Alan Gelfand
Encyclopedia
Alan "OLLIE" Gelfand is the inventor of the ollie
, a skateboarding
trick.
to Hollywood, Florida
with his family in 1968. Alan "Ollie" Gelfand started skateboarding in 1974 after his father bought him his first skateboard. In 1976 he won the South Florida Skateboard Championships. That same year the first concrete skateboard parks began to appear in the United States with the first being Skateboard City just up the coast in Port Orange, Florida. In 1977 Hollywood would get its own park called Skateboard USA and it would be here that Gelfand would get his first notice in the skate press. His first published photograph was taken by Craig Snyder
, a fellow Hollywood skater and photographer. It would be another Hollywood skater by the name of Scott Goodman who would give Gelfand his nickname of "Ollie" and who would name Gelfand's accidental aerial lipslide an Ollie Pop.
Skateboard USA with its imperfect walls was atypical of the first-generation skate parks and it was the over-vertical sections of the park which played a significant role in Gelfand's development of the Ollie Pop. In late 1977 California pro Stacy Peralta
visited the Solid Surf Skate Park in Fort Lauderdale where he met Gelfand and observed with some disbelief his no-handed maneuver. By 1978 the Ollie Air was born, known today simply as the ollie.
After Peralta formed Powell Peralta
with George Powell, Gelfand was recruited as the first member of the new team joining Peralta and Ray "Bones" Rodriquez. This team later became known as the Bones Brigade and came to include other Florida skaters of the 70s such as Mike McGill
, inventor of the 540 aerial or "McTwist" in 1984, and Rodney Mullen
who during the 1980’s helped foster the ollie for use on flat ground. Tony Hawk
would be another Bones Brigade member to benefit from the ollie. On vert he used the maneuver as a way to achieve higher air when doing tricks. By the mid 1980s the ollie had transformed trick skating in its three disciplines of vert, freestyle and street. Most skateboard tricks today in street skating are now based on this maneuver.
In the late 1990’s ollie became an official entry in the Oxford English Dictionary
but the origin was listed as unknown. In February 2004 the Oxford English Dictionary rectified the listing giving Alan "Ollie" Gelfand credit as the name and originator behind the 1977 maneuver. In July 2006 the Merriam-Webster
followed suit adding Gelfand and his ollie to its dictionary.
During the 1980s Gelfand turned to racing cars driving Volkswagen's and winning many of the Sports Car Club of America SCCA races. In 1987 Gelfand won the World Karting Association, or WKA Grand National Championship. From there he went on to win four 24-hour races driving VW's he custom-built in a shop called "Ollieprep". In 2001 Gelfand raced in the Grand Am Cup behind the wheel of a 2000 model Porsche
986 Boxster. Gelfand continued racing for another year with visits to winners circle in several national competitions.
In 2001 Gelfand returned to skateboarding. In 2002 he opened a venue in Hollywood, Florida called Olliewood
which features a 48 foot bowl built by the Team Pain crew.Alan Ollie Gelfand married Sharon Lisa Israel in 2006. He also owns the largest dealer alternative for service of VW & Audi and SUV's called German Car Depot (Name changed from V DEPOT in 2009) in Hollywood Florida.
In 1995 to present Alan Ollie Gelfand loves to collect Vintage skateboards on Ebay
and Sell parts for Volkswagen and Audi vehicles
Ollie (skateboarding trick)
The ollie is a skateboarding trick where the rider and board leap into the air without the use of the rider's hands. Particularly on flat ground, it is not intuitively obvious how the liftoff is achieved, making the trick visually striking....
, a skateboarding
Skateboarding
Skateboarding is an action sport which involves riding and performing tricks using a skateboard.Skateboarding can be a recreational activity, an art form, a job, or a method of transportation. Skateboarding has been shaped and influenced by many skateboarders throughout the years. A 2002 report...
trick.
Life and career
Gelfand moved from New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to Hollywood, Florida
Hollywood, Florida
-Demographics:As of 2000, there were 59,673 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.5% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 34.4% of all households were made up of...
with his family in 1968. Alan "Ollie" Gelfand started skateboarding in 1974 after his father bought him his first skateboard. In 1976 he won the South Florida Skateboard Championships. That same year the first concrete skateboard parks began to appear in the United States with the first being Skateboard City just up the coast in Port Orange, Florida. In 1977 Hollywood would get its own park called Skateboard USA and it would be here that Gelfand would get his first notice in the skate press. His first published photograph was taken by Craig Snyder
Craig Snyder
Craig Snyder is an American poet, writer and photographer. He is also a historian of skateboard culture.-Life and career:Born and raised in South Florida, Snyder would become a witness to the skateboard revolution which took place during the 1970s...
