BURKE STOMPS THE ESPYs: Canadian takes home Best Female Action Sports Athlete
Sarah Burke never thought she would get the chance to rub elbows, or maybe shoulder-to-hip, with the likes of LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Wayne Gretzky and Maria Sharapova. She far surpassed that last Wednesday—not only attending—but winning ESPN’s 2007 ESPY Award for Best Female Action Sports Athlete.
Thinking of Burke as a guppy in the ocean may bring you back to 2001 when the unknown Canadian boosted onto the freeskiing scene in a huge way, winning ESPN Action Sports and Music Awards’ Female Skier of the Year. Since then, she’s turned the tables and is undoubtedly one of—if not the—biggest fish in the women’s freeskiing pond. Last winter was arguably her best. She claimed her first Winter X Games gold medal in women’s halfpipe, took first again in the Nippon Open for slopestyle, and ended the season at the Whistler Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival by notching first in the halfpipe and second in slopestyle.
“I knew it was a big event, but it was way bigger than I ever thought possible,” Burke says of the two-day gala held at Hollywood’s Kodak Theater, which included multiple parties, limo rides and hours of preparation. “When I got the invitation I thought, ‘Gosh, what an honor just to be invited as a guest.’”
As one of the more humble athletes in freeskiing, Burke’s still shocked about the win. “I really thought that Layne (Beachley, pro surfer) or Torah (Bright, snowboarder) had the advantage because surfing and snowboarding are so much more popular,” Burke says. “Then when I won I couldn’t believe it—for both skiing and being Canadian. I was amazed.”
Burke hasn’t skipped a beat to celebrate. She’s currently in Whistler coaching and training and letting her ESPY experience sink in. She was as star-struck as anyone would be hob-knobbing with the best professional athletes in the world. “You knew who everyone was without actually knowing them,” she says. Burke brought along Rory Bushfield and spent most of her time with Bright, soaking in the massive mayhem between her hair, makeup and dress-picking sessions.
For the upcoming season, Burke hopes to use her knew recognition to her advantage for both women and skiing. She’s already one of the biggest advocates for women’s skiing and this award has only given her more fuel for the cause. Along with competing, Burke plans to do more park filming than she was able to do last season. She films with MSP and is also starring in an all-female flick, produced by her ski and clothing sponsor Roxy, titled “Labor of Love,” which is now in the editing process.
With the way things are going for Burke, she may have to get used to being recognized as one of the best athletes in the world. But that still won’t change her thoughts about her recent success. “I went from being in the same room with the best of the best to getting the same award as them…I’m blown away."