About Tony Alva
Tony Alva (born September 2, 1957) is an American skateboarder, entrepreneur, and musician. He is a pioneer of vertical skateboarding and one of the original members of the Zephyr Competition Skateboarding Team, also known as the Z-boys. Transworld Skateboarding Magazine ranked him eighth in its list of the "30 Most Influential skateboarders" of all time. == Early life == Tony Alva was born September 2, 1957, in Santa Monica, California, to Dutch and Mexican-American parents. He first began surfing and skateboarding around 1967 at the age of 10. == Career == Influenced by the new, aggressive surfing style happening on the Hawaiian Islands, Alva brought a radically new free form surf style to skateboarding. Alva's style stood in stark contrast with the contrived traditional style of the era, which was still based on tricks formulated in the 1960s. His skill, style and charismatic nature led him to become a professionally sponsored skateboarder. In 1974, he joined the Zephyr Skateboard team along with Jay Adams and Stacy Peralta. Alva and the other Z-Boys (also all surfers), were among the first to bring the dangerous art of skating empty swimming pools into the mainstream.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.