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Allen Losi was born in 1965 in Sylmar, California. He grew up in Rialto, riding motorcycles and playing all sports. At age 8, his best friend got a Black Knight skateboard that they both loved. Although his friend died of leukemia the next year, Allen has continued skating ever since. His first sponsors were Skater Crater skatepark in San Bernardino and then the Rancho Mediterranea skatepark in Colton. His family later started Variflex Skateboards, allowing Allen to grow up with team mates Eddie Elguera, Eric Grisham, and Freddie de Soto as mentors, traveling near and far with some of the best skaters in the world. With those innovators around, it’s no surprise that Allen was known as one of the early technical skaters. But, as he grew, he became one of the first truly powerful vertical skateboarders.
From an early age, Allen was living the contest life, so as the first group of big brother types moved on from skateboarding, there were still people watching out for him, and he always felt like skateboarding really raised him. When the skateparks close to his hometown started to close in the early 1980s, Allen moved to North County San Diego to skate at Del Mar Skate Ranch. There, he was in good company with other skaters who hadn’t given up on skateboarding, and a small but vibrant scene developed—one that lasted through the ’80s, when the contests were held all over the country. Allen was enjoying the best sessions of his life, both at home and wherever travel took the crew.
In 1991, Allen suffered a fractured wrist in Germany, and never regained his full skateboarding strength. Twenty years later, and after significant painful battles with a mystery affliction that often left him unable to move for long periods, Allen was diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome. Little is known about CRPS, and there is no cure at this time. However, there have been some minor treatment developments that help control the bouts of crippling pain, and Allen gets to employ these when life allows. Although he’s still holding out hope that he’ll get back on his skateboard at some point, he has been playing guitar in a couple bands to keep busy. Check out One Less Zero and One Fight, and be sure to check out more about CRPS and see how you can help Allen at http://www.helplosi.com
