Cory Kennedy (skateboarder)

Last updated

Cory Kennedy
Born (1990-10-04) October 4, 1990 (age 33)
Lake Stevens, Washington, U.S.
OccupationProfessional skateboarder
Conviction(s) Vehicular homicide
Criminal penalty4 years' in prison, but released after 2.5 yrs

Cory Kennedy (born October 4, 1990) is an American professional skateboarder. [1]

Contents

Skateboarding

Kennedy first came to prominence after winning the amateur competition "Bang Yo'self 2", for which contestants were required to submit video parts to the judges from The Berrics website. [2] In 2009, Kennedy finished in third place at "The Battle at the Berrics 2" contest, losing to Paul Rodriguez in the finals round. [3]

In October 2009, the trailer for the full-length skateboard video Beware of Sasquatch was released, in which Kennedy appears in a part spanning just under 10 minutes, alongside skateboarders such as David Gravette and Vince de Valle. [4] Brandon Jensen, who filmed and edited the video, published Kennedy's part on his YouTube channel in May 2010. [5]

In 2010, Kennedy named a switch front-foot impossible 180, a trick that he landed down the Berrics seven-stair with masterfully, the "Merlin Twist". In a subsequent interview, Kennedy attempted to explain the trick: "Your back foot is in the switch bigspin position. And you put your front foot pretty much on the nose. Then just scoop it really hard. Then, I don't know, dip your front foot down to whip the board around and then kinda hope you land it [laughs]. I'm not very good at explaining." [6]

In 2010 Kennedy won the MVP award for Thrasher magazine's "King of the Road" contest. [7] One year later, he won the "Bob Gnar" award at King of the Road 2011. [8]

In 2011 Kennedy attained professional status with Girl Skateboards [9] and appears in the 2012 Girl/Chocolate video Pretty Sweet. [10]

Formerly sponsored by the RVCA apparel company, [11] Kennedy accompanied the Fourstar Clothing team on an Australian tour in February 2014. [12] A video narrated by the brand's cofounder, Eric Koston, was then published in March 2014 announcing Kennedy's recruitment to the Fourstar skateboard team. Koston explained:

He was chasing us with his camera; he was always in the way; eating shit; last to the bus; last off the bus; fought nasty; rode the worst board; stole our hats; hung his shit everywhere; never put down the "jam box;" was a "cop magnet;" ruined our grip; ruined our bearings; didn't take skating seriously; thought he was the coolest; bleeding all the time; slammed right on top of me; and we put him on the team anyway. Welcome to Fourstar Cory ... you dipshit. [13]

Alongside professional skateboarders Vincent Alvarez, Stevie Perez, Elijah Berle, and Raven Tershy, Kennedy is a member of the "Trunk Boys" crew. Fellow professional skateboarder and company owner Guy Mariano explained his perspective in relation to the crew: "Their energy may look really wild, but they are all good kids with solid heads on their shoulders. I love Vince’s heart, passion and speed, Raven’s transition skills, Eli’s fearlessness, Cory’s natural ability to progress, and Stevie’s style and grace." [14]

As of April 2014, Kennedy was sponsored professionally by Fourstar, Girl, [15] Royal Trucks, Glassy Sunhaters, Jessup Griptape, [16] Nike SB, [17] and Spitfire. [18]

Videography

  • Thrasher: King Of The Road 2010 (2010)
  • Girl/Chocolate: Der Bratwurst Tour Ever (2010)
  • RVCA: Dick Moves (2010)
  • Girl: Outbackwards (2010)
  • Cory Kennedy Slice of Life (2010)
  • Nike SB: Don't Fear The Sweeper (2010) [19]
  • Beware of the Sasquatch (2010) [20]
  • Thrasher: King Of The Road 2011 (2011) [21]
  • Girl: Unbeleafable (2011)
  • Sk8 Rats DVD Collection Volume #1 (2011)
  • Sk8rats DVD Collection Volume #2 (2012)
  • Pretty Sweet (2012) [22]
  • Sk8rats: Rat Poison (2014) [23]
  • Nike SB: Chronicles 3 (2015)

[24]

Incarceration

On February 8, 2018, Kennedy was charged with vehicular homicide as a result of his involvement in a single-vehicle collision on August 30, 2017, when Kennedy was driving over the speed limit while under the influence, on his native Vashon Island, Washington. Kennedy lost control of the car, skidded off the road, and slammed passenger side-first into a tree, instantly killing its front-seat passenger, 45-year-old Preston "P-Stone" Maigetter, a married father of two sons and a popular videographer for Thrasher magazine. [25] [26] Another passenger suffered a fractured foot. [25]

Kennedy was uninjured; his blood alcohol level was approximately 0.10 at the time of the crash — over the state's legal limit of 0.08. Subsequent results from a blood draw also indicated the presence of marijuana, and prosecutors concluded that "impairing substances may have played a role in the crash." [27] Kennedy pleaded guilty to the charge of vehicular homicide, as well as vehicular assault, reckless driving, and driving under influence. He faced eight to twelve years in prison. [28]

