Tony Alva is an American skateboarder, entrepreneur, and musician. He was a pioneer of vertical skateboarding and one of the original members of the Zephyr Competition Skateboarding Team, also known as the Z-Boys.
First Frontside Air | Tony Alva
“My goal was, I wanted to be the best in the world.”
“Anybody that’s tried surfing knows that riding the waves is the reward, the easy part of it. The gnarly part is the paddling and the all of that and being able to judge point a to point b. That has a lot to do with wave knowledge and geographical situations, not to mention dealing with other people in crowded situations. So riding the wave is really the dessert, that’s the reward. Once you get to that point, it’s all gravy, you know?”
“Surfing is a lifetime. I’ve been surfing for 48 years, and I’m still learning. It’s amazing, though. It’s good for me because it’s a spiritual thing too. It’s very connected to nature and what god has provided for us. The human condition is about adapting to our surroundings and being able to enjoy the intensity of life but at the same time, it’s about making wise decisions. If you make bad decisions in surfing, boy you can get fucked up quick, not to mention drowned.”
“Health. I would say health more than anything. A big part of that is your diet and daily exercise, but also conditioning. And last but not least, I would say my sobriety is definitely a key to it. Big time. No smoking, no drinking, everything in moderation. But I would say more than anything, it’s important to have a spiritual balance in life, equanimity. That leads to happiness and joy, so there’s not always irritable discontent.”
