Richard Taylor (skater)
Encyclopedia
Richard Taylor was a Welsh
inline skating
and freestyle skiing
champion.
Taylor, from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan
, learned to skate because he wanted to become a stuntman
. He turned professional at the age of 15 after winning the World Amateur International Inline Skate Series (IISS) and qualifying 6th in the Professional Competition in Amsterdam 1996. He went on to win the UK National In-Line skating championship twice. Taylor had a large fanbase, especially in Europe. He also competed in the British Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding Championships in Les Deux Alpes
in March 2004, winning the Big Air ski title and was about to join the Line Skis Professional Team that winter season.
. He also broke both legs in the accident. When he failed to regain consciousness, his parents on 8 August consented to his life support
machine being turned off. His parents Gaynor and the now late John Taylor set up the Richard Taylor Memorial Fund to raise funds to have the Skatepark at the Knap
, Barry upgraded and dedicated to his memory.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
inline skating
Inline skating
Inline skating is a recreational sport practiced widely internationally. Inline skates typically have 2 to 5 polyurethane wheels, arranged in a single line. The in-line design allows for greater speed than roller skates and better maneuverability...
and freestyle skiing
Freestyle skiing
Freestyle skiing is form of skiing which used to encompass two disciplines: aerials, and moguls. Except the two disciplines mentioned earlier Freestyle Skiing now consists of Skicross, Half Pipe and Slope Style...
champion.
Taylor, from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan
Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan is a county borough in Wales; an exceptionally rich agricultural area, it lies in the southern part of Glamorgan, South Wales...
, learned to skate because he wanted to become a stuntman
Stunt performer
A stuntman, or daredevil is someone who performs dangerous stunts, often as a career.These stunts are sometimes rigged so that they look dangerous while still having safety mechanisms, but often they are as dangerous as they appear to be...
. He turned professional at the age of 15 after winning the World Amateur International Inline Skate Series (IISS) and qualifying 6th in the Professional Competition in Amsterdam 1996. He went on to win the UK National In-Line skating championship twice. Taylor had a large fanbase, especially in Europe. He also competed in the British Freestyle Skiing and Snowboarding Championships in Les Deux Alpes
Les Deux Alpes
Les Deux Alpes is a ski resort in the French Isère département. The village sits at 1650m and lifts run to 3600m . It has the largest skiable glacier in Europe and is France's second oldest ski resort behind Chamonix, where the largest mountain in western Europe is located, Mont Blanc...
in March 2004, winning the Big Air ski title and was about to join the Line Skis Professional Team that winter season.
Death
He collided with a concrete lamp-post while skating near his home on 8 August 2004 and suffered a skull fracture that caused a comaComa
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
. He also broke both legs in the accident. When he failed to regain consciousness, his parents on 8 August consented to his life support
Life support
Life support, in medicine is a broad term that applies to any therapy used to sustain a patient's life while they are critically ill or injured. There are many therapies and techniques that may be used by clinicians to achieve the goal of sustaining life...
machine being turned off. His parents Gaynor and the now late John Taylor set up the Richard Taylor Memorial Fund to raise funds to have the Skatepark at the Knap
Cold Knap
- Amenities :Cold Knap is a pebble beach on the coast that attracts visitors during the summer months. It is located a few miles west of the sandy beach of Barry Island. It was founded by the Romans who used it as a port...
, Barry upgraded and dedicated to his memory.