Jake Brown (skateboarder)

Last updated

Jake Brown
JakeBrownByPhilKonstantin.jpg
Brown in San Diego, 2009
Personal information
Born (1974-09-06) 6 September 1974 (age 49)
Sydney
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Weight145 lb (66 kg)
Sport
CountryFlag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Sport Skateboarding
Medal record
Summer X Games
Representing Flag of Australia (converted).svg  Australia
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2009 Los Angeles Big Air
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2010 Los Angeles Big Air
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2006 Los Angeles Big Air
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2007 Los Angeles Big Air
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2008 Los Angeles Big Air
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2013 Foz do Iguaçu Big Air

Jake Brown (born 6 September 1974) is an Australian skateboarder who specialises in transition skateboarding. He began competing in 1996 and regularly[ citation needed ] appears as a contestant in the X Games contest events. Brown has also successfully skateboarded the "MegaRamp" structure, on which he is the first person to ever perform a 720-degree rotation without grabbing his board as of September 2013. [1] He lost control of his board while competing in the X Games in 2007, falling from a height of 14 meters (45 feet) and sustaining severe injuries. Despite this, he recovered and went on to win gold in the same tournament in 2009 and successfully defend his title in 2010.

Contents

Early life

Following the divorce of Brown's parents, he resided in Sydney with his mother until he was 12 years old, and then lived with his father, also in Sydney, until he was 16 years old. Brown left his arrangement with his father to relocate to Melbourne so that he could skateboard more frequently. [2]

Professional skateboarding

During an Australian tour in the mid-1990s, professional skateboarder Danny Way, the inventor of the MegaRamp, was impressed by Brown's skateboarding and encouraged him to relocate to the United States (US). Way explained in 2013, "The first time I met Jake, right then I knew this kid has got some crazy talent. His ability to skate at 15 was abnormal and it was obvious that Jake was going to be a future skateboarding star." At the time, skateboarding was not a form of paid employment for Australian-based skateboarders, so Brown made a decision to move to Southern California in 1997, inspired by the success of other Australians such as Jason Ellis. [2]

Brown was sponsored by Blind and appeared in the What If? video. In April 2012, Brown parted ways with the brand to join the SK8MAFIA team, co-founded by close friend and professional skateboarder Peter Smolik. [3] As part of the announcement of Brown's departure from Blind, the company's brand manager Bill Weiss stated:

Jake Brown is one of the most dynamic, positive and genuine skateboarders I have ever met and been lucky enough to call my friend and I wish him nothing but the best on his next adventure. I cant wait to see what Jake’s got up his sleeve next. [4]

At the April 2013 X Games event in Brazil, Brown completed the first ever 720-degree ollie in the "Big Air" event on the MegaRamp structure, [1] and repeated the feat during the same year at the X Games event in Barcelona, Spain. [2]

Brown appeared in Electronic Arts' Skate video game series, debuting in the spin-off Skate It , [5] [6] before appearing in the sequel, Skate 2 . [7]

2007 X Games fall

On 2 August 2007, during the Summer X Games 2007 Big Air section, Brown fell 45 feet (14 m) onto the bottom of the ramp below. The impact was so violent that Brown's shoes flew off of his feet and landed several feet away. Brown's injuries included a fractured wrist, fractured vertebrae, bruised liver, bruised lung, ruptured spleen and concussion. [8] After several minutes of unconsciousness, Brown walked off the ramp surface with assistance. [9]

Following the accident, Brown appeared on the television programs Larry King Live , [10] The Today Show , Shockwave , Most Daring , Destroyed in Seconds , and MTV. Following his recovery, Brown then won the gold medal in the Big Air event two years later at X Games L.A. and then defended his title in 2010. [2]

In a 2013 news article, Brown admitted that "I thought I was good right away, but it took me a couple of years to mentally get back to where I wanted to be." Danny Way explained in the same article, "Jake's fall was catastrophic. Those types of things put what we do into perspective. It's what we fear most. That's the reality of the risk." [8]

Sponsors

As of September 2013, Brown is sponsored by Laced Clothing, [11] [3] Monster Energy, [12] Real Life Pillage, Spitfire Wheels, and Independent Trucks.

