RoDnEy MuLlEn

Hello my name is John Rodney Mullen. I was born on, August 17 1966 in Gainesville, Florida. I am currently in school at the University of Florida studying to be a Biomedical Engineer. I am also married to Traci Mullen.

When I was a kid, I was sponsored by Inland Surf Shop. After I won first place at the Kona contest in 1979, after that competition I was sponsored by Walker Skateboards when I was only 13. My dad said I would never be a good skateboarder, so that influenced me to try skateboarding more. My father was also a doctor so he only allowed me to skateboard if I wore pads and I would have to quit after my first injury, I was sponsored 9 months after I started skateboarding. In 1980 when I was 13 I turned pro when I won a freestyle competition and began skateboarding for Powell Peralta Bones Brigade team. Not only did I win first place in all of my competitions I was also sponsored at the age of 13.

I first started skateboarding because it wasn’t organized or coached. You didn’t need to be perfect, nobody telling you, that you have to be better than that person or you weren’t good enough. Everybody just did their own thing.

I have made up tons of the current tricks people do today,like, kickflip, heelflip, and 360 flip. I still skate, not in competitions, but just on the streets 2 hours a day. I’ve only lost one freestyle competition in my entire life! And in the contest I came 2nd because I was sick!

I display courage all the time in skateboarding because I am not afraid to do hard tricks and try something new. I also display determination because I want to be good and prove to my dad and the world I can skateboard.I think I am an amazing skateboarder. I made skateboarding as popular as it is right now. I never gave up on my dreams and I invented tons of tricks.