, a fellow Hollywood skater and photographer. It would be another Hollywood skater by the name of Scott Goodman who would give Gelfand his nickname of "Ollie" and who would name Gelfand's accidental aerial lipslide an Ollie Pop.
Skateboard USA with its imperfect walls was atypical of the first-generation skate parks and it was the over-vertical sections of the park which played a significant role in Gelfand's development of the Ollie Pop. In late 1977 California pro Stacy Peralta
Stacy Peralta
Stacy Peralta is an American director and entrepreneur. Peralta was previously a professional skateboarder and surfer with the professional skateboarding group, the Z-Boys.-Early life:...
visited the Solid Surf Skate Park in Fort Lauderdale where he met Gelfand and observed with some disbelief his no-handed maneuver. By 1978 the Ollie Air was born, known today simply as the ollie.
After Peralta formed Powell Peralta
Powell Peralta
Powell Peralta is an American skateboard company founded by George Powell and Stacy Peralta in 1978. The company rose to prominence in the 1980s as skateboarding began maturing as a sport. The company featured the Bones Brigade, a team of the era's top competitors...
with George Powell, Gelfand was recruited as the first member of the new team joining Peralta and Ray "Bones" Rodriquez. This team later became known as the Bones Brigade and came to include other Florida skaters of the 70s such as Mike McGill
Mike McGill
Mike McGill is an American skateboarder. He is best known for inventing the McTwist, an inverted 540 degree mute grabbed aerial which he first performed on a wooden half-pipe in Sweden in 1984 and then at the Del Mar Skate Ranch in a concrete bowl when he returned to the US. He was inspired by...
, inventor of the 540 aerial or "McTwist" in 1984, and Rodney Mullen
Rodney Mullen
John Rodney Mullen is a professional freestyle and street skateboarder. He is widely acknowledged as one of the most innovative and influential street skaters in the history of skateboarding...
who during the 1980’s helped foster the ollie for use on flat ground. Tony Hawk
Tony Hawk
Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk , nicknamed "The Birdman" is an American retired professional skateboarder and actor. Hawk gained significant fame for completing the first 900 as well as his licensed video game titles distributed by Activision...
would be another Bones Brigade member to benefit from the ollie. On vert he used the maneuver as a way to achieve higher air when doing tricks. By the mid 1980s the ollie had transformed trick skating in its three disciplines of vert, freestyle and street. Most skateboard tricks today in street skating are now based on this maneuver.
In the late 1990’s ollie became an official entry in the Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
but the origin was listed as unknown. In February 2004 the Oxford English Dictionary rectified the listing giving Alan "Ollie" Gelfand credit as the name and originator behind the 1977 maneuver. In July 2006 the Merriam-Webster
Merriam-Webster
Merriam–Webster, which was originally the G. & C. Merriam Company of Springfield, Massachusetts, is an American company that publishes reference books, especially dictionaries that are descendants of Noah Webster’s An American Dictionary of the English Language .Merriam-Webster Inc. has been a...
followed suit adding Gelfand and his ollie to its dictionary.
Later years
Gelfand stopped skateboarding in 1981 because of knee injuries, general burn-out and the shutdown of most U.S. skate parks during the previous year.During the 1980s Gelfand turned to racing cars driving Volkswagen's and winning many of the Sports Car Club of America SCCA races. In 1987 Gelfand won the World Karting Association, or WKA Grand National Championship. From there he went on to win four 24-hour races driving VW's he custom-built in a shop called "Ollieprep". In 2001 Gelfand raced in the Grand Am Cup behind the wheel of a 2000 model Porsche
Porsche
Porsche Automobil Holding SE, usually shortened to Porsche SE a Societas Europaea or European Public Company, is a German based holding company with investments in the automotive industry....
986 Boxster. Gelfand continued racing for another year with visits to winners circle in several national competitions.
In 2001 Gelfand returned to skateboarding. In 2002 he opened a venue in Hollywood, Florida called Olliewood
Olliewood
Olliewood is the name of an indoor recreation center which houses a skateboard bowl in Hollywood, Florida. It is owned by Alan Gelfand, the skater who created the Ollie. The moniker of the facility is derived from the name of his hometown, where he still lives, and his nickname “Ollie.” It consists...
which features a 48 foot bowl built by the Team Pain crew.Alan Ollie Gelfand married Sharon Lisa Israel in 2006. He also owns the largest dealer alternative for service of VW & Audi and SUV's called German Car Depot (Name changed from V DEPOT in 2009) in Hollywood Florida.
In 1995 to present Alan Ollie Gelfand loves to collect Vintage skateboards on Ebay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
and Sell parts for Volkswagen and Audi vehicles
Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen Group is a German multinational automobile manufacturing group. , Volkswagen was ranked as the world’s third largest motor vehicle manufacturer and Europe's largest....