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Born in Santa Monica, California in 1957, Tony Alva developed a passion at a young age for surfing, skateboarding and rock ’n’ roll. In 1972, along with Jay Adams and Stacy Peralta, he joined the legendary Z-Boys skateboard team. Alva later went on to win the Men’s World Overall Championships in 1977. In the 1980s, Tony formed the infamous Alva Posse and sponsored such innovative skaters as Christian Hosoi, Ray Barbee, Mark Gonzales, Dave Duncan, Eddie Reategui, Chris Cook, John Thomas, Jeff Hartsel, Craig Johnson, John Gibson, Bill Danforth, Fred Smith III, and Jim Murphy. In 1999, Tony was presented the X Games Lifetime Achievement Award from Tony Hawk, and in 2000, he received a Legend Award from TransWorld Skateboarding magazine.
In 2002, Alva was featured in the award-winning documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys, and in 2005 was an authenticity consultant and stunt coordinator on the feature film, Lords of Dogtown, based on his life with the Z-Boys. The first skateboarder to successfully market himself as a brand name, Tony Alva continues to own and operate the innovative Alva skateboard company. Considered one of the originators of vertical skateboarding, Alva continues to develop new technology for the sport he loves. Staying true to his roots, Tony Alva surfs and skates pools almost every day. “Today, Tony still sneaks into unsuspecting people’s backyards to taste the illicit thrill of riding an empty pool,” commented his lifelong friend, Stacy Peralta.