Andy Macdonald (born July 31, 1973) is an American professional

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. S ...

. As of September 2013, he holds the record for the most

X Games The X Games are an annual extreme sports event organized, produced and broadcast by ESPN. Coverage is also shown on ESPN's sister network, ABC. The inaugural X Games were held during the summer of 1995 in Providence and Newport, Rhode Island, ...

medals in

vert skateboarding Vert skateboarding, short for vertical skateboarding, is the act of riding a skateboard on a skate ramp or other incline and involves the skateboarder transitioning from the horizontal plane to the vertical plane in order to perform skateboarding ...

and won the

World Cup Skateboarding World Cup Skateboarding (WCS), sometimes referred to as World Cup of Skateboarding, is an international skateboarding organization that hosts the World Championships of Skateboarding series and other skateboard competitions. Overview Focusing on ...

competition eight times.

Early life

Macdonald is originally from Melrose, Massachusetts, and started skateboarding in 1986 when he was 12 years old. He graduated from

Newton North High School Newton North High School, formerly Newton High School, is the larger and longer-established of two public high schools in Newton, Massachusetts, the other being Newton South High School. It is located in the village of Newtonville. The school f ...

in 1992.

Professional skateboarding

Macdonald became a professional skateboarder in 1994. In 1998 he was selected the "Best Overall Skater" in the "Readers Poll" of ''

Transworld Skateboarding ''Transworld Skateboarding'' (''TWS'') was an Skate magazine, international magazine on skateboarding that was based in Carlsbad, California, United States. The publication also ran an accompanying website and video production company. In Februar ...

'' magazine, and was also chosen to host ''Transworlds skateboarding "Trick Tip" video, '' Starting Point 2: Transitions''. He has received praise for his perennial consistency as he medals in most of the competitions he enters, even beating out a lot of younger skateboarders. In 1999 Macdonald delivered an anti-drug speech at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

that was preceded by Macdonald skateboarding down the marble floor of the hallway. With SBI Enterprises and Bruce Middleton, Macdonald designed the " Flybar 1200", a type of extreme

pogo-stick A pogo stick is a device for jumping off the ground in a standing position, through the aid of a spring, or new high performance technologies, often used as a toy, exercise equipment or extreme sports instrument. It led to an extreme sport name ...

.. In 2022 he announced his intention to try to qualify for the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 2024), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la XXXIIIe Olympiade, links=no) and also known as Paris 2024, is an upcoming international multi-sport event that is s ...

representing his father's homeland of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

despite being 50 years at the time of the

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Games.

Video game appearances

In 1999, he was featured in the video game '' MTV Sports: Skateboarding featuring Andy MacDonald'' for the

Dreamcast The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, N ...

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...

, and PC. He was also featured in the PC game ''

Backyard Skateboarding A backyard, or back yard (known in the United Kingdom as a back garden or just garden), is a yard at the back of a house, common in suburban developments in the Western world. In Australia, until the mid-20th century, the back yard of a pro ...

''.

Contest history

*1st in 1996–2000, 2002, 2012

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

*1st in 1997–2002

: vert doubles (with

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 documen ...

) 3rd in 2009

X Games 15 X Games XV was the fifteenth annual X Games extreme sports event. It took place from July 30 – August 2, 2009, in Los Angeles, California, at the Staples Center and the Home Depot Center. It was broadcast on ESPN networks, ABC, and EXPN.com. T ...

Vert Competition 2nd in 2009 X Games 15 Park Andy has been involved in promoting skateboarding and its growth, progression and exposure since as far back as his days as an instructor at the YMCA in Peabody MA (1989) right near his hometown of North Andover.

Personal life

As of September 2013, Macdonald resides in

Encinitas, California Encinitas (Spanish language, Spanish for "Small Oaks") is a beach city in the North County (San Diego area), North County area of San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego, between ...

, with his wife, Rebecca, and their three children: Hayden, Natalie, and Zoe.Editor Knows Family Personally

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Andy 1973 births American skateboarders Living people X Games athletes Newton North High School alumni