Company owner

Brown officially founded the Laced clothing company in 2012 with Smolik, but the brand has appeared in public since 2010. [2] [13] Laced is described as "a brand that lives by the wisdom that everyone and everything is connected ITS NOT A RELIGION ITS A REVOLUTION." [11]

Following the 2013 decision to relocate the US X Games event to the state of Texas, representatives of the company, such as Brown, Smolik, and skateboarder Steven Cales, donated food and clothing to homeless people in the area nearby the Staples Center venue where the X Games was held for eleven years. [14] Laced worked in partnership with Homeboy Industries, a company that provides opportunities for ex-gang members according to the motto of "Jobs Not Jails," and Warning skateboard shop—both are based in Los Angeles. [15] [16]

As of September 2013, the Laced team—called "Messengers" on the brand's website—consists of Brown, Smolik, and professional skateboarders Sean Sheffey and Damian Bravo, [17] while the company is based in San Diego, California, US [11]

Awards

Transworld Skateboarding magazine named Brown the "Vert Skater of the Year" for its 2005 awards ceremony. [12]

Contest history

For the LG Action Sports contest series, Brown won the "half-pipe" ramp comp in Beijing, China in 2004 and placed 2nd in Paris, France in 2005. [12]

Brown has won five medals in the X-Games competitions, two of which are gold medals. [12] He attained medals in the Big Air event every year from 2006 to 2010. [2] Brown explained in 2012 that skateboarders whose primary discipline is vert ramp skateboarding must compete in contests to maintain a career, as "there's no real market for a vert skater who doesn't do contests, so you can't really just get paid to go out and film video parts." [18]

Influence

Brown has received praise from successful, longtime skateboarders such as Way and Bob Burnquist. In August 2013, Way stated:

It's not about how hard he [Brown] can fall; he's one of the guys out there that's innovating. He's progressing the sport. He's on the cutting edge in that small group of guys that moves the meter ... He's someone that matters to this sport. The entire world of skateboarding respects Jake ... Jake is one of the few guys on the skate ramp that I look up to. He's one of those guys that motivate me. He's a guy that I look to and think, "What's Jake doing?" That's inspiring. Jake is one of the most innovative guys I've ever seen on the ramp ... He's a guy that matters to the progression and the relevance of the sport. He has global respect amongst the industry. [2]

Burnquist, who owns one of the two permanent MegaRamps in existence as of August 2013, provided additional praise:

Even if Jake Brown hadn't won any X Games medals ever, and he does, he has six and a couple golds, it doesn't matter because he's a giant in skateboarding. He's one of those guys that's not just a competition guy, he progresses. He's been one of my favourites for a long time. His approach to skateboarding, his style, his personality, he's just unique. There's no one like him. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bob Burnquist</span> Brazilian-American professional skateboarder

Robert Dean Silva Burnquist is a Brazilian-American professional skateboarder who competed for Brazil throughout his career. In 2010, he became the first skateboarder to land a "fakie 900", making Burnquist the fifth person in history to successfully complete the 900 trick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tony Hawk</span> American professional skateboarder (born 1968)

Anthony Frank Hawk, nicknamed Birdman, is an American professional skateboarder, entrepreneur and the owner of the skateboard company Birdhouse. A pioneer of modern vertical skateboarding, Hawk completed the first documented "900" skateboarding trick in 1999. He also licensed a skateboarding video game series named after him, published by Activision that same year. Hawk retired from competing professionally in 2003 and is regarded as one of the most influential skateboarders of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">X Games</span> Extreme sports tournament

The X Games are a series of action sports events founded by ESPN Inc. which air on the ESPN family of networks including ABC. The events are mainly held in the United States, with disciplines such as skateboarding, BMX, motocross, skiing and snowboarding. Participants compete to win bronze, silver, and gold medals, as well as prize money. Concurrent with competition is the "X Fest" sports and music festival, which offers live music, athlete autograph sessions, and interactive elements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Vallely</span> American skateboarder and singer

