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Thank you Jeff, words cannot describe how much we will miss you. Im an aged skateboarder and I still shred responsibly. He was the gatekeeper to why skateboarding was cool, said skateboarding legend Tony Hawk. Gabriel Rodriguez, a legendary skateboarder from the Los Angeles area, passed away over the weekend according to Skate Newswire. He didnt have a long pro career, flaming out at the end of the 1980s, hardly spanning the decade. He reminded so many skaters of why they took up the sport. A primer on the skateboarding legend, Tony Hawk shares his memories of fellow skateboarding legend Jeff Grosso, High school baseball and softball: Fridays scores, With Marcus Morris sidelined, Clippers look to stabilize lineup and rotations, With their playoff lives at stake, Darvin Ham challenges Lakers effort and urgency, Lakers playoff hopes take another hit after comeback fades vs. Minnesota. His short-lived pro career wasnt the only cause for his struggles Its not any one thing, its the addiction thats the problem his mother said but it robbed him of the most central element to his identity. Its ever-increasing popularity is pulling the fundamentally subversive sport into the mainstream. The "original seed" of skateboarding, concrete- and bowl-riding pioneer Jay Adams died of a heart attack late Thursday . Skating is sort of a martial art, Nichols said, in the sense that style matters almost as much as anything else.. Without him and the Tony Hawk Pro skater series skateboarding wouldnt be where it is today. By his late 20s, it seemed like his life had bottomed out. It was his playfully devious personality, though, that gave him a cult following. You cant f--- with that. Richie Jackson is always entertaining to watch, and his skating never disappoints. The more Grosso shared about his personal life, the more he opined on the state of skateboarding too. "This was right about the time he started taking on the Parks Department. His death was ruled an accident. While by todays standards his skating seems pretty basic, The Gonz was the guy that started it all and all street skaters, the world over, owe him a debt of gratitude. He has over 18 video game titles, countless movie and TV appearances, started YouTubes RIDE channel, and built skateparks all over the world. Grosso was the guy you could actually aspire to be like, said Coan Buddy Nichols, a childhood fan of Grossos who was later a producer of the Loveletters series. Grosso woke up one morning in the mid 90s and walked to a mirror. He is considered the best freestyle skater in the world, but he is very humble in interviews. Life was never easy for me. Here's everything we know, The paths of KD and Kyrie: How one month changed three franchises and two superstar legacies, From bubble struggles to NCAA seed improvement, why these final weekend games matter, Foden's return to form helps mask De Bruyne's troubles, Nelson sends Arsenal into euphoria with last-gasp winner over Bournemouth. "The Birdman" is one of the best skateboarders of all time. Significantly, when such West Coast luminaries came East, it was Mr. Kessler they sought out, Mr. Friedman said. We were a bunch of nerds, we were weirdos, we were social outcasts, Grosso said in a 2015 episode of his Loveletters series. At first, she was intimidated by his booming voice and larger-than-life presence, but over the years, he became one of her closest mentors. Jeff enjoyed that rebel spirit. Even though Grossos generation revived skateboardings popularity, skate parks and vert ramps were still rare in most parts of the country. Elissa is the first female to attain the status of Pro Skateboarder, but her skating speaks more than that achievement. They particularly liked to skate around the band shell in Central Park, and in the winter would shovel out swimming pools in Brooklyn. Huge in the sense that he is very muscular and huge in the sense that he won and placed in many vert contests throughout the 90s and early 2000s. A . In one particularly memorable video, Grosso shaved off his eyebrows before describing the life of a professional skateboarder: Lounge around all day, do absolutely nothing, until its time to ride your wooden toy., Later in life, Grosso admitted there were signs of trouble brewing behind that facade. One of the last times we spoke, we talked about how ridiculous it is that we still get to do this for a living and that anyone even cares what we do or think in terms of skateboarding at our age. Jeff Grosso died last year of an accidental drug overdose. Stacy deserves to be in the top five because without him, skateboarding history would probably have taken a different direction. Flawed. As an urban sport, skateboarders developed a unique and specific list of words and slang that can be heard in the streets or out in the skatepark.. