Shredding snowboarder

This corrects an earlier version of the story.

Sammy Swanson was only 4 years old when he first saw a snowboarding video at a friend’s house, but even then the Costa Mesa boy was hooked.

“I said that I really wanted a snowboard for Christmas,” he said. “Then I got one and went up to Big Bear to try it out.”

After a few days, he was able to steady himself on the board and ride on beginner slopes.

Five years later, 9-year-old Sammy competes in national tournaments with other kids his age — from locations with a lot more snow than Southern California. Graduating from his wobbly trips down beginner’s trails, Sammy now runs the gamut of snowboarding experiences: slopestyle, the half pipe and slaloms.

Most recently, Sammy packed his bags and took his family — his dad, Casey, mom, Katrina Foley (a.k.a. City Councilwoman Katrina Foley), and younger brother, Ben — to the USA Snowboard Assn.’s national tournament at Copper Mountain in Colorado, where he placed 10th overall out of a group of 50 other 8- and 9-year-olds.

Sammy’s favorite way to wow the crowds on the slope?

A frontside 360, which takes the young athlete on a full, mid-air rotation off of jumps as high as 40 feet.

Obviously, that perilous trick doesn’t exactly thrill his mom. Sammy, though, sounds like a seasoned pro when he recalls wiping out and landing on his back after a 15-foot fall.

“It is a little nerve-wracking to see your small son flying through the air and just praying that they land safely,” Katrina said. “But at the same time, it’s been really great for our family; a way for all of us to do an activity together.

“It’s also been really good for Sam, teaching him about discipline and respect for others.”

She jokes that if Sammy had his way, he’d be home schooled on a mountain somewhere in the Colorado Rockies, squeezing every free moment he had on the slopes.

If Sammy keeps it up, he may very well have his wish.

Already the recipient of sponsorships, Sammy says he hopes to someday make a profession out of his craft.

But, he said, it’s no big deal if the plans don’t work out.

“It’s just fun — if there wasn’t any competition or sponsors to do it for, I would still snowboard just for the fun of it,” he said.

CHRIS CAESAR may be reached at (714) 966-4626 or at [email protected].