Bob Burnquist

Robert Dean Silva Burnquist (born October 10, 1976 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), better known as Bob Burnquist, is a professional skateboarder [Switch Magazine, [http://www.switchmagazine.com/skateboardinginterviews/bob_burnquist.html Bob Burnquist inteview] , 15. February 2004] . He was born to a Swedish father and a Brazilian mother. He became adept at skateboarding in São Paulo starting at age 11 and turned pro at age 15. As an adult he emigrated to North America; he holds dual citizenship from Brazil and the U.S. Burnquist is also a vegetarian. [ [http://www.peta2.com/outthere/o-sexyveg08_winners.asp The 2008 World's Sexiest Vegetarians Are… // Out There // peta2 ] ]

The biggest competition that he has won was the vert contest at the 2001 X-Games. Before his final run- the last run of the event- Burnquist was sitting in second place behind two-time defending champion Bucky Lasek. Burnquist produced a flawless run, including multiple tricks that had never been seen before, and as a result, were unnamed. During the run, commentator Tony Hawk went hoarse and nearly lost his voice while screaming in disbelief. Burnquist was rewarded with a 98, the highest score ever given in any X-Games skateboarding event.

Burnquist's speciality is switch stance skateboarding. He has always tried to find new ways to make his tricks more creative and more difficult. He has a signature trick called "one-footed smith grind". Burnquist has also been featured in the hit video game, "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater", and appeared in all of its sequels with the exception of "Pro Skater 3" due to license restrictions as a result of appearing in another skating game, "X-Games Skateboarding", during that year. He returned as a featured character in the series starting again with "Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4" and has since appeared in all the series games following that.

Burnquist has also won a gold medal on the 2005 X-Games Best Trick vert contest.

Burnquist is the only skater to go over a loop ramp with a gap in it (OP King Of Skate) Not only was the loop gapped, but Bob also did the gap switch. He is also the first skater to go through a loop while riding switch stance, and the first to go all the way around a full pipe just by pumping up to speed inside it. In 2000, Burnquist won the X-Games' best trick contest with his famous [http://expn.go.com/xgames/sxg/2000/s/010822_skateresults.html fakie 5-0, fakie Kickflip out off of the grind bar] . He created a trick called "Burntwist", which is in the Tony Hawk's series.

Bob Burnquist completed a BASE jump after attempting a 50-50 into the Grand Canyon. The first attempt nearly cost Burnquist his life after he missed the rail and fell out of control before regaining himself and successfully deploying his parachute. After some adjustments to the take-off ramp his second attempt went off flawlessly. This stunt was shown in an episode of the television show Stunt Junkies.

He lives with professional skateboarder Jen O'Brien, and their daughter Lotus, in Vista, California, where he has a world-renowned vert ramp in his backyard. It has been skated by dozens of famous skateboarders, including Colin McKay, Tony Hawk, Bucky Lasek, and Lincoln Ueda, and has been featured in hundreds of magazines and videos, including Tony Hawk's Trick Tips and Thrasher Magazine. [Skim the Fat, [http://skimthefat.com/skaters/showskater.cgi?skaterID=757 Bob Burnquist videography] ] Burnquist's latest addition to his backyard skate-park is one of the world's few permanent Mega Ramp. [New York Times, [http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F70612FF385B0C728CDDA80994DE404482 A Skateboarding Ramp Reaches for the Sky] , 1. November 2006]

He had also started the "Bob Burnquist Foundation" to bring knowledge about organic farming and gardening to schools, and was one of the founders of the Action Sports Environmental Coalition, a nonprofit organization that brings ecological awareness to skateboarders, surfers and BMXers. [Grist, [http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2007/02/08/burnquist Bob's Hope] , 8. February 2007]

Contest history

* 1st in 2008 X Games Big Air
* 1st in 2007 X Games Big Air
* 3rd in 2006 X Games Big Air
* 1st in 2006 The Coolio Games
* 1st in 2005 X Games Vert Best Trick
* 1st in 2003 X Games: vert doubles (with Bucky Lasek)
* 2nd in 2002 X Games: vert doubles (with Bucky Lasek)
* 1st in 2001 X Games :vert
* 1st in 2001 Slam City Jam: vert.
* 1st in 2000 Slam City Jam: vert.
* 1st in 1995 Slam City Jam: vert.

* Hurley
* Ipath
* Nixon Watches
* Oakley
* Ricta
* Flip
* Fury
* Gnar Side Militia
* Toyota

References

Notes

Bibliography

*Bob's Mega Ramp Story [http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/01/sports/othersports/01ramp.html?_r=1&ex=1320037200&oref=slogin]