a co-owner, Barnes promotes and models the brand.

The latest t-shirt added to the brand’s collection, in memory of Barnes’ move to L.A. is the “California Love” t-shirt Barnes is pictured in above with boxer Sugar Ray Leonard and skater Ryan Sheckler. The brand not only designs and sells t-shirts, but a pretty cool messenger bag for men, sweatshirts, sweatpants, crewnecks.

Photo: ElusionClothing.com