Follow Colleen on Social Media Colleen Boyd was among the most prominent female skaters of the 1960s, forming the first-ever all-girls team—La Femme Skateboard Team of Pacific Palisades—with Suzie Rowland and Donna Cash. In her first contest at the 1965 International Skateboard Championships in Anaheim, Colleen won first place in the Flatland Slalom and second …
Find Mike on Social Media Mike Vallely is one of the most influential street skaters to have emerged in the mid-1980s. Born June 29, 1970 in Edison, New Jersey, Mike started skating in ’84, citing a desire to hang with the local punks. Further inspo came by way of the September 1984 issue of Thrasher …
Find Steve on Social Media Any beginner who tail drops in on vertical owes a big thanks to Steve Cathey, who invented that most basic and necessary of skate moves way back in 1977. (Around the same time, he also pioneered spinning 360s on two boards on flat ground.) In the realm of equipment, Steve …
Follow John on Facebook Widely known as the top downhill racer of the 1970s, John Hutson won 11 out of 14 races in 1978 alone, taking second place in two, and third in the other! John was also famous for the Hut Tuck, a stance he employed to achieve maximum velocity during downhill runs that …
One of the biggest names in slalom racing in the 1970s, Bobby Piercy pioneered the ultra quick parallel stance, which helped him wiggle at light speed through a tighter course of cones than everyone else. Just as adept at barging bowls and long jumping over Playboy Bunnies, Bobby rocked both print and film media with …
Whenever the history of skateboarding is discussed, filmed or written about, the name Skitch Hitchcock is almost always criminally overlooked. His main claim to fame is popularizing the gorilla grip, which was a method of catching air on flat ground or launch ramps (by gripping the nose and tail of the deck with the toes …
Follow Denis on Facebook Back in the mid-1970s, Denis Shufeldt was a legendary speed demon, being the first to develop high-speed fairing postures for downhill. He was also known for inventing the shufly christie, which is a one-footed squat turn with the front leg extended forward. “Words like positive, direct, intelligent, responsible. well-spoken, soulful and …
A shoeless Samoan with hamburger feet, Chris Yandall was one of the top pro slalom racers of the mid-1970s. Right after graduating from high school in Michigan, Chris started skateboarding and moved to Pacific Beach, San Diego, California, where he became the manager of PB Surf Shop. By 1974, Chris could lay claim to two …
