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Gonz
Mark Gonzales (born June 1, 1968), also known as "Gonz" and "The Gonz", is an American professional skateboarder and artist. He is known as the godfather of modern street skateboarding and was named the "Most Influential Skateboarder of All Time" by the Transworld Skateboarding magazine in December 2011. Early life Gonzales was born and raised in South Gate, California, United States, and is of Mexican descent. Professional skateboarding Gonzales entered the skateboarding scene at the age of thirteen in South Gate, California, U.S. At the age of fifteen, as Tommy Guerrero and Natas Kaupas were developing their own styles of progressive street skating around the same time, Gonzales adopted a more modern, innovative approach to skateboarding in a street context (subsequently dubbed "street skateboarding"). He was featured on the cover of '' Thrasher'' magazine's November 1984 issue riding a board from the Alva company, his board sponsor at the time, while performing a tri ...
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Blind (company)
Blind (stylized as bLind) is a skateboard company founded by Mark Gonzales in 1988 under Steve Rocco's World Industries distribution company. Gonzales has since left the company and today the company continues under the ownership of Dwindle Distribution. The company produces decks, wheels, soft goods and accessories. The company's logo for many years was a stylized grim reaper. History 1989–1993: Formation, ''Video Days'', Gonzales departs The name "Blind" was devised as an intentional slight to Gonzales's former sponsor, Vision Skateboards.''16 THINGS: GONZ (16 Things You Didn’t Know About Mark Gonzales)''
by Kevin Craft (

Deluxe Distribution
Deluxe Distribution is an Ermico Enterprises, Inc-owned subsidiary founded in 1986 with limited partner Brian Ware in San Francisco. Deluxe was formed to distribute the Beware Record label, and other small record labels popular with skateboarders, along with Thunder Trucks and Supercush Bushings. Deluxe distributes six skateboard brands and owns DLXSF, a retail outlet. Brands Spitfire Spitfire is a wheel company that was founded in 1987. The company released a video, entitled ''Spitfire'', in 1993. The company also produces skateboard bearings, skateboard tools, griptape, and soft goods (e.g. T-shirts, gloves, caps), stickers, and accessories (e.g. bags, wallets, air freshener). As of fall/autumn 2012, notable team-riders from the company's roster include Bryan Herman, Andy Roy, Peter Hewitt, Theotis Beasley, Peter Ramondetta, Erik Ellington, Dennis Busenitz, Andrew Reynolds, Sean Malto, Brian "Slash" Hansen, Trevor Colden, Grant Taylor, Dylan Rieder, Chris Pfanner, Vincen ...
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Video Days
''Video Days'' is a skateboarding video by Blind (company), Blind Skateboards released in 1991. It is considered one of the most influential skate videos, as director Spike Jonze's format is frequently cited as its definitive filming template. ''Video Days'' is the first movie/video directed by Spike Jonze and stars Mark Gonzales, Rudy Johnson, Jason Lee (entertainer), Jason Lee, Guy Mariano and Jordan Richter. Legendary professional skateboarder Danny Way was briefly on Blind Skateboards from 1990–1991 and shot some footage for ''Video Days''. However, he soon quit Blind, returning to his original team H-Street Skateboards and his footage for ''Video Days'' was omitted. A brief shot of Way can be seen during Mark Gonzales' part in this video. Synopsis The film starts off with footage of all 5 skaters driving around in a Blue Oldsmobile 98, Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency accompanied to the song "Low Rider" by War (U.S. band), War; this car becomes the central theme for the vid ...
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Mexicans
Mexicans ( es, mexicanos) are the citizens of the United Mexican States. The most spoken language by Mexicans is Spanish language, Spanish, but some may also speak languages from 68 different Languages of Mexico, Indigenous linguistic groups and other languages brought to Mexico by recent immigration or learned by Mexican expats residing in other countries. In 2015, 21.5% of Mexico's population Indigenous peoples of Mexico, self-identified as being Indigenous. There are about 12 million Mexican nationals residing outside Mexico, with about 11.7 million living in the United States. The larger Mexican diaspora can also include individuals that trace ancestry to Mexico and self-concept, self-identify as Mexican yet are not necessarily Mexican by citizenship, culture or language. The United States has the largest Mexican population after Mexico in the world at 37,186,361 (2019). The modern nation of Mexico achieved independence from the Spanish Empire in 1821, after a decade long ...
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Wallenberg Set
Wallenberg, also known as the Wallenberg Four, is located at the Raoul Wallenberg Traditional High School in San Francisco, California, United States. It is a popular gap among the skateboarding Skateboarding is an extreme sport, action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry Profession, job, and a ... community and measures to a height of 4 feet 4.8 inches and a length of 16 feet 6 inches. While the stair set is still there, the school has re-profiled the "run up" to the set so it is no longer possible to use Vega Street to gain speed; it has to be obtained from a ramp, roll in or by gaining speed in some other form. Its exact location is 40 Vega Street, San Francisco, San Francisco, California 94118. Its GPS Coordinates are 37*46'48.86"N, 122*26'46.82"W. Coverage in skateboarding media The Wallenberg gap first appeared in Mark Gonzal ...
