Mark Gonzales

Mark Gonzales (born June 1, 1969), also known as "Gonz," is a professional skateboarder and artist. He is known in the skateboarding world as the pioneer of modern street skateboarding, currently skateboarding's most popular form. Gonz came on the skateboarding scene at age 15 with a modern approach to street skating and made the cover of Thrasher magazine's November 1984 issue, riding a board from Alva, by whom he was sponsored at the time. He w... more

Mark Gonzales (born June 1, 1969), also known as "Gonz," is a professional skateboarder and artist. He is known in the skateboarding world as the pioneer of modern street skateboarding, currently skateboarding's most popular form. Gonz came on the skateboarding scene at age 15 with a modern approach to street skating and made the cover of Thrasher magazine's November 1984 issue, riding a board from Alva, by whom he was sponsored at the time. He was soon to be picked up for sponsorship by a new company with big ideas, called Vision Skateboards. In 1986, Gonzales performed a groundbreaking ollie at the Embarcadero in San Francisco. So historic was this incident for skateboarding, it became forever known as the "Gonz Gap" and helped make the Embarcadero a popular location for skateboarders. In 1986, Gonzales and Natas Kaupas were the first skaters to skate handrails, thus cementing his contribution to street skating's early to intermediate stages. Oh yeah! In 1987, he became one of the... less