Alex Perelson
Encyclopedia
Alex Perelson is a professional skateboarder
living in San Diego. Perelson began vert skateboarding
in 1999 and turned professional in 2005.
According to an article about him in the North County Times
, Perelson wanted to become a professional skateboarder from the time he started skating at age nine.
At thirteen years old, he won first place at the Dam Am Vert competition in Costa Mesa, California
and threw down a 540
in his final run. His professional career began in 2005 when, at age sixteen, he took second place at the LG Action Sports World Championship in Manchester, England and received a $20,000 prize. He's since appeared at events in Copenhagen
, Mexico City
, Dubai
(where he was during his seventeenth birthday) and various locations within the United States
.
In order to better pursue his career, Perelson withdrew from Grossmont High School
in 10th grade in order to attend San Diego Charter School
and to be allowed more flexibility in his schedule. His choice has meant missing high school football
games and proms but he remarked "I wouldn't go to those anyways".
He's the youngest skater in the vert field and is also the only rookie
. He competed in the AST Dew Tour 2007 and finished sixth out of the ten riders, telling the Washington Post in an interview "Those are probably the best runs I've ever done in my life." He won an $8000 prize for fourth place at the X Games
in Los Angeles
"with back-to-back 540s and 720s
in his run."
He then qualified for the AST Dew Tour on his first attempt at the Panasonic Open, and secured a nomination for the "PlayStation
Trick of the Week" at the Right Guard Open that same season which was, according to an article in The San Diego Union-Tribune
, a "breakout summer" for the young athlete.
Regarding his long range career goals, the young athlete has said:
And he became the 4th person ever to pull the 900.
Alex also won $75,000 in the Maloof Money Cup presented by Monster Energy. He pulled off the 900 to secure his number one spot in the vert comp.
now includes 187 Pads, Monster Energy Drink
, Sun Diego Boardshops, Vans
, olcom], Protec] and Real Skateboards.
. He has an older sister and a younger brother named Brandon, who is also a skater; his father, Glenn, is a cardiologist.
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...
living in San Diego. Perelson began vert skateboarding
Vert skateboarding
Vert skateboarding is a term used to refer to riding a skateboard on a vertical ramp that is a larger version of a halfpipe. Many people use vert ramps in trick skateboarding as well as vert skateboarding...
in 1999 and turned professional in 2005.
Career
Perelson has been referred to as "San Diego's Favored Son" and according to one appraisal:Not since the coming of fellow skateboarders Shaun WhiteShaun WhiteShaun Roger White is an American professional snowboarder and skateboarder. He is a two-time Olympic gold medalist. He rides regular stance, twelve and negative three degrees on his board.-Early life:Shaun White is an Irish American...
and Ryan ShecklerRyan ShecklerRyan Allen Sheckler is an American professional skateboarder and was the star of the MTV reality show, Life of Ryan.-Early life:...
has there been a young skater who poses such dominant talent in his age group...the consensus is unanimous; Alex Perelson is the future of vert skateboarding.
According to an article about him in the North County Times
North County Times
The North County Times is a local newspaper in north San Diego County, California owned by Lee Enterprises. It is headquartered in Escondido. The current publisher is Peter York....
, Perelson wanted to become a professional skateboarder from the time he started skating at age nine.
"It looked like fun," Perelson said, "so I got one (skateboardSkateboardA skateboard is typically a specially designed plywood board combined with a polyurethane coating used for making smoother slides and stronger durability, used primarily for the activity of skateboarding. The first skateboards to reach public notice came out of the surfing craze of the early 1960s,...
) of my own and started doing it more and more, and pretty soon I was at the skateparkSkateparkA skatepark is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, aggressive inline skating and scooters. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, quarter pipes, spine transfers, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, pyramids, banked ramps, full pipes, pools, bowls, snake runs stairsets,...
six hours a day."
