Skateboarder- Chris Cole

Chris had made the determination that he would go to college and make his way in life by skateboarding full-time. Chris was raised in Levittown, PA outside of Philadelphia. He holds the Northeast corridor and the makeup of the people residing there near and dear to his heart. He likens their notorious rudeness to a hardened exterior shell. Once penetrated, the shell makes way for deeper and much more meaningful connections. While in the Philadelphia area, Chris entered into local and regional skateboarding contests starting in his pre-teen years. He won them early and he won them often. He quickly established himself as an elite talent and landed corporate sponsorships by the age of 16. From there, it was like a jet fueled propulsion with only momentary stops to collect a trophy or receive an award. Chris credits the development of his riding style to his willingness to shred and skate all physical obstacles that present themselves in the realm of street skating. He never wanted to be limited to just being great on ledges or handrails. He wanted to crush gaps, ramps, and anything and everything there was to conquer. It was this approach to street skating that garnered him a string of accolades, yet to cease or slow from being bestowed upon him. He has received honors from the industry and direct praise from the fans like Transworld Skateboarding’s "Readers Choice Award". He has the rarified distinction of being only one of two skaters twice named Thrasher Magazine’s “Skater of the Year” (2005 & 2009). The Dew Tour, Maloof Money Cup, and Battle of the Berrics 2 are just a partial listing of contests he wrapped up for victory. There was also the back-to-back gold medals he won in consecutive years at the X Games, ESPN's elite action sports event. The multitude of victories and mounting press coverage of Chris swung the door of opportunity wide open for him. He became a featured rider in the smash hit video games "Skate" and "Skate 2" while also making numerous appearances in videos such as "Bam Margera: CKY2K". In early 2011, Chris was brought into Zero Skateboards as an official shareholder. Chris, who has been a long time Zero team rider, will now have an active role in the future direction of the brand. Chris also announced another major piece of news in 2011, as DC Shoes signed Chris to their elite skate team. Chris and DC are already busy at work together developing signature footwear. While the physical expressions that Chris was able to display on a board clearly played a major role in all these triumphs, he attributes the success to something much simpler than that - Fun. If Chris is not having fun, then he is not winning contests. The foundation of his career advancement has been the passion and pure joy he has in his soul for skateboarding. It is a wholehearted desire for riding and competing that words on a page fall short of describing. It is the kind of infatuation that can make a 14-year-old boy be acutely aware that instead of college, his future belongs thrashing through history.