Follow Steve on Instagram Steve Van Doren is the son of Vans co-founder Paul Van Doren. Paul, along with his brother, James, and partners Gordon Lee and Serge D’Elia, gave birth to the Van Doren Rubber Company in Anaheim. California on March 16, 1966. Having begun working for the family business at the ripe age …
Follow Tracker Trucks on Instagram Larry Balma and Dave Dominy conceived their idea for a real skateboard truck and precision bearings in 1973 while riding Cadillac wheels on the poorly performing roller skate trucks of the time period. By 1974, they’d had enough and set about designing their first truck with the mold maker Gary …
Follow Elissa on Instagram Born on July 31, 1975 in Fort Meyers, Florida, Elissa Steamer was the first pro female street skater and the first woman in the sport to have a starring role in a major video. Beyond the benchmarks, Elissa was really the first girl since the explosion of street skating to be …
Follow Duane on Instagram Born on June 12, 1961, Duane Peters (aka the Master of Disaster) is best known for being one of the first pros (along with Steve Olson) to introduce punk rock music and fashion to skateboarding. He is also credited with inventing a host of now staple tricks to the sport, including …
Follow James on Instagram Born in Long Beach, California, on August 7, 1945 (the day after the U.S. dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan) James O’Mahoney was responsible for creating the first true national skateboarding organization when he founded the U.S. Skateboard Association (USSA) in 1974. A few years later, he would also organize …
Follow Chris on Instagram Speed and style are the two biggest bullet points on the rap sheet of Chris Miller’s near three decades of professional skateboarding. Born in California in 1967, Chris honed his skills on the unforgiving concrete of the legendary Pipeline Skatepark in Upland, California before becoming the National Skateboard Association’s amateur series …
Find Robin on Social Media Robin Logan, the youngest sibling and fourth member of what has become known as the first family of skateboarding, joins her brothers, Skateboarding Hall of Fame 2009 inductee Bruce and 2015 SHoF inductee, Brian. Raised in Hermosa Beach, California, Robin joins SHoF inductees Wendy Bearer Bull, Laurie Turner Demott, Ellen …
Follow Brian on Facebook Brian Logan is the oldest sibling of the Logans, the most famous family in skateboarding history. In addition to being top contenders at any and all contests during the 1960s and ’70s, they were also well known for marketing their own brand of decks called Logan Earth Ski. Along with his …
Find Henry on Social Media Henry Hester, aka Bad H, started skateboarding in 1959 on a homemade board with steel wheels. Over the next four decades, he would go on to win multiple titles as world slalom champion, and become one of the fastest and best-known downhill racers of all time, in addition to founding …
Follow John on Instagram Simply one of the biggest and enduring legends of skateboarding, John Cardiel was born on December 14, 1973 in San Jose, California. He grew up in Half Moon Bay and later Grass Valley. Transcending multiple generations and beloved worldwide, his “All hail Cardiel!” folklore was built not on any technical innovation …
Find Cara-Beth on Social Media Cara-Beth Burnside is a pioneer of women’s professional skateboarding and snowboarding. Born on July 23, 1968 in Orange, California, Cara-Beth first began skateboarding around age 10 with her older brother, honing her skills at the legendary Big O Skatepark. From the early ’80s to the mid ’00s, she solidified herself …
Follow Neil on Instagram Neil Blender’s influence on skateboarding is so far and wide–in every realm and direction–that a short summary of his contributions is nearly impossible to undertake. If Jay Adams set the mold for the perennial bad boy, Blender was the creative yin to Adams’ aggressive yang. Born in 1963, Blender grew up …
