Steve Cathey – 2021

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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 was no less innovative, debuting the first skateboard wheel with rounded edges (the G&S Yo-Yo) and the first side-cut board (the G&S Sidecut). Born in La Jolla, California on August 17, 1959, Steve had tried out for Pop Warner football by 1970 and got worked by the bigger players, so he quit and started skateboarding, At the time, his sister Cherie was married to a competitive surfer, who gave Steve his first skateboard, a Hobie Super Surfer with clay wheels. Turning pro in 1976 at age 17, Steve was sponsored by G&S, Yo-Yo, and ACS, mainly shredding street, freestyle, parks, pipes and pools.
In 1975, Steve won the freestyle division at the Ventura California State Championship; in freestyle again (tied with Russ Howell) in the World Masters Championship the following year, as well as the doubles event in 1977 at Spring Valley with Layne Oaks. In September 1978, Steve scored an interview in Skateboarder, along with numerous ads for G&S, YoYo and ACS. Aside from mags, photos of Steve have appeared on t-shirts, apparel, skate park logos, billboards, and Vans and Mc Donald’s in-store displays. Likewise, Steve has appeared in many surf and skate movies and documentaries, as well as Pepsi and 7-Up commercials.
Steve lists his career highlights as being on the G&S team, having Dave McIntyre as their team manager, doing demos throughout the USA, Canada, Europe and Japan, transitioning from freestyle to vertical, having a signature board, creating Yo-Yo wheels and being the resident pro at Moving On and Spring Valley skateparks. In addition, Steve enjoyed becoming the G&S team manager himself, and wasted no time putting together a solid squad of such ’80s legends as Billy Ruff, Neil Blender, Chris Miller, Gator, Micke Alba and Jim Gray. Steve was so adept in this role that in 1980, he was awarded Team Manager of the Year. Today, Steve is a mortgage banker with Wells Fargo’s Builder Division. Aside from skateboarding, Steve enjoys surfing in California, Mexico and Hawaii, snowboarding, playing golf and spending time with his beautiful wife, Sharona.