However, an outpouring of support from friends and family, including the victims' friends and family, testified to Kennedy's inherently good character and caused his sentence to be reduced to four years in prison. [28] Maigetter's mother wrote of her son and Kennedy's close friendship, and advocated on Maigetter's behalf that Kennedy should not serve any prison time: "Preston would have wanted that his friend and colleague, Cory, never be imprisoned for his actions but, as an alternative, for Cory to take responsibility and to give back to the community." [25]

Kennedy was initially held at Coyote Ridge Corrections Center, a medium security prison in Connell, Washington. [29] He was moved to Cedar Creek Corrections Center, a minimum security prison in Littlerock, Washington, in 2019, a little over a year into his sentence. [30] He was released on parole on April 19, 2021. [31]

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Rich Myhre (August 2, 2011). "Just skate it". HeraldNet.com. The Daily Herald Co., Everett, Wash. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Cory Kennedy: Bang Yo Self 2 Winner" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. November 9, 2009. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  3. ↑ pelzeppelin (August 27, 2011). "battle at the berrics 2 cory kennedy vs paul rodriguez". YouTube. Google, Inc. Retrieved September 15, 2012.[ dead YouTube link ]
  4. ↑ Blair Alley (October 8, 2009). "BEWARE OF SASQUATCH TRAILER". TransWorld SKATEboarding. GrindMedia. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  5. ↑ Brandon Jensen (May 6, 2010). "CORY KENNEDY - BEWARE OF SASQUATCH" (Video upload). YouTube. Google Inc. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  6. ↑ Chris Nieratko (June 15, 2010). "CORY KENNEDY'S 'MERLIN TWIST' VIDEO INTERVIEW". X Games. ESPN. Archived from the original on November 8, 2013. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  7. ↑ ThrasherMagazine (March 11, 2011). "King of the Road 2010: Full Video" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  8. ↑ ThrasherMagazine (January 28, 2012). "King of the Road 2011 Full Video" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  9. ↑ Jack Lowe (May 2011). "CORY KENNEDY PRO FOR GIRL SKATEBOARDS". Huh. HUH. Archived from the original on February 6, 2013. Retrieved September 10, 2012.
  10. ↑ ""Pretty Sweet" Lost and Filmed with Cory Kennedy". Sidewalk. MPORA Pure Action Sports. January 8, 2013. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  11. ↑ Blair Alley (December 22, 2011). "RVCA CORY KENNEDY VIDEO". TransWorld SKATEboarding. GrindMedia. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  12. ↑ TWS (January 29, 2014). "FOURSTAR CROCODILE DONE DEAL TOUR". TransWorld SKATEboarding. GrindMedia. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  13. ↑ crailtap (March 24, 2014). "Fourstar Clothing Welcomes Cory Kennedy" (Video upload). crailtap on YouTube. Google Inc. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  14. ↑ Chris (December 14, 2012). "TRUNK BOYS". Lodown Magazine. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  15. ↑ Craitap (June 20, 2011). "Cory Kennedy shows up to the North Hollywood Park for a little surprise". Youtube. Crailtap. Retrieved September 17, 2015.
  16. ↑ Jaime Owens (January 29, 2009). "NEW ROYAL TRUCKS SITE & CORY KENNEDY COMMERCIAL". Skateboarder Magazine. GrindMedia, LLC. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  17. ↑ "Team – Cory Kennedy". Nike Skateboarding. Nike, Inc. May 2013. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Cory Kennedy for Spitfire Wheels". Supra Distribution. March 26, 2013. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Nike SB - Don't Fear the Sweeper [All Parts]". YouTube . December 30, 2013. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  20. ↑ Brandon Jensen (May 6, 2010). "CORY KENNEDY - BEWARE OF SASQUATCH" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  21. ↑ "King of the Road 2011 Full Video". YouTube . January 28, 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  22. ↑ "Cory Kennedy skate videos". Skatevideosite.com. 2005–2013. Retrieved May 13, 2013.
  23. ↑ "Cory Kennedy Rat Poison Part". YouTube . May 15, 2014. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved September 18, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Cory Kennedy Pump On This Part". YouTube . April 30, 2020. Archived from the original on December 20, 2021. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  25. 1 2 3 Dobija-Nootens, N. (August 31, 2018). "What's Happening With Cory Kennedy?". Jenkem . Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  26. ↑ Vitello, T. (September 1, 2018). "Rest In Peace: Preston "P-Stone" Maigetter". Thrasher . Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  27. ↑ Clarridge, C. (February 8, 2018). "Kennedy charged in Vashon Island crash that killed videographer". The Seattle Times . Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  28. 1 2 "News Report Confirms Cory Kennedy's 4 Year Jail Sentence". Skate Newswire. September 1, 2018. Archived from the original on October 16, 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  29. ↑ Gausepohl, J. (October 24, 2018). "Cory Kennedy Fanpost ins Gefängnis schicken". Boardstation.de (in German). Retrieved May 12, 2019.
  30. ↑ Greengage, C. (July 5, 2019). "The Follow Up: SK8RATS' "Pump On This"". Thrasher . Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  31. ↑ O'Neill, L. (April 20, 2021). "Cory Kennedy is Out of Prison". Dose Skateboarding. Retrieved May 6, 2021.

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