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the biggest public remembrance of Grosso occurred in a video call that was organized by Vans between some of the sports leading voices on Grossos birthday last April. Like any good parent, Williams tried to get her son to think about his future as he went through grade school. He picked contrarian arguments during conversations simply to spark a debate. Humeres agrees. His career has spanned over 30 years. But also make sure you do right by yourself.. Skateboarders started an online petition, which drew 7,500 signatures, asking the International Olympic Committee to reverse its decision and remove the sport from its lineup. Jack Harris covers the Dodgers for the Los Angeles Times. Along with the rest of the Z-Boys, Adams was the subject of a 2005 movie written by Peralta calledLords of Dogtown. Whether you liked his opinions or not, he was real. Here on Strictly Skateboarding we produce quality Skateboarding videos of Skaters from all around the World. Jeff and I had a similar trajectory, in that we both fell in love with skating when it was absolutely at its least popular cycle, said Hawk, one of the defining skateboarders of the late 1980s. He found steady work laying hardwood floors. I just really look forward to doing it in person with our friends, said Nieratko, who moderated the virtual call. We just need to hug it out and cry it out.. Koston also has a personality that lends its self well to his video parts and interviews. He tried to find ways to escape it. Our hearts go out to his family and many friends. But culturally, his stature was nearly unmatched. called it a new medical menace. Cities across the country banned the activity on public sidewalks and streets. ", " type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385">, Morant to miss two games after video with gun, QB Young 5-10 1/8, 204 pounds at NFL combine, Horns' Robinson: Versatility worthy of early pick, Edey leads Wooden finalists; Bama's Miller off list, Chase Elliott out indefinitely after tibia surgery, Jays' Guerrero to miss WBC with inflamed knee, Sources: Patriots tell QB Hoyer he's being cut, Ledecky sees 9-year win streak in U.S. snapped, Inside the long-awaited return of Jon Jones and his quest for heavyweight glory, The future of the NFL combine: Is there really a chance it could end forever? It wasnt an easy process. "I met Andy skateboarding in Washington Square Park in 1985, when there were maybe 40 skaters total in New York," says Joe Humeres, owner of Bodega Skateboards. Thats how it was. He would do double flips, 360s, nollies, and flip tricks in and out of manuals and grinds and slides. "He battles hardships for 15 years, gets through things that would kill normal people, and he dies from a bee sting? In the Instagram video posted to Grossos account on March 30 of last year, the father and his then 8-year-old son danced to the slow, raspy tunes Oliver swinging his arms and shaking his hips, Grosso laughing as he twisted to the rhythm behind him. He told of the times when he tried to take his life. Stacy Peralta made a huge impact on the skateboarding industry and was only 19 when he became the worlds number one. Worse than that, many skaters felt as though their whole lifestyle had been discarded. Skateboarding is kind of like dance, she said. When youre lost in heroin, and you havent reached any sort of bottom, you just cant see out of it, Grosso said in 2003. He's definitely going to be missed; he's had an impact on a lot of people," says Vander. https://t.co/5cWE2nEyGd pic.twitter.com/hrlPpOzkeY. He epitomizes the generation of street skaters that fly over huge stair sets, massive drops and gaps, crazy long handrails, flipping in and out of ledges, and are technically proficient at flat ground. He had a 5-hour practice session each day, where he went through his trick list every day to land them all consistently before moving on to learning new tricks. If you want to talk sports, hit me up on Twitter. A stubborn and expressive freckle-faced kid born in Glendale in 1968, he felt like an outcast from a young age. Fentanyl, which is often present in counterfeit pills, has become one of the leading culprits in drug-caused deaths over the last five years in the Los Angeles area and other parts of the country. Tony has won over 70 contests, more contests than any other skateboarder in history. Suddenly, it was no longer cool to be a vert star such as Grosso or Hawk. SkateboardersHQ is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Malto has done well in SLS contest, and Battle at the Berrics, and his video parts are fantastic. I was basically just a selfish asshole for many, many years. Most people that