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Who is Tony Alva?
Tony Alva is a notable skateboarder who invented vertical skating and laid the framework for contemporary skateboarding. Tony Alva also belonged to the famed Z-Boys club. Alva is also the man behind Van’s eccentric label, which produced the first skateboard shoes made by a skateboarder.
He’s also the proprietor of Alva Skates.
Childhood and Education
Tony Alva was born on September 2, 1957, in Santa Monica, California, to a Dutch and Mexican-American family.
Alva has two siblings: Kathy Alva, her sister, and Mark Alva, his brother.
Unfortunately, when he was eleven years old, his parents split.
As a result, Alva moved home with his father, while his siblings moved in with his mother.
Alva’s father was an alcoholic and a serial worker.
He didn’t spend much time with Alva, and he was lonely most of the time.
He used to spend most of his time with his pals, who were the ones who introduced him to skateboarding.
Tony Alva | Skateboarding Profession
How did he get into skating?
Tony Alva began his career as a surfer.
However, he couldn’t surf much of the time owing to severe weather.
Alva would skateboard on clay wheels at these times.
He gradually transitioned from surfing to skateboarding.
He began skateboarding when he was six years old.
Tony loved to ride through the streets on his skateboards while other kids were playing.
He used to skate on the road lines alone until he met Jay Adams, who shared his enthusiasm and helped him turn it into a job.
Skateboarding Professionalism
Jay Adams introduced Alva to other young skaters including Stacy Peralta, David Hackett, Jim Muir, Allen Saro, and others.
In 1972, a group of skateboarders called Zephyr Surf Team founded a surfing and skateboarding team.
Alva was added to the team as well.
The Zephyr team’s skateboarders were extremely talented.
They were passionate, skilled, and knowledgeable about freestyle, slalom, and downhill skiing.
Tony was well-known among his peers for his competitiveness and aggression.
Southern California experienced a severe drought in the early 1970s, which caused the pools to dry up.
Pool skating was invented by the boys who began skating over the pools.
Surfers began to experiment with skating.
During this time, Alva pioneered vertical skating.
He was the first vertical skateboarder to employ a polyurethane wheel to grab air.
The pair competed in the 1975 Del Mar National when her skateboarding talents and antics astounded everyone.
Alva also demonstrated his vertical skating abilities, which were photographed.
Tony Alva became a skating phenomenon as a result of that photograph.
It is also regarded as the birthplace of contemporary skateboarding.
With victories, endorsements, and collaborations in his pocket, Alva became a worldwide superstar.
In 1977, he won the Men’s Overall World Professional Skateboard Championship.
Aside from that, he was named ‘The Skateboarder of the Year and achieved a ‘World Record’ in the Barrel Jump.
Alva received the X Games Lifetime Achievement Award in 1999.
In addition, his photograph was displayed in the Skateboarding Hall of Fame.
Collaboration With Vans
In 1974, Alva collaborated with a well-known shoe company, Vans, to develop the official skateboarding version of the Vans genuine deck shoe.
The sneakers’ design was created in collaboration with Stacy Peralta.
They both highlighted the addition of collar padding and a heel cup, resulting in a typical Vans period look.
They formally introduced the Vans off-the-wall skateboarding label.
It was the first skateboarding shoe developed by skaters.
Beginning Alva Skates
When Alva was 19 years old, he founded his own skating brand, Alva Skates.
He became the first skateboarder to have a profitable self-created brand when the firm quickly became successful.
The Alva skates were made of Canadian maple wood, which made them more unique and long-lasting.
Tony Alva | Musician
Tony Alva changed his focus from skating to music in 1981.
As a bassist, he joined Skoundrelz, a hardcore punk band.
He formed another band, GFP (General Fucking Principle), in 2009.
The band also included lead vocalist Tom Paul Davis, guitarist Greg Hetson, and Amery Smith.
Alva joined a Los Angeles-based psych band in 2013; his eyes have fangs.
Rachel Anne Rainwater sang, Vulcho Bonev played guitar, Matthew Rainwater played drums, and Tony Alva played bass.
Documentaries and Films
Tony dabbled in the acting business as well.
He appeared in three films: Skateboard: The Movie in 1978, Thrashin in 1986, and Lord of Dogtown in 2005.
Vans published The Tony Alva Story, a documentary about his life, on YouTube in 2020.
It chronicled Alva’s rise from street skateboarder to skateboarding superstar, his collapse due to drug problems, and his eventual recovery.
The documentary’s goal is to instill optimism and aspiration in aspiring skateboarders who look up to Tony Alva.
Tony Alva will star in the film Skate God, which will be released in 2022. The story revolves around a skateboarder in a bleak future.
Addiction and its consequences
Tony Alva began drinking and using drugs at a young age.
He used to stay up all night watching his father, which motivated him to drink.
The impulsive adolescent then began using narcotics with his companions.
He believed that using drugs was linked to spiritual searching.
He claims to have been born during the hippy era when everyone was using drugs and smoking pot and calling it spiritual.
Things began to deteriorate as he began to experience the celebrity and prosperity he had never imagined. Alva said that his fame and success had exacerbated his ego’s poison.
He believed that he could do anything and that people would still support him.
However, he became embroiled in various issues, which harmed his reputation and finally led to his demise.
Regaining Control
Tony’s life had come to a halt.
Because of his destructive behavior, he lost his image, popularity, and connections.
But he discovered a life-changing therapist who helped him get back on track.
Tony went on to rectify all of the problems he had caused after going clean about his drug and alcohol addiction.
He apologized profusely and reconnected with his family and friends.
He is currently enjoying a comfortable life free of controversy.
Private Life
The skateboarder was married to Victoria Alva, but their marriage did not work out, and they divorced.
Alva then dated Michelle Gerber Bell for a short time, but the relationship did not last.
However, Tony Alva met the love of his life, Katy Rodriguez, a fashion designer, in 1977.
They began dating in 1997, married in 2002, and have been happily married ever since.
Zephaniah Levi and Avalon Victoria are the couple’s two children.
His son, Zephaniah, has followed in his father’s footsteps by becoming a skateboarder.
Alva is also the grandmother of two grandkids, Roman Francis and Zoe.
Salary and Earnings
The professional skateboarder has amassed a fortune, with an estimated net worth of $15 million.
As a professional skateboarder, he obtained this net worth through endorsements, business enterprises, singing, and acting.
Alva had negotiated an exclusive contract with Vans for his unconventional shoes.
He also made a lot of money via collaborations and endorsements.
In addition, he owns the successful skateboarding company Alva Skates.
Alva skateboards are extremely popular among professional skateboarders.
He has also made a name for himself as a singer and actor.
As a result of his three occupations and investments, Alva has amassed a sizable fortune.
As a result, he is among the richest skateboarders.
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