Mike Vallely, also known as Mike V, is an American professional skateboarder and musician. Since November 2013, he has been the lead vocalist of the hardcore punk band Black Flag. Vallely is the second-longest-serving member of the band, although he has not appeared on any albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flip Skateboards</span> US-based international skateboard company

Flip Skateboards is a United States-based international skateboard company, co-owned by Jeremy Fox and Ian Deacon. The company produces skateboard hard goods, soft goods, DVDs, and accessories. The brand was distributed globally by US company NHS Inc. Starting in July 2017, the brand is distributed in Europe by HLC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daewon Song</span> American skateboarder

Daewon Song is an American professional skateboarder. He is co-owner of Thank You Skateboards, and skates for the company. Song was named the 2006 "Skater of the Year" by Thrasher magazine, an award that is widely considered to be one of the most significant honors in skateboarding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danny Way</span> American professional skateboarder

Danny Way is an American professional skateboarder and business person. He has been awarded Thrasher magazine's "Skater of the Year" award twice. He is known for extreme stunts, such as jumping into a skateboard ramp from a helicopter; that was featured on the cover of Transworld Skateboarding magazine. One of his more notable stunts was jumping the Great Wall of China on a skateboard via megaramp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ryan Sheckler</span> American professional skateboarder (born 1989)

Ryan Allen Sheckler is an American professional skateboarder and entrepreneur, and the star of the MTV-produced reality television series Life of Ryan, which ran from 2007 to 2009. He also starred in four seasons of the short-format video series Sheckler Sessions on Red Bull TV. Sheckler was listed in Fox Weekly's "15 Most Influential Skateboarders of All-Time" article.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blind Skateboards</span> American skateboard company

Blind is a skateboard company founded by Mark Gonzales in 1988 under Steve Rocco's World Industries distribution company. Gonzales has since left the company and today the company continues under the ownership of Dwindle Distribution. The company produces decks, wheels, soft goods and accessories. The company's logo for many years was a stylized grim reaper.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lance Mountain</span> American skateboarder

Robert Lance Mountain is an American professional skateboarder and artist who was one of the prominent skateboarders throughout the 1980s, primarily due to his involvement with the Bones Brigade. As of August 2017, Mountain continues to skate professionally and his sponsors include Flip, Nike SB, Independent Trucks, Spitfire Wheels, and Bones Bearings.

The 900 is a 2½-revolution aerial spin performed on a skateboard ramp. While airborne, the skateboarder makes two-and-a-half turns about their longitudinal axis, thereby facing down when coming down. It is considered one of skateboarding's most technically demanding tricks.

Alien Workshop (AWS) is an independent American skateboarding company that was founded in 1990 by Chris Carter, Mike Hill, and Neil Blender in Dayton, Ohio. Following periods under the ownership of the Burton snowboard company and original team rider Rob Dyrdek in 2012, the company was acquired by Pacific Vector Holdings in October 2013. Alien Workshop produced skateboard decks, wheels, apparel, and other skateboard accessories prior to its closure in May 2014. In 2015, Alien Workshop was revived with an all-amateur team and distribution through Tum Yeto. They released a series of new skate decks and Bunker Down, the brand's sixth video. As of 2016, Alien Workshop, led by Mike Hill phased out working with Tum-Yeto and moved all operations back to the Mound Laboratories in Miamisburg, Ohio. After a tumultuous ownership history they have returned to operations as an independent company.

Stevie Williams is a professional skateboarder who was included in the twenty-seventh position of the "30 Most Influential Skaters of All Time" list that was compiled by Transworld Skateboarding in late 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tas Pappas</span> Australian skateboarder

Tasou Micah Pappas, better known as Tas Pappas, is an Australian sponsored skateboarder. He was previously a professional skateboarder, primarily in the discipline of vert skateboarding, and competed in a number of major international events. During the 1990s, he and brother Ben Pappas were highly regarded skateboarders on a global scale, reaching the top two places in the world rankings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Koston</span> American professional skateboarder

Eric Koston is an American professional skateboarder and company owner. He has been featured in the Tony Hawk's video game series and the Electronic Arts (EA) video games Skate 2 and Skate 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mega ramp</span>

A mega ramp, or megaramp, is a large vert ramp structure, often used in skateboarding and freestyle BMX. First built in the 1990s and 2000s, megaramps are twice or more the size of earlier vert ramps.

