Eddie Elguera
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Eddie Elguera | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | November 12, 1962 Bellflower, California, U.S. |
| Other names | Nicknamed El Gato[1] |
| Occupations | Pastor, Skateboarder |
| Spouse |
Dawna Claydon (m. 1984) |
| Children | Malachi (b. 1985), Christopher (b. 1987), Isaac (b. 1993) |
| Website | Elguera.com |
Eddie Elguera (born November 12, 1962, in Bellflower, California) is a 2-time world champion skateboarder and senior pastor of C3 Church, in the Palm Springs area of Southern California. He is also known by the nickname "El Gato". Eddie graduated from Rim of the World High School. He is married to Dawna Elguera and has three sons, Malachi Elguera, Christopher Elguera, and Isaac Elguera. Eddie also has 6 grandchildren. Elguera and his family currently live in Palm Desert, California.
Elguera,[2] who was given the nickname "El Gato" (Spanish for "The Cat") early on in his career (in reference to his Mexican American heritage), is known as a legend in the sport and one of the early innovators of vertical skateboarding.[3]
In May 1979, Elguera received the title of U.S. Amateur Skateboard Association Champion. He then went on to the professional circuit and became Skateboarder of the Year[4] (a Skateboarder Magazine readers' poll, but still significant, since the sport was relatively unknown at the time) along with receiving the “Most Spectacular New Maneuver” award for inventing the "Elguerial", a skateboard maneuver named after him.
In 1980, Elguera went on to win the 1980 Gold Cup Series of skateboarding and became the World Champion for the 2nd year in a row. Some of the tricks, which have enabled him to play a major part in skateboarding history, include the Elguerial, the frontside rock-n-roll, the fakie ollie, and the frontside invert, which he perfected. Elguera also performed in the music video "Freedom of Choice[5]" for the new wave band "Devo". However, Elguera soon developed a substance abuse problem that he struggled with for several years.
Eddie, now in his 60s, still competes worldwide and continues to rank in the top 5 of the Masters Division on World Cup Skateboarding. He was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame in 2016.[6] Eddie is considered an innovator, legend and mentor by many in the skateboard industry including Tony Hawk,[7][8] Steve Caballero, Christian Hosoi and Eric Koston.[9]