Steve Rodriguez and Jamie Foy during best trick contest 2019-06

Steve Rodriguez (born 1971) is a

goofy-footed Footedness is the natural preference of one's left or right foot for various purposes. It is the foot equivalent of handedness. While purposes vary, such as applying the greatest force in a certain foot to complete the action of kick as opposed to ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

skateboarder, skate company owner,

skatepark A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, scootering, wheelchairs, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, stairsets, q ...

designer,

community organizer Community organizing is a process where people who live in proximity to each other or share some common problem come together into an organization that acts in their shared self-interest. Unlike those who promote more-consensual community bui ...

, and

creative services Creative services are a subsector of the creative industries, a part of the economy that creates wealth by offering creativity for hire to other businesses. Creative Services also means a department within a company that does creative work such a ...

director, who lives and skates in NYC. Rodriguez is a leader in the effort to restore the iconic New York City skate spot: the

Brooklyn Banks Brooklyn Banks is the unofficial name for the area under the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge. The Brooklyn Banks are an original New York City skate spot, popular amongst the city's skateboarders and BMXers for its unique brick banks and ot ...

, a place where Rodriguez spent much time skateboarding. Until it closed for construction in 2010, Rodriguez hosted skate contests at the Banks.

Skateboarding

Early life

Raised in

Sayreville, New Jersey Sayreville is a borough in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States. Sayreville is within the heart of the Raritan Valley region, located on the south banks of the Raritan River, and also located on the Raritan Bay. As of the 2010 United Sta ...

, Rodriguez discovered skateboarding around 1983 and started skating not long after. He started skating in New York City as a teen, working for his mom who managed a store in the City. Rodriguez would skate through the city while doing deliveries and running other errands.

Skateboarding career

In 1996, Rodriguez and a group of NYC skaters founded 5Boro skateboards. The original 5Boro squad being: Andy Henry, Neil Morgan, Pat Guidotti, Jim Young, JP Lotz, Alex Corporan, Dan Pensyl, Tato Feliciano, Ben Wall, and Jay Hammond. In 2004, 5Boro collaborated with

the Beastie Boys ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

to produce an exclusive co-branded board graphic.

Skate video A skate video is a movie of or about skateboarding typically showing new tricks and a series of skateboarders in a montage set to music. History Released in 1965, the short film ''Skaterdater'' is credited as the first film to depict skateboa ...
appearances

* 1999: ''Fire It Up'' - 5boro * 2004: ''Word of Mouth'' - 5boro * 2007: ''Short Ends'' - Champman Skateboards * 2012: ''Join, Or Die'' - 5boro

Skateparks A skatepark, or skate park, is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, scootering, wheelchairs, and aggressive inline skating. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, stairsets, qua ...
designed or co-designed

* LES Skatepark * Golconda Skatepark (Fat Kid) *Sgt. William Dougherty Skate Park *

River Avenue Skate Park River Avenue Skate Park is a skate park located in the south Bronx built in 2010 and located next to the B and D train. History The River Ave Skate Park is built on the site of a former Yankee Stadium parking lot. The River Ave Skate Park is ...

References

1971 births American skateboarders Living people {{US-skateboarding-bio-stub