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Vision Street Wear
Vision Street Wear is an American apparel company focused on BMX and skateboarding. Started in 1976 by Brad Dorfman, the company sponsored early skateboarding greats such as Mark 'Gator' Rogowski, and Mark Gonzales. Although the company is mostly known for its skateboards, it also commercialises a clothing line that includes t-shirts, hoodies, and shorts. History Launching In the early 80's Vision sports released their first pro model skateboard for skater Mark 'Gator' Rogowski. This was followed by a release of a pro model deck for skater Mark Gonzales, both designed by Los Angeles-based artist Andy Takakjian. Soon after, Vision entered into a licensing agreement with SIMS Skateboards, to produce and market the SIMS brand. Gonzales went on to release a few more pro models with Vision before departing to form Blind Skateboards, (a play-on-words with Vision) with World Industries. Vision Street Wear brand With a surging popularity of skateboarding in the mid 1980s, Vision ...
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Natas Kaupas
Natas Kaupas (born March 23, 1969) is an American former professional skateboarder. He grew up in South Santa Monica, California, in the area known as Dogtown, and is of Lithuanian descent. He is often referred to as one of the first true professional street skateboarders. Early 1980s Kaupas began skating during his childhood years. In 1983 Kaupas won a local Santa Monica surfing contest and received a Santa Monica Airlines (SMA) skateboard as a first place prize. SMA was operated out of the back of a surfshop owned by Skip Engblom. Kaupas approached Engblom about becoming a member of his skate team, which did not exist. However, Engblom was impressed with Kaupas's skating ability and offered to sponsor him. Kaupas by his own admission remained clueless and uninterested in the mainstream skateboard subculture. He honed his street skateboarding skills by utilizing his surroundings, preferring not to ride ramps or parks. By the mid-1980s, Kaupas had discovered riding walls whe ...
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Thrasher (magazine)
''Thrasher'' is a skateboarding magazine founded in January 1981 by Eric Swenson and Fausto Vitello. The publication consists primarily of skateboard- and music-related articles, photography, interviews and skatepark reviews. The magazine also maintains a website and YouTube page, which includes segments with names such as "Firing Line" and "Hall of Meat", an online store, a video collection, a radio show, and a forum for registered users. The company also owns and operates the Double Rock indoor skateboarding facility, and the San Francisco skateshop, 66 6th. History ''Thrasher'' was founded in 1981 by Fausto Vitello and Eric Swenson, primarily as a way to promote Independent Truck Company, their skateboard truck company. The magazine's first editor was Kevin Thatcher. Mofo became the second staff member, joining Thatcher in mid-1981. In 1993, Jake Phelps was named editor of the magazine. With him, he brought the punk-skater ethic to the world through his photojournali ...
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South Gate, California
South Gate is the 19th largest city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, with . South Gate is located southeast of Downtown Los Angeles. It is part of the Gateway Cities region of southeastern Los Angeles County. The city was incorporated on January 20, 1923, and it became known as the "Azalea City" when it adopted the flower as its symbol in 1965. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 92,726. In 1990, South Gate was one of ten U.S. communities to receive the All-America City Award from the National Civic League. History Native Americans South Gate was in the traditional cultural territory of the Gabrielino. Gabrielino villages or archaeological sites are rumored to have existed at the South Gate Park and at the old City Hall site at the intersection of Post Street and Victoria Avenue. The village of Tajauta was located on the border of South Gate, Lynwood, and Watts. Land grants Among the early Spanish settlers was one of California's first ...
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Tommy Guerrero
Tommy Guerrero (born September 9, 1966) is an Indigenous American musician, composer, and professional skateboarder. Early life Guerrero was born in San Francisco, California. He is of Ohlone-native, Chilean, and Filipino descent from his father's side. Career Skateboarding As a teenager, Guerrero was one of the prominent members of the Bones Brigade, Powell Peralta's professional skateboarding team that was successful during the 1980s. He was well known for his relaxed style of street skateboarding and his Bones Brigade footage was primarily filmed in his hometown of San Francisco—the videos ''Future Primitive'', ''The Search for Animal Chin'', ''Public Domain'', and ''Ban This'' all featured the street skateboarding of Guerrero. After riding for Powell Peralta, Guerrero and Jim Thiebaud, a hometown friend and Powell Peralta teammate, started the skateboarding company "Real". Music After his success in the world of skateboarding, Guerrero decided to pursue his musical ...
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Skateboarder
Skateboarding is an action sport originating in the United States that involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard, as well as a recreational activity, an art form, an entertainment industry job, and a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2009 report found that the skateboarding market is worth an estimated $4.8 billion in annual revenue, with 11.08 million active skateboarders in the world. In 2016, it was announced that skateboarding would be represented at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, for both male and female teams. Since the 1970s, skateparks have been constructed specifically for use by skateboarders, freestyle BMXers, aggressive skaters, and more recently, scooters. However, skateboarding has become controversial in areas in which the activity, although illegal, has damaged curbs, stoneworks, steps, benches, plazas, and parks. History 1940s–1960s The first skateboards ...
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Tony Hawk
Anthony Frank Hawk (born May 12, 1968), nicknamed Birdman, is an American professional skateboarder, entrepreneur, and the owner of the skateboard company Birdhouse. A pioneer of modern vertical skateboarding, Hawk completed the first documented " 900" skateboarding trick in 1999. He also licensed a skateboarding video game series named after him published by Activision that same year. He retired from competing professionally in 2003 and is regarded as one of the most influential skateboarders of all time. Hawk has been involved in various philanthropic activities throughout his career, and is the founder of the Tony Hawk Foundation (now named The Skatepark Project), which helps to build skateparks in underprivileged areas around the world. Early life Tony Hawk was born on May 12, 1968, in San Diego, California, to Nancy (1924-2019) and Frank Peter Rupert Hawk, and was raised in San Diego. He has two older sisters, Pat and Lenore, and an older brother, Steve. As a child, Ha ...
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