STANDARDS

CCSS: 7.G.B, 7.NS.A.2, MP1, MP6, MP8

TEKS: 7.11C, 6.3E

Snowboarding Superstar

Since she won her first gold at age 14, Chloe Kim has continued to smash records

Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

Chloe Kim became a household name after winning a gold medal at the 2018 Olympics held in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Her epic final half-pipe run was nearly perfect. She received a jaw-dropping score of 98.25 points out of 100. Her score was 10 points ahead of her nearest rival. The win made her the youngest Olympic half-pipe gold medalist at just 17 years old. “I don’t really care much about the score, I just wanted to do the best I could,” Kim said after the event.

This wasn’t her first big win. In 2015, Kim won her first gold at the X Games at age 14, making her the youngest gold medalist in the history of the X Games. Since then she has continued to bring home a slew of gold medals from other competitions. Kim was also the first female snowboarder to land back-to-back 1080s at the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix in 2016. In a 1080, the athlete makes three full rotations while in the air.

In 2018, snowboarder Chloe Kim won a gold medal at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Her final run on the U-shaped half-pipe was nearly perfect. She received a jaw-dropping score of 98.25 points out of 100. That put her 10 points ahead of her closest competitor. At 17, Kim was the youngest ever Olympic half-pipe gold medalist. “I don’t really care much about the score,” she said after the event. “I just wanted to do the best I could.”

This wasn’t her first big win. In 2015, when she was 14, Kim won gold at the X Games. That made her the youngest gold medalist in the competition’s history. Since then, she has brought home gold medals from many other competitions. In 2016, Kim participated in the U.S. Snowboarding Grand Prix. She became the first female snowboarder to land back-to-back 1080s. In a 1080, the athlete makes three full rotations while in the air.

Marianna Massey/Getty Images

Kim with her gold medal at the 2018 Olympics

Kim’s dad introduced her to snowboarding when she was 4 years old. She’s had her eyes on the Olympics since she started competing. So when she had the opportunity to go in 2018, Kim knew she had to give it her all. “I always want to push myself and see what I can do. I love surprising myself and other people, so I think [snowboarding is] a perfect fit,”
she says.

Kim says that the support of her family is key to her success. Her parents emigrated to the U.S. from South Korea in the 1980s. She speaks Korean fluently and visits family there every year. “Thinking about how hard I’ve worked and all the sacrifices my family has made to get me to this point really drives me,” she says.

Next up for Kim is the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China, when she’ll be 21 years old. “I love snowboarding so much,” Kim says.
“I don’t know what I’d do without it.”

Kim has been snowboarding since she was 4 years old. She always hoped to compete in the Olympics. So when she got the chance in 2018, she knew she had to give it her all. “I always want to push myself and see what I can do,” she says. “I love surprising myself and other people, so I think [snowboarding is] a perfect fit.”

Kim says her family’s support is what helps her succeed. Her parents came to the U.S. from South Korea in the 1980s. Kim speaks Korean fluently and visits family there every year. “Thinking about how hard I’ve worked and all the sacrifices my family has made to get me to this point really drives me,” she says.

Kim’s next stop is the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing, China. She’ll be 21 years old when she competes. “I love snowboarding so much,” says Kim. “I don’t know what I’d do without it.”

Calculate the number of rotations and degrees in the snowboarding tricks in the following questions. Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.

Calculate the number of rotations and degrees in the snowboarding tricks in the following questions. Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.

What is the name of the trick that completes 2 full rotations?

What is the name of the trick that completes 2 full rotations?

How many rotations—partial and full—are in a 900?

How many rotations—partial and full—are in a 900?

If a snowboarder tries to do a 360 but makes it only  3/4 of the way around, how many degrees would that be?

If a snowboarder tries to do a 360 but makes it only 3/4 of the way around, how many degrees would that be?

In her gold medal run, Kim performed a McTwist, which is a full front flip combined with one-and-a-half rotations. How many total degrees of flips and rotations are in a McTwist?

In her gold medal run, Kim performed a McTwist, which is a full front flip combined with one-and-a-half rotations. How many total degrees of flips and rotations are in a McTwist?

In 2016, Kim became the first woman to land back-to-back 1080s. How many rotations did she complete in all?

In 2016, Kim became the first woman to land back-to-back 1080s. How many rotations did she complete in all?

If you wanted to perform a snowboarding trick with combined rotations and flips totaling 1260°, what combination of flips and rotations would you choose to perform?

If you wanted to perform a snowboarding trick with combined rotations and flips totaling 1260°, what combination of flips and rotations would you choose to perform?

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