Bob Burnquist

Robert Dean Silva Burnquist (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈʁɔbɛʁtʃ ˈdzĩː ˈsiwvɐ bɐ̃(ɹ)ˈkwistʃ]; born October 10, 1976) is a Brazilian-American professional skateboarder who competed for Brazil throughout his career.[1][2] In 2010, he became the first skateboarder to land a "fakie 900" (900-degree reverse-natural rotation),[3] making Burnquist the fifth person in history to successfully complete the 900 trick.

This name uses Portuguese naming customs: the first or maternal family name is Silva and the second or paternal family name is Burnquist.

Bob Burnquist

Burnquist skating in Brazil, 2008
Personal information
Birth name	Robert Dean Silva Burnquist
Nationality	Brazilian-American
Citizenship	United States and Brazil
Born	(1976-10-10) October 10, 1976 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Residence	Vista, California, U.S.
Occupation	Skateboarder
Years active	1992–present
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Website	www.bobburnquist.com
Medal record Men's skateboarding Representing  Brazil Summer X Games 2000 San Francisco Vert Best Trick 2001 Philadelphia Vert 2003 Los Angeles Vert Doubles 2005 Los Angeles Vert Best Trick 2007 Los Angeles Skateboard Big Air 2008 Los Angeles Skateboard Big Air 2010 Los Angeles Skateboard Big Air Rail Jam 2011 Los Angeles Skateboard Big Air 2012 Los Angeles Skateboard Big Air 2013 Foz do Iguaçu Skateboard Big Air 2013 Barcelona Skateboard Big Air 2013 Munich Skateboard Big Air 2015 Austin Skateboard Big Air 2015 Austin Big Air Doubles 2002 Philadelphia Vert 2002 Philadelphia Vert Doubles 2006 Los Angeles Vert 2009 Los Angeles Skateboard Big Air 2009 Los Angeles Skateboard Big Air Rail Jam 2010 Los Angeles Skateboard Big Air 2014 Austin Skateboard Big Air 2015 Austin Vert Best Trick 1997 San Diego Vert 1998 San Diego Vert Doubles 1999 San Francisco Vert Best Trick 2001 Philadelphia Vert Best Trick 2006 Los Angeles Vert Best Trick 2006 Los Angeles Skateboard Big Air 2010 Los Angeles Vert Best Trick 2013 Los Angeles Skateboard Big Air

Early life

Burnquist was born in Brazil to an American father of Swedish descent and a Brazilian mother. He began his skateboarding training in his hometown of São Paulo at 11 years old, and turned professional at 14.[4] He holds dual citizenship in Brazil and the United States.[5]

Career

Bob Burnquist's specialties are in switch stance skateboarding, and in creating innovative vert tricks. Burnquist has always tried to find new ways to make his tricks more creative, and more difficult. Burnquist has a signature trick called the "One-footed Smith grind".

In 2000, Burnquist won the X Games' best trick contest, with his famous Fakie 5-0 with a fakie kickflip off of the grind bar.[6]

Burnquist's biggest success to date came in the vert contest at the 2001 X Games. Prior to his final run (the last run of the event), Burnquist was sitting in second place behind two-time defending champion, Bucky Lasek. Burnquist produced a flawless run, including multiple tricks that had never been seen before and, as a result, were unnamed. During the run, commentator Tony Hawk went hoarse and nearly lost his voice while screaming in disbelief. Burnquist was rewarded with a score of 98 out of 100, the second highest score ever given in any X Games skateboarding event, behind only Bucky Lasek's score of a 98.50 the year before.[7]

Burnquist won a gold medal in the 2005 X Games Best Trick vert contest, placing fourth in the Vert section, and sixth in the Big Air contest.[8]

In 2006, Burnquist completed a BASE jump after attempting a 50-50 into the Grand Canyon. The first attempt nearly cost Burnquist his life after he missed the rail and fell out of control, before regaining himself and successfully deploying his parachute. After some adjustments to the take-off ramp, his second attempt went flawlessly. This stunt was shown in an episode of the television show Stunt Junkies.

