TWO-SPORT STAR READY FOR LAUNCH PRO SNOWBOARDER WHITE EYES SKATEBOARD VERT TITLE.

Byline: Ross Siler Staff Writer

These are the stories only Shaun White can tell. The stories that come with being one of the best snowboarders and one of the best skateboarders on the planet and still being nearly a month away from your 17th birthday in September.

This one starts in a car dealership, with the 5-foot-8 White and his mess of red hair asking to take a test drive. He doesn't even have a real California license yet, just the temporary piece of paper the DMV handed him the other day.

``They're just looking at me,'' White said, ``and they're like, `Hey, Billy, you want to take this one?' ''

What the dealership manager doesn't know is that, at the ripe old age of 14, White bought his own house on the beach in Carlsbad. Or that he's widely regarded as the freckle-faced future of action sports in the United States.

``So I get in the car,'' White continued, ``and (the salesman's) like, `Yeah, you know, we can open it up. I'm an ex-race car driver.' ''

You ask what kind of car White wanted? A Lexus IS 300. And White might have been the first customer ever to ``rail'' the corners on his test drive.

``I don't think I hit the sharp ones at 80 (mph),'' White said. ``I did hit one at around 80. And my mom just flipped out. And my dad's just gripping the sides in the back.''

That's the story of how Shaun White bought his first car, the one that will be his ride to class at Carlsbad High this fall. But before his summer vacation ends, White also has a shot at making history at this week's X Games.

After winning two snowboarding gold medals at this year's Winter X Games, White took the unprecedented step of turning pro in skateboarding this summer. Then he stunned the skating community in May by placing fourth at his first event, the Slam City Jam in Vancouver, British Columbia.

That qualified White for a spot in the X Games Vert competition. And when he skates Friday night at Staples Center, White will be bidding to become the first athlete to win medals in the Winter and Summer X Games in the same year.

``I've got a good feeling that if I can do the run I want to do, I've got a good chance (of winning),'' said White, who has skated in only three pro events. ``But I don't know. It's going to be really weird.''

Should White win Vert, it undoubtedly would represent a high point in the nine-year history of ESPN's annual action-sports competition.

But even without winning gold, a strong showing by White could push the rising high school junior into the realm of mainstream name recognition enjoyed only by legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk, a friend of White's.

``I'm just kind of going with what I want to do,'' White said. ``I'm not trying to be the next Tony Hawk or anything.''

The best indicator of the hopes pinned on White comes from the man who travels with him to most events and appearances. In addition to his mother, White usually is joined by Mark Ervin, who represents him for IMG, the world's biggest sports agency.

From skating at the Encinitas YMCA as a kid, White now is the first athlete to join IMG's new action-sports division.

His parents once had to take out a $50,000 mortgage to pay for his snowboarding. Today their son is being touted as a two-sport international star.

White has wowed the skateboarding world. He has an arsenal of tricks (specifically a stalefish frontside 540 that took Hawk years to master) that rival any rider in the country.

``I don't even think he knows the names of half the tricks he does,'' fellow Carlsbad pro Buster Halterman said.

White, however, chose to focus on snowboarding from an early age, skating only during his time off in the summer. He followed his older brother Jesse (now his snowboard team manager) into both sports and turned pro in snowboarding after winning a national amateur title at age 13.

White since has four Winter X Games medals to his credit and narrowly missed qualifying for the Salt Lake City Olympics. But he began toying with a new idea after joining Hawk's annual summer skateboard tour for a couple of dates in 2001 and 2002.

In need of a new challenge, White decided to turn pro in skateboarding this summer. No one questioned the decision.

``He's one of the few young people to come into Vert recently and get people excited,'' Halterman said. ``Plus, he's got that persona from snowboarding. Instantly, he's got all that attention.''

As for missing out on life as a teenager, White said he doesn't mind. He takes classes through an independent study program and stops by to see his teacher at Carlsbad whenever he's home. But that could be less and less in the future. White has been featured in Sports Illustrated this summer, has turned down numerous talk-show appearances and won an ESPY Award for Best Action Sports Athlete last month.

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SHAUN WHITE