Ricky Oyola
American skateboarder
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ricky Oyola is a regular-footed professional skateboarder from Philadelphia, PA.[1][2][3][4][5]
Early life
Oyola was born in Pemberton, NJ. and grew up in Medford, NJ.[6] He received his first skateboard in 1985 as a birthday gift, a Town & Country Zoner.[1] Before he moved to Philadelphia, Oyola would drive into West Philadelphia, park at Roger Browne's house and spend the days skating with him.[1]
Skateboarding
Oyola is credited with popularizing the skate scene in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, alongside Browne, Matt Reason, and Sergei Trudnowski.[7][1] Oyola is recognized for his distinctive east-coast street skate style. He was known in his early days to sport an afro and other hairstyles involving long hair.[3] His part in Dan Wolfe's 1996 skate video Eastern Exposure 3, showcased Oyola's creativity, versatility, and speed, exposing his skating to a larger audience.[3]
Skate video parts
| Skate Videos | Year |
|---|---|
| Devastation – Z Products[3] | 1991 |
| Spitfire[8][9] | 1993 |
| Real Life – Sub Zero | 1994 |
| #10 – 411VM[10] | 1995 |
| Eastern Exposure #3[2][11] | 1996 |
| 7 Year Glitch – New Deal[12] | 2002 |
| Static II[13] | 2004 |
| Via – Traffic Skateboards[14] | 2006 |
| Black and Blue – Vox Footwear[15] | 2007 |
| Tokyo Transfer – Traffic Skateboards[16] | 2009 |
Sponsors
Oyola's first official sponsor was Z-Products who noticed Oyola's skating while he was on a two month trip to California.[1] Oyola has held numerous sponsors over his career including companies he founded or helped influence (Illuminati and Silverstar) and long-established companies: Kastel, Zoo York, New Deal, Nicotine, Spitfire, Airwalk, Duffs, Memphis, Vox, Krux trucks, Division Wheel Company, as well as; Vision Street Wear and Converse.[6][17]
Traffic Skateboards
After leaving New Deal skateboards in 2003, Oyola founded his own company Traffic Skateboards.[5] Staying true to its name, the initial Traffic team was composed of East Coast street skaters including Shaun Williams, Rich Adler, Jack Sabback, Bobby Puleo, and others.[3] Oyola currently skates for Traffic skateboards and Autobahn Wheels.[1][3] He has a pro model shoe on Vox footwear named after him, however since he left the team the shoe has been renamed the Vox Philly.[18]