At the 2013 X Games in Barcelona, Burnquist achieved two more feats: the first was becoming the first skater to ever win gold on four consecutive occasions in Skateboard Big Air (2011–2012 in Los Angeles, 2013 Foz do Iguaçu, 2013 Barcelona being his prior victories). The second, was tying BMX legend, Dave Mirra, as the athlete with the most career X Games medals, with 24.[9] In the 2013 X Games in Munich, Burnquist continued to make history by winning another gold medal in Skateboard Big Air, thus extending his win streak in the event to 5 consecutive years - another new record, and making him the sole owner of the record for most career X Games medals in history, with 25.[10]

At X Games Austin 2015, Burnquist won the gold medal in Skateboard Big Air, after having sustained a non-displaced fracture of his left forearm which he suffered during Vert practice the same week.[11] On Day 3, Burnquist won another gold medal in Big Air Doubles, in its very first appearance in X Games. His partner was BMX rider Morgan Wade as they scored a total of 90 points (43 from Morgan, 47 from Burnquist).[12] Burnquist finished off Austin 2015 with a silver in Vert best trick,[13] this results brought Burnquist to a total of 30 X Games medals, of which 14 are gold.

At X Games Minneapolis 2017, Burnquist announced his retirement from the X Games.[14] Burnquist retired with the record of the most X Games medals won with a total of 30 (14 gold, 8 silver and 8 bronze) and as the only person having competed in every single X Games summer event (his first being in 1995, every year through to 2017).[15][16]

Bob Burnquist's Dreamland

Burnquist's home in Vista, California is home to his private world renowned skate park known as 'Dreamland'. The first build in his backyard skate park was a Wooden Vert Bowl (which was later concreted). This was followed by a Metal full pipe, a loop with an opening gap in the roof (Built for King of Skate 2002[17]) and a corkscrew.

The Vert Bowl has been skated by dozens of famous skateboarders, including Colin McKay, Tony Hawk, Rune Glifberg, Bucky Lasek, and Lincoln Ueda, and has been featured in hundreds of magazines and videos, including Tony Hawk's Trick Tips and Thrasher Magazine.[18]

The biggest build on the site is the world-renowned Megaramp.[19] Burnquist's Megaramp is one of the world's few permanent Mega Ramps.[20] The ramp is made up of a 50–70 foot gap jump, followed straight away by a 30 foot quarterpipe.[21] Burnquist opens the ramp to other professionals to enable them to train for Mega ramp competitions and to help advance the progress of tricks on the Mega Ramp. Renowned skateboarders such as Elliot Sloan, Danny Way and Jake Brown have all regularly made use of the ramp.[22]

The latest major addition to the park was a hip ramp built at a 90° angle to the quarter pipe section of the Mega Ramp. This addition was built in 2013 as part of the filming of Bob Burnquist's video part 'Dreamland'.[23]

In 2013 Bob Burnquist, alongside his sponsor Oakley, released a major video part titled 'Oakley's-Bob Burnquist's "Dreamland"'. The video is all filmed within the Dreamland compound.[24]

Media

In 1994, Burnquist appeared in a short clip talking about the effects of gravity on the second episode (aptly titled "Gravity") of the first season of "Bill Nye, the Science Guy."

Burnquist has been featured in the hit video game, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and has appeared in every game in the Tony Hawk series up to Tony Hawk's Proving Ground, with the exception of Pro Skater 3, due to a result of his appearance in another skateboarding game, ESPN X Games Skateboarding, during that time.

In 2004, Burnquist made a guest appearance as himself on the popular TV series, Kim Possible.[25] Burnquist was also featured in a commercial for Aero chocolate bars. He also made a brief cameo in the skateboarding movie Grind.

In 2013, Burnquist appeared as himself on Season 2 Episode 4 of Stan Lee's SuperHumans. [26]

Personal life

. He is married (2013)to Vivi Zanini Burnquist and they spend their time between Rio de Janeiro and California.

He had also started the Bob Burnquist Foundation to bring knowledge about organic farming and gardening to schools, and was one of the founders of the Action Sports Environmental Coalition, a nonprofit organization that brings ecological awareness to skateboarders, surfers and BMXers. In an interview in 2010, Burnquist stated, "Well, the latest is that we're working with a restaurant chain called the Chipotle Grill- they've got good values, trying to make food with integrity- and I'm starting an organic garden that they've committed to studying and seeing what they can use in their own kitchens."[27]

Filmography

• és Menikmati
• Anti Hero's self entitled Video "Anti Hero"
• Anti Hero's First Video "Fucktards"
• Tony Hawk's Gigantic Skatepark Tour: 2000, 2001 and 2002
• The Firm's "Can't Stop"
• Flip's "Extremely Sorry"
• Viva La Bam
• A Hurley International skateboarding documentary entitled "Hallowed Ground"
• Oakley's-Bob Burnquist's "Dreamland"