The 1080 is a skateboarding trick that can be performed on a vertical skateboard ramp or on a mega ramp, in which the skateboarder makes three full revolutions while airborne. It was first completed successfully on a mega ramp in 2012 by American skateboarder Tom Schaar, and on a vert ramp in May 2020 by Brazilian skateboarder Gui Khury. The 1080 has only ever been landed after a fakie ollie, meaning the rider is in the normal stance, but rolling in the opposite direction, popping off of the tail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DVS Shoes</span> American footwear and clothing company

DVS Shoes is an American footwear and clothing company that specialises in products for skateboarding, moto, and snowboarding. The company defines itself as "... driven from the pursuit of building product that embodies the sports the company athletes breathe every day. With roots deeply embedded in skate, the company has the platform to develop truly technological products that bring the riders personalities to life."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jagger Eaton</span> American skateboarder

Jagger Jesse Eaton is an American professional skateboarder who currently competes in street and park competitions. He was the youngest ever X Games competitor at age 11, until his record was broken in 2019. In 2021, Eaton won the first Olympic skateboarding medal, earning a bronze in the men's street competition in Tokyo, Japan.

Guilherme 'Gui' Khury is a Brazilian skateboarder. He is the first person to land a 1080 on a vertical ramp and the youngest person to win a gold medal at the X-Games.

References

  1. 1 2 "First Ollie 720 Pulled By Jake Brown". Caught in the Crossfire. Division Media. 23 April 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Arash Markazi (28 August 2013). "AFTER THE FALL, JAKE BROWN HITS NEW HEIGHTS". X Games. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  3. 1 2 X Games; Chris Nieratko (11 July 2012). "X Games Los Angeles 2012: Face Time with Jake Brown" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  4. ↑ TWS (27 April 2012). "OG IN / REGISTER / CONNECT: JAKE BROWN & BLIND PART WAYS". TransWorld Skateboarding. GrindMedia. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  5. ↑ "Skate It Full Cast & Crew". IMDB. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  6. ↑ EA Black Box, EA Montreal, Exient Entertainment (19 November 2008). Skate It (Wii, Nintendo DS, iOS). Electronic Arts. Level/area: Intro video.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  7. ↑ MrProksy (7 August 2012). "EA Skate 2: Walkthrough – Pro Challenge – Jake Brown" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  8. 1 2 Andrew Gastelum (31 July 2013). "Jake Brown's epic fall is not forgotten". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  9. ↑ Higgins, Matt (3 August 2007). "Skateboarding's Mega Ramp Is a Draw, but Also a Danger". The New York Times . Retrieved 28 August 2009.
  10. ↑ Michael David Smith (10 August 2007). "Jake Brown X-Games Crash on Larry King". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 9 September 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  11. 1 2 3 "About". Laced Clothing on Facebook. Facebook. September 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  12. 1 2 3 4 "Jake Brown". Monster Energy. Monster Energy Company. September 2013. Archived from the original on 16 December 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  13. ↑ Blair Alley (20 November 2010). "Laced Black Friday Signing". TransWorld Skateboarding. GrindMedia. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  14. ↑ Ride Channel (13 September 2013). "Bill Weiss & Jake Brown: Skid Row, Big Air & Gay Bar Pranks! Weekend Buzz ep. 77 pt. 2" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  15. ↑ TWS (30 August 2013). "Laced Gives To Skid Row". TransWorld Skateboarding. GrindMedia. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  16. ↑ Laced LTFU (31 August 2013). "LACED GIVES TO SKID ROW HD" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  17. ↑ "Messengers". Laced Clothing. Laced Clothing. September 2013. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  18. ↑ Ride Channel (21 March 2012). "Skateboarder Jake Brown Wins/Loses 40k, and Meets Larry King on Free Lunch" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.