With a prevalent and established skateboarding culture in the Bay Area, it is important to know about some of the key figures who make up the culture/landscape that we know today.
Here are some of the best skateboarders from the Bay Area!
See also: Discover San Francisco's Best Skate Shops And Pivotal Role In Skating History
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James Kendall Phelps was a San Francisco born Skateboarder and former editor-in-chief at Thrasher Magazine – known as one of the original skateboarding magazines that started in the early 1980s. Phelps lived in San Francisco until the age of 11, where he later moved to massachusetts. When he hit his teenage years, he began to pick up skateboarding, and developed a deep passion for it.
Over time, Phelps moved back to San Francisco in his adulthood and began working at Thrasher. Steadily, Phelps made his way up to magazine editor position of Thrasher. Phelps was the driving force behind Thrasher magazine for an extended period of time. He was an avid skateboarder and promoted his love for the culture/art of skateboarding through his contributions in the magazine.
Though he passed away in 2019, his legacy and influence on the skateboarding community lives on today.
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Jerry Hsu is a San Jose born Taiwanese-American, who is known for his professions in skateboarding, clothing, and photography. Hsu adopted skating at a young age, and over time he began to be recognized through various sponsorships. This popularity drove him into eventually being featured as a playable character in EA’s Skate video game series.
After being previously associated with a variety of organizations/brands, Hsu now runs his own clothing/skate brand called Sci-fi Fantasy. Where they focus on creating skate vanity with Asian and science fiction imagery.
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John Cardiel is a San Jose born skateboarder. He is well-known for his affiliations with AntiHero skateboarding, Vans, Spitfire, and many other skating companies. In 1992, Cardiel was honored with the title of Thrasher Magazine’s Skater of the Year. Cardiel was famous for performing high-stakes and risky skateboarding tricks.
In 2003, Cardiel unfortunately had a spinal injury while touring in Australia. Overtime he was able to recover and despite his injuries, he still skateboards today.
Mike Carroll is a Daly City born skateboarder, and has been known for his associations with a multitude of skateboarding brands. Earlier in his career, Carroll was renowned for skating in Embarcadero Plaza. Being one of the leading Bay Area street skaters that assisted in establishing Embarcadero Plaza as the hotspot for skating in the 1990s.
During his early years of being a professional skateboarder, Carroll was sponsored by companies such as H-Street Skateboards, Plan B, and Vans. Based on his notoriety and experience from these companies, Carroll later co-found Girl Skateboards/Lakai Limited Footwear.
In the 1990s, Girl Skateboards was one of the driving forces in promoting street skating, while featuring a strong list of prevalent skaters from that time period. They developed popular skateboarding videos, with collaborations/contributions with Spike Jonze. Today, Girl Skateboards remains as a staple in skating fashion.
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Nico Hiraga is a San Francisco born Japanese-American, who is a popular professional skateboarder and actor. On Hiraga’s Instagram account, he posts a variety of photos and videos of himself skating throughout countless locations in the Bay Area. At the age of 17, Hiraga was featured on Transworld Skateboarding. Ever since a young age, Hiraga has been widely recognized for his skateboarding talents.
Though he is a prevalent skateboarder, he is also widely known for branching out and acting in films such as 'North Hollywood' and 'Moxie'. He was also recently featured in the music video for Olivia Rodrigo’s hit song ‘Brutal’.
At the age of 24, Hiraga continues to grow his name and remains one of the biggest names of this generation to come out of the Bay Area.
See also: Perfect Your Kickflips At The Bay Area's Most Radical Skate Parks
Photography by: Courtesy of Ash Edmonds/Unsplash