Contest history

• 2nd in 2015 X Games Austin Vert Best Trick
• 1st in 2015 X Games Austin Big Air Doubles
• 1st in 2015 X Games Austin Big Air
• 2nd in 2014 X Games Austin Big Air
• 3rd in 2013 X Games Los Angeles Big Air
• 1st in 2013 X Games Munich Big Air
• 1st in 2013 X Games Barcelona Big Air
• 1st in 2013 X Games Foz do Iguacu Big Air
• 1st in 2012 X Games Big Air
• 1st in 2011 X Games Big Air
• 1st in 2010 X Games Big Air Rail Jam
• 3rd in 2010 X Games Vert Best Trick
• 2nd in 2010 X Games Big Air
• 2nd in 2009 X Games Big Air
• 2nd in 2009 X Games Big Air Rail Jam
• 3rd in 2009 Maloof Money Cup
• 1st in 2008 X Games Big Air
• 1st in 2007 X Games Big Air
• 2nd in 2006 X Games Vert
• 3rd in 2006 X Games Vert Best Trick
• 3rd in 2006 X Games Big Air
• 1st in 2006 The Coolio Games
• 1st in 2005 X Games Vert Best Trick
• 1st in 2003 X Games vert doubles (with Bucky Lasek)
• 2nd in 2002 X Games vert doubles (with Bucky Lasek)
• 2nd in 2002 X Games Vert
• 3rd in 2001 X Games Vert Best Trick
• 1st in 2001 X Games vert
• 1st in 2001 Slam City Jam vert.
• 1st in 2000 X Games Vert Best Trick
• 1st in 2000 Slam City Jam vert.
• 3rd in 1999 X Games Vert Best Trick
• 3rd in 1998 X Games Vert Doubles
• 3rd in 1997 X Games Vert
• 4th in 1996 Gravity Games Jam vert.
• 1st in 1995 Slam City Jam vert.

References

1. Ruibal, Sal (June 18, 2008). "Skateboarder Burnquist strikes a balance on Dew Tour - USATODAY.com". USA Today. Retrieved January 22, 2010.
2. Thomas, Pete (August 4, 2006). "Event No Longer Simply Child's Play". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on August 20, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
4. "Bob Burnquist - Biography". Retrieved December 20, 2015.
5. "Bob Burnquist Pro Spotlight | TransWorld SKATEboarding". skateboarding.transworld.net. 1999-08-03. Retrieved January 19, 2017.
6. Rosen, Adam. "The 10 Sickest Tricks from Past Summer X Games".
7. https://web.archive.org/web/20071009212725/http://expn.go.com/xgames/sxg/2000/s/010822_skateresults.html. Archived from the original on October 9, 2007. Retrieved September 26, 2007. Missing or empty |title= (help)
8. "Bob Burnquist". ESPN Action Sports. ESPN Internet Ventures. 2012. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved September 16, 2012.
9. Colin Bane (May 17, 2013). "Bob Burnquist defends Skate Big Air title". espn. Retrieved October 27, 2013.
10. "X Games Munich 2013 -- Bob Burnquist wins Skateboard Big Air".
11. Carberry, Joe. "X Games Day 2: Burnquist's legacy builds, Bestwick passes torch".
12. "Bob Burnquist and Morgan Wade win gold in Big Air Doubles".
13. "Bob Burnquist's official X Games athlete biography".
14. "Bob Burnquist announces X Games retirement".
15. "Bob Burnquist's official X Games athlete biography".
16. "Bob Burnquist announces X Games retirement - ESPN Video". 2017-07-15.
17. "Pioneer: Bob Burquist, Full Interview—Antihero to the Mega | Skateboarding Photos and Video". 2013-07-30.
18. Skim the Fat, Bob Burnquist videography
19. Higgins, Matt (November 1, 2006). "A Skateboarding Ramp Reaches for the Sky". The New York Times. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
20. New York Times, A Skateboarding Ramp Reaches for the Sky, November 1, 2006.
21. Higgins, Matt (November 2006). "A Skateboarding Ramp Reaches for the Sky". The New York Times.
22. "Skater's MegaRamp is 'Dreamland' for pros". June 2016.
23. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gqr7WUdb-Y0
24. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSnfO15cAHE&t=8s
25. "Triple S".
26. "Stan Lee's Superhumans Full Episodes, Video & More - HISTORY".
27. "Contender.com - Negotiate Tickets, Not The Nonsense". Archived from the original on May 1, 2011.

External links

• Bob Burnquist at the X Games