Born in Rio De Janeiro and raised in Sao Palo Brazil, Bob Burnquist began
his skateboarding career and age 11 and has gone on to revolutionize the sport
with his signature “switch stance” moves (often described as regular
skateboarding moves, but backward). Bob Burnquist described switch stancing
as “like learning to skate all over again.”
Bob Burnquist has earned almost every award in skateboarding, in spite
of his rather frequent injuries. During the 1998 X games, he fractured
his wrist but emerged victorious, regardless of the fact that he had
to wait until the prelims before getting a cast.
His first major victory was in the 1995 Slam City Jam in Vancouver during
which he competed against every major skater in the world and won first
place. In 1997, Thrasher magazine named Bob Burnquist Skater of the Year,
and he won the Triple Crown Vertical Award in the same year. He also
was named as one of the most notable athletes of the year by Rolling
Stone in 1999. He was given the ESPY nomination for Action Sports Person
of the Year and was awarded the Laureus World Sports Award for Alternative
Sports presented by Michael Jordan.
Bob Burnquist’s pro career began when he wasa 14 years old and,
along with fellow skateboarding great, Tony Hawk, he has shaped vertical
skateboarding and has contributed his own inventive moves. Bob Burnquist
dominated the professional skateboarding scene in the late nineties and
is known for his ability to skate both regular and goofy foot. He was
also successful pairing up for doubles with Max Schaaf; while skating
with Schaaf in 97, although the two collided in mid-air. Much of the
interest in skateboarding that surged in the mid to late nineties is
thanks to the innovative talent of skaters such as Bob Burnquist.
