Ryan Sheckler American Athlete From La Palma

Early life

Ryan Allen Sheckler was born on 30 December 1989 in La Palma, California. He grew up in a family of three boys, with two younger brothers, Shane and Kane. His interest in skateboarding began around the age of two, when he found a board belonging to his father, who encouraged him by telling him that he had learned his first kickflip at about six. Sheckler has said that he started skating at the park in San Clemente with his friend Jered Marburger and that he was there when the park opened. He attended San Clemente High School and Halstrom High School.

Career

Sheckler was around seven when the shoe company Etnies and the eyewear brand Oakley first approached him as a sponsor. In 2003 the skaters Rodney Mullen and Daewon Song started the board company Almost, and Sheckler became one of its first team members together with Greg Lutzka. He turned professional while riding for the company, and he appeared in its first video, Almost: Round Three, released in 2004, where his part is set to a song by The Cure.

In 2007 he left Almost to join the relaunched Plan B Skateboards, whose team at that point included Danny Way, Paul Rodriguez, Colin McKay and Pat Duffy. In April 2008 he cleared a 55-foot gap on the Mega Ramp built by Bob Burnquist. Later that year he took the closing section of Plan B's promotional video Superfuture, which featured both the ramp footage and a difficult trick at a spot known as the "Costco gap". The trick took four attempts and led to a cover of The Skateboard Mag. Plan B's full-length video, True, was announced with a trailer in July 2014. In January 2022 Sheckler announced that he was leaving Plan B, ending a long association with the team.

His competitive record began in 2002. In 2003 he won the street event at the Gravity Games, the park event at the X Games and the overall Vans Triple Crown, and he finished first overall at the World Cup of Skateboarding. He won the overall AST Dew Tour park title in both 2005 and 2006. At the X Games he won the street competition in 2008 and 2010, and he took the Dew Tour Streetstyle event three years running, in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Thrasher magazine's Bust or Bail event was another win, in 2008.

Alongside skating, Sheckler worked in television and film. The MTV reality series Life of Ryan, which followed him and his family and friends, premiered in August 2007 and ended in 2009 after three seasons; the final season was cut to six episodes at his own request, because he wanted to keep the focus on skating. He later starred in the Red Bull web series Sheckler Sessions, which began in June 2012. His screen credits also include the films Grind (2003), Dishdogz (2006), Spy School (2008) and a role in Tooth Fairy (2010). He is a playable character in several Tony Hawk video games, among them Tony Hawk's Underground 2, American Wasteland, Project 8 and Proving Ground.

Public roles

In 2008 Sheckler set up the Sheckler Foundation to support children and athletes who are injured or recovering. Its annual fundraising events have included a skateboarding day called Skate for a Cause and a celebrity golf tournament held around the X Games. In 2009 he launched a clothing line, RS, and in January 2014 he rejoined the apparel company Volcom as a sponsored skater.

Personal life

Outside skating, Sheckler has said that he likes surfing and spending time with his family. He married Abigail Baloun on 3 March 2022, and the couple have two daughters.