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1970's Male Skater
Mike Kaufmann
Mike Kaufmann began his career in the sports world as a young competitive surfer from
Atlantic Beach, Florida. Following in his brother’s footsteps, Mike was soon known as
the kid to beat at many surfing contests around the southeast region of the United States. Surfing led to a career in skateboarding where Kaufmann was one of only a few East Coast skaters to become a “Z Boy,” skating for the legendary Z Flex skateboard team. Mike traveled and competed in the East Coast contests, he led the Z-East team and was as 100% skater as any of us were. He skated and hung out with Shogo Kubo, Dennis Agnew (Polar Bear), George Wilson, Plumer, Bob Biniak, Humpston, Muir, Chris Cahill, Jay Adams and others, all in the beginning days
of vertical skating and he represented Florida all over the country. Mike is in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 4, he was in Skate Rider nine times and he should be in The Florida Skateboarding Hall of Fame. As many guys from our era are in it, Mike was one hell of an ambassador for Florida.
1980's Male Skater
Brad Baxter
Donny Griffin
Donny Griffin
Born in Clearwater and raised in Indian Harbor Beach, Brad started skating in 1978, spending time at both Indian Harbor Beach Skatepark and Clearwater Skatepark. After the closure of both parks around 1980, Brad began frequenting backyard ramps and exploring the emerging possibilities of street skating in and around his hometown of IHB. While in High School, Brad landed a sponsorship with a surf/skate shop in neighboring Satellite Beach that eventually spawned the short lived company Kama Kazie skateboards. Kama Kazie released Brad’s first signature model in late 1985 and ran ads in both Thrasher and Transworld Skateboarding. After leaving Kama Kazie, Brad spent time successfully competing throughout central and south Florida street contests riding for a variety of companies including Atlantic Skates and Skull Skates, accumulating over a dozen top three finishes, most of them first place. In 1987 Brad was approached by Mark Lake and offered a sponsorship with Lake skates. Brad’s first model for Lake Skates was released in 1988 and was soon followed by the addition of OJ wheels, Motobilt trucks and Sundek clothing sponsorships. Brad appeared in multiple ads for Lake Skates in Thrasher and Transworld skateboarding in addition to several submitted photos making it into issues of both magazines. Though injured in his first pro contest, Brad continued skating with Lake Skates in demos for the next 2 years.
A carpenter by trade, Brad spent 13 years traveling the U.S. and abroad building skateparks for Vans and other private facilities, as well as working on competition courses for the Gravity Games, the Vans Triple Crown, Red Bull, and the first 10 years of the Dew Tour. Brad currently lives in Ohio and is lucky enough be building custom cabinets for a company owned by a skater with a private indoor ramp which he skates regularly.
Donny Griffin
Donny Griffin
Donny Griffin
Donny Griffin, also known as the human pad around the famed Jacksonville, Florida skatepark Kona, was asked to join the Bones Brigade by Stacy Peralta alongside his skate buddy Kevin Lambert in the early eighties….featured in the cult classic video “Animal Chin” he instantly gained the respect of skateboarders around the World!
He influenced a decade of younger skaters
1990's Male Skater
Clyde Singleton
Clyde Singleton
Clyde Singleton
Began skateboarding in 1986. Singleton went pro in 1994 for 101 skateboards. From there he had pro model boards on 23 Skateboards and Aesthetics until 2003. He was a staple in all of the skateboard magazines including being on the cover of Big Brother in 1997 which he also wrote for. He is known for a take no bullshit attitude that comes across in his skating and sharp wit. He still skates, is a chef, and has a podcast where he interviews prominent players in skateboarding called WCRP on Skateboarding.
Mike Peterson
Clyde Singleton
Clyde Singleton
We all remember when 10 year old Mike started showing up at Kona back in 85. He was hard to miss because he was skateboarding with all his heart. He’s had a fruitful career as a pro skater for Consolidated Skateboards . His aggression, whether it’s a ledge or some pool coping in the backyard is all stoke. He has also given back to the skate scene by opening The Block Skateshop in Jacksonville. You will always find him slapping high-fives with the kids at the park, or out shredding with his crew, Mike will be ripping as hard as ever no matter where or with who. A true ambassador of skateboarding and worthy of recognition.
Scott Conklin
Clyde Singleton
Scott Conklin
Scott started skating in with his older brother Lance in 1984. He Turned pro for Alien Workshop in 1990 and appeared in one of the most influential videos of the 90's, Alien Workshop's Memory Screen. He helped keep Tampa on the map for skateboarding as the focus in the industry from vert to street was in full swing by then. Them streets were mean and Scott would hold it down.
Here is what his Lance has to say about it: "Learn your history. I witnessed handrail skating change in front of my eyes. I filmed him doing things that weren't done yet. We're brothers, competitive as fuck. On the streets, he was way better than me. But he didn't skate vert, so there I win."
FEMale Skater
Debbi Michon
Debbi Michon
Debbi Michon
Debbi was on the Fox Skateboard team in an era where there were little to no females skating at her level. She was a stand out of the 70's era for female skaters
Judith Cohen
Debbi Michon
Debbi Michon
Judith grew up in North Miami, honing her skateboarding skills on the Haulover Bridge underpass, streets and ditches across South Florida. In 1976, she was selected as a team rider for Brewer Skateboards, performing at Disneyworld and competed with the team at the Central Florida Skateboard Championships at Skateboard City.
In 1977, she relocated to San Diego, and became a team rider at Carlsbad Skate Park in California, That same year, she performed with industry pros at the inaugural Skateboard Expo in Southern California.
She rode for Brewer Skateboards, Logan Earthski, Bahne, Tracker Trucks, Vans, and Sims
(Photo: Lance Smith)
DAVE ELLIS INNOVATION AND LIFER AWARD
Bob Harkness (OMB)
Bob Harkness (OMB)
Bob Harkness (OMB)
Frank Baagoe
Bob Harkness (OMB)
Bob Harkness (OMB)
Industry
Vinton Pacetti
Vinton Pacetti is as true a Floridian as you can get. His family has real depth in Florida in the nations oldest city of St Augustine. There are streets and schools in our community with the name Pacetti, that’s how far his family goes back.
He started out as a seamstress with his mom’s company making seat covers, sails, and other marine and nautical items for the St Augustine boating industry. He had a ramp in his backyard and started to take apart his rector knee pads and would rework them with materials from the marine industry. He wound up designing his own knee pads and then started his own company. Originally all the 187 pads were hand sewn in his garage and shipped out around the country. He grew the company large enough to where he had to outsource himself and have a manufacturing company take over the bulk of the process. 187 Pads are now probably one of the best known and most worn pads in the industry. He even has Tony Hack and Olympians that where his gear.
Vinton is still an avid skater and rips and has been skating for decades.
Friends of florida
Tom Groholski
Tom is from New Jersey and was feature on the cover of Thrasher December 1982 skating his backyard plexiglass ramp his family bought after the closing of a skatepark.. He was a Cherry Hill local and Ripped. Among his first sponsors were Madrid and had his first pro model on Vision. He transplanted to Florida when Stone Edge got built in Daytona and never left.