Every skateboarder takes pride in a well executed flatground Ollie. However, only one skateboarder can say that they have invented this trick and he is Rodney Mullen.
Rodney Mullen is considered to be one of the pillars of modern skateboarding. He is credited for inventing over forty skateboarding tricks. Due to his hard work and creativity, skateboarding soared to new heights in the 1980’s.
Rodney Mullen: A Living Legend
When Rodney began skateboarding, his father wasn’t happy. He was worried about potential injuries. Rodney’s dad was also worried that he wouldn’t be good at the sport because Rodney has a severe pigeon-toe condition. However, Rodney continued practicing on his skateboard and he eventually won a world skateboard championship when he was only 14.
Apart from the flatground Ollie, Rodney Mullen also invented the impossible, heliPop, heelflip, and 360 flip among others. He has influenced several young skateboarders to be creative with their craft and to consider skateboarding as an art. Despite his huge contribution to the skateboarding scene, Rodney continuously downplays his achievement.
Moreover, Rodney also had his fair share of failures before successfully executing all the tricks that he invented. On failure, Rodney says, “To get good, you have to throw your board around and fall.”
Rodney Mullen: Skateboarding and Beyond
At 50, Rodney remains to be an active member of the skateboarding community. He is the co-owner and a rider for the Almost brand. In Tony Hawk’s video games, where he is a playable character, he is labeled as “The Godfather of Modern Street Skateboarding.” He also placed third in Transworld’s “30 Most Influential Skateboarders of All Time.”
Apart from being a skateboarder, Rodney Mullen is also a public speaker, an inventor, an entrepreneur, an author, and a stunt double. Rodney has appeared in over twenty skateboarding videos and he has appeared in two films as a stunt double. He was a stunt double for Christian Slater in the film Gleaming the Cube and for Ben Stiller in The Secret Life of Walter Mitty.
Rodney Mullen may be a jack-of-all-trades, but his first priority remains to be skateboarding.
