Rodney Mullen grew up in Florida and wanted a skateboard as a child, but his father resisted. His father perceived that older skateboarders were lousy role models who represented a counterculture way of life.
Finally, 10-year-old Rodney Mullen got his skateboard. It wasn't on Christmas, but on New Year's Day 1977. Still, Rodney's father warned that the first time he hurt himself, that would be it.

Sure enough, young Rodney Mullen took a spill. He could have twisted his ankle or scraped his knee or bruised his shoulder, but instead, Rodney knocked his teeth out. This wasn't the best "choice" for an injury. His dad placed a high value on strong, healthy teeth. His dad was a dentist! Somehow, Rodney Mullen managed to get his skateboard back. He started winning contests that same year, turned pro at age 14, and became a street skating legend.

Rodney Mullen has been called "The Thomas Edison of Skateboarding." At age 42, he's not forgotten by the younger crowd. He's known for inventing an array of tricks, such as the ollie and the kickflip, for his successors to build upon. Mullen was past his prime before skateboarders started showing their stuff all over the web, but his fans have produced tapes that have drawn as many as 1.5 million views on YouTube.

"I never really felt like I fit in (as a youngster)," Mullen once told an interviewer. "It's probably a common bond that a lot of skaters have, and I certainly felt that. I really liked the individuality of it, where you don't have to dress up all the time. You're really on your own. You didn't have a coach, no one's going to tell you what to do and it never ends in terms of the possibility of what you can do."

Despite the respect of his peers and the admiration of his successors, Rodney Mullen always will remain a sort of lone wolf. "I always like to skate at night," he said. "There's something about being alone to me that's so conducive of it all. Plus the practicalities of living in the city, because that's the time to hit things up, since no one's around."

Who knows what tricks Rodney Mullen has performed, that nobody has seen. However, he is willing to share some things, to the extent that he wrote an autobiography "The Mutt," published in 2003.

Sources:
http://www.rodneymullen.net/bio/
http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/news/2008/jan/16/q-skateboarder-rodney-mullen/

He's considered to be one of the most influential skateboarders in history, and this Santa Monica native spent most of his youth perfecting many of the skateboarding tricks that were popular in the 1960s. Skateboarder magazine reports that Tony Alva was the first ever skateboarder to perfect a stunt called the 'frontside air' trick, a seemingly simple maneuver that involves twisting and lifting the skateboard while in the air.
The frontside air involves riding up the wall at a slight angle and then lifting the board off the feet with the hands while turning around in the air. The skateboarder needs to have enough speed to reach high into the air so they have time to shift their wait and pop the board in their hand before hitting the landing spot. It's a complex maneuver for the beginning skateboarder, but is an incredible stunt to watch when it's performed properly.

Tony Alva managed to do just that at a very young age, and soon became famous for carrying out the first ever air trick in history. He and his skateboarding friends have been credited with creating the concept of a skatepark or 'bowl' inside empty swimming pools that allowed for these types of stunts to be performed. The frontside air is just one of several unique stunts that could be performed in the 'bowl' and many of the Z-Servant boys perfected these stunts to make their mark in history.

After continued success with pulling off his incredible stunts, Alva used the attention and spotlight to build a solid career in the industry, setting a new standard for professional skateboarders around the globe. He was the first ever professional skateboarder to open up his own company "Alva Skates" in 1977 at the young age of 19, and was also one of the original members of the Z-Servant boys.

Alva so moved on to the retail industry. He now owns lineup of skateboarding stores and created a cult-like following of fans who line up for his signature skateboarding gear. In addition to his amazing stunt performances for the crowds, Alva has secured sponsorships from companies such as Vestal Watches and Vans.