Lonnie Toft
American skateboarder and snowboarder from California / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Lonnie Toft is a 1970s era American professional skateboarder and snowboarder from Southern California who has also been extensively involved with surfing, wakeboarding and standup paddleboarding. He was one of the first skateboarders to ride a broader, almost shoe-width boards (20cm-25cm wide).[2] He is the inventor of the eight-wheeled skateboard and along with Gordy Lienemann created the G-turn maneuver. He is also the co-creator of the snowboard[3] and was subsequently one of the first professional skateboarders to embrace and promote snowboarding.
Lonnie Toft | |
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Born | May 1958[1] Oxnard, California, U.S. |
Occupation(s) | Skateboarder, Snowboarder, inventor |
Toft was originally sponsored by Pepsi in the early 1970s, performing at skateboarding exhibitions across the United States. Then, in 1976, he became a team rider for the California-based action sports company SIMS who manufactured both skateboards and snowboards. The Sims company's first production snowboard, then called a skiboard was a Lonnie Toft Model skateboard deck attached to a polyethylene molded bottom.[4] In April 1979, Toft appeared on the cover of the magazine Skateboarder.[5][6]
In 2018 Toft was cited by the online portal Surfer Today as one of the most influential skaters in history[7] and in 2021, Toft was inducted into the Skateboarding Hall of Fame.[8]
In a video filmed for the Skateboarding Hall of Fame's official website, world champion skateboarder Tony Hawk[9] spoke of Toft, "Lonnie Toft was an awesome surfer and skater." In the same video, skateboarding pioneer Lance Mountain[10] says of Toft, "He is remembered for the eight wheeled board the most, but that is really just a reflection of how innovative this guy was. He pushed the limits of skateboarding and what skateboarding is or could be. He was an innovator. We all grew up on Lonnie Toft." And Todd Haber from the Skateboarding Hall of Fame executive committee said, "He brought us the eight-wheeler. He was also an early advocate of the wide boards and snub noses. A guy from that era that always looked rad on a skateboard."[11][12]