At thirteen years old, he won first place at the Dam Am Vert competition in Costa Mesa, California
Costa Mesa, California
Costa Mesa is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 109,960 at the 2010 census. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to a primarily suburban and "edge" city with an economy based on retail, commerce, and light...
and threw down a 540
540 kick
In martial arts and tricking, the 540 kick, also known as inside turning kick, jump inside kick, tornado kick and Xuanfengjiao , is a jump kick move...
in his final run. His professional career began in 2005 when, at age sixteen, he took second place at the LG Action Sports World Championship in Manchester, England and received a $20,000 prize. He's since appeared at events in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
(where he was during his seventeenth birthday) and various locations within the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In order to better pursue his career, Perelson withdrew from Grossmont High School
Grossmont High School
Grossmont High School is the oldest high school in San Diego's east county, California. Its mascot is the Foothiller, so chosen because, at the time of the school’s construction, east county was much more isolated from the rest of San Diego than it is today and was often referred to as the...
in 10th grade in order to attend San Diego Charter School
San Diego City Schools
San Diego Unified School District is the school district of San Diego, California. It was founded in 1854...
and to be allowed more flexibility in his schedule. His choice has meant missing high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
games and proms but he remarked "I wouldn't go to those anyways".
He's the youngest skater in the vert field and is also the only rookie
Rookie
Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of their sport or has little or no professional experience. The term also has the more general meaning of anyone new to a profession, training or activity Rookie is a term for a person who is in his or her first year of play of...
. He competed in the AST Dew Tour 2007 and finished sixth out of the ten riders, telling the Washington Post in an interview "Those are probably the best runs I've ever done in my life." He won an $8000 prize for fourth place at the X Games
X Games
The X Games is a commercial annual sports event, controlled and arranged by US sports broadcaster ESPN, which focuses on action sports. The inaugural X Games was held in the summer of 1995 in Rhode Island....
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
"with back-to-back 540s and 720s
720°
720 Degrees, or 720°, is a 1986 arcade game by Atari Games. 720°, a skateboarding game, is notable in that along with BMX Simulator, it is one of the first extreme sports video games, and has a unique timed structure that requires the player score points in order to keep the game going...
in his run."
He then qualified for the AST Dew Tour on his first attempt at the Panasonic Open, and secured a nomination for the "PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
Trick of the Week" at the Right Guard Open that same season which was, according to an article in The San Diego Union-Tribune
The San Diego Union-Tribune
-Predecessors:The predecessor newspapers of the Union-Tribune were:* San Diego Sun, founded 1861 and merged with the Evening Tribune in 1939.* San Diego Union, founded October 10, 1868.* Evening Tribune, founded December 2, 1895.-Ownership:...
, a "breakout summer" for the young athlete.
Regarding his long range career goals, the young athlete has said:
Tony HawkTony HawkAnthony 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...
is (39) and is able to do a lot of stuff...I don' t know what it takes to skate when you are that old, but hopefully I can do it. I want to keep skating for as long as I can.
And he became the 4th person ever to pull the 900.
Alex also won $75,000 in the Maloof Money Cup presented by Monster Energy. He pulled off the 900 to secure his number one spot in the vert comp.
Sponsorship
Perelson's skateboarding sponsorshipSkateboarding sponsorship
A skateboarding sponsorship is the act of a skateboard shop, distributor, or company sponsoring a talented skateboarder for the sponsored skateboarder to ride a skateboard for their business organisation and thereby promoting it as well....
now includes 187 Pads, Monster Energy Drink
Monster Energy
-Distribution :Though it is not widely advertised in the media, Monster receives a large amount of recognition from its sponsorship of various sporting events, including motocross and car racing. Hansen Natural Corporation announced a distribution agreement with Anheuser-Busch in the U.S. and Grupo...
, Sun Diego Boardshops, Vans
Vans
Vans is an American based manufacturer of sneakers, skateboarding shoes, BMX shoes, snowboarding boots and other shoe types.- History :On March 16, 1966, at 704 E. Broadway, in Anaheim, California, brothers Paul Van Doren, James Van Doren, and three other partners opened up their first store...
, olcom], Protec] and Real Skateboards.
Personal life
Perelson formerly lived in Bonita, CaliforniaBonita, California
Bonita is a census-designated place in southern San Diego County, California, nestled between the cities of Chula Vista, National City, and San Diego. The population was 12,538 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Bonita is located at ....
. He has an older sister and a younger brother named Brandon, who is also a skater; his father, Glenn, is a cardiologist.