know me know this bulls--- about me anyways, he said. Stevie deserves a spot on every top list. Mike V is know for old school street tricks such as hand plants, foot plants, street grabs, and fast plants to get over obstacles. Vans. Its a toy for children, and kids are always the equalizing factor. So once the culture deems you the hero, its just waiting to rebel against you.. As an Amazon, Avantlink. Scenes in skating videos featuring their old aerial tricks were skipped over so often that fast-forwarding became known as the vert button on the remote. He was a guardian and a helping hand to skateboardings newest generation. Heres a primer on what made him a skateboarding legend. Tony Hawk, the most influential skateboarder in America since Adams, noted how important the Venice native was to his career: Legendary X Games skater Andy MacDonald just had a simple, elegant message for Adams on Twitter: Adams was one of the founding members of the Z-Boys skating group from the 1970s that helped revolutionize skating, incorporating many strategies that are still in place today, including a surfer mentality on the cement. Talk about skateboard legends, this dude saw his destiny. Growing up, his parents owned a skatepark, which is where he spent most of his time. Mr. Kessler was an early New York hero of skateboarding, a sport that probably began in California after World War II, when surfers looked for something to do when the waves were flat. ), is a half-Japanese exchange student who has just returned from Canada to Okinawa, where his mother grew up. Plus, he has built an empire from his skateboarding career; starting DGK, shoe designs and collaborations with clothing and accessory companies. Sitcom legend Ruth Madoc made an appearance in Beyond ParadiseCredit: BBC Kris Marshall's Humphrey was investigating a vanishing familyCredit: . Ozro Lee, a 50-year-old, was reported to have been acting strangely and then got into a fight with a younger man who "quickly stood up and struck Lee in the head with his skateboard in what witnesses described as an act of self-defense," according to WLS-TV.. Lee was taken to the Orange County Global Medical Center, but succumbed to the blow and was pronounced dead on arrival. Its one of the reasons I was attracted to skateboarding in the first place.. Sluggo is a huge Canadian Skater and one of the first riders of Real Skateboards. Improvements to the board and wheels gave birth to more ambitious vertical skating, a style defined by gravity-defying aerial tricks off half-pipes and vertical ramps. When you watch any clip, or video part of his, you know that he views the world, and skateboarding differently than anyone. Born Jeffrey Blaine Grosso on April 28, 1968, in Glendale, he talked openly about depression and addiction, including to pain pills after multiple surgeries following skateboarding accidents and heroin. He has done very well in competitive skateboarding and each video part he puts out is better than the last. The timing was perfect for Grosso, who blossomed into a top amateur before dropping out of high school to turn pro in 1986. He was falsely portrayed as some kind of villain in the documentary All This Mayhem, but just a bit of research shows that the documentarys narrative was nonsense. I don't know who I'm going to call now and talk s--- to two or three days out of the week.". We're told Adams was there with his wife and the 2 were on a long surfing holiday. Skateboarding really broke into the mainstream in this country thanks to innovations like the X Games and Hawk being a crossover star with his video game series, but Adams' influence remains over the sport today. Jay Adams, one of the pioneers of skateboarding, has died of a heart attack at the age of 53, according to former Z-Boys member Stacy Peralta on Instagram. Thats a classic thing in skating, to mix the athleticism with real life.. Thats what drew us to skateboarding.. Seth Affoumado, who skated with Mr. Kessler when almost nobody else was pursuing the sport, said in an interview on Wednesday that Mr. Kessler was the catalyst for skateboarding in New York City., Glen E. Friedman, a photographer who has extensively covered skateboarding, said, He pursued making it something important in New York City.. Alessandro Renesis Published on 3rd Jan 2023. Were old, and its not our world anymore. Andy Kessler, above, was the force behind the creation of a skateboarding park in Riverside Park. But at 10:15 a.m. on March 31, Grosso was pronounced dead at the age of 51. Even though he always looked up to the rest of the team members, Lance was one of the more popular riders because his skating was so relatable to many skateboarders. Half-pipes and vertical ramps became so rare that the entire discipline was in danger of extinction.