Per Welinder
Encyclopedia
Per Nils Welinder is a Swedish professional skateboarder. He has the distinction of being the only person to have ever beaten Rodney Mullen
in a contest.
Welinder was born at Täby, just outside Stockholm
. In the 1980s, Welinder and Mullen were competitors in freestyle skateboarding
, and Welinder regularly placed 2nd to Mullen's 1st. At a 1983 contest, Mullen (under psychological duress from his father forcing him to soon quit skateboarding, as well as being sick) skated uncharacteristically off and Welinder won.
Mullen retired for a year and was soon allowed to return to the scene, overshadowing Welinder and all the other freestylers, but Welinder consistently was the second most popular freestyler in skateboarding. In addition to his freestyle board model, Welinder also had a street model (which was unusual for a freestyler) and this board - with its well-regarded graphic and long nose - was one of the most popular among skateboarders for a few years. This was followed by an unusual, hybrid model of his in 1990 called the "Nordic Sperm", which also sold relatively well.
Welinder was featured prominently in the Bones Brigade videos "The Bones Brigade Video Show", "Future Primitive", and "Ban This". In January, 1992, he left Powell Peralta
to start a new skateboard company, Birdhouse Projects, with fellow team member Tony Hawk
as his partner and main attraction. As Tony Hawk began to achieve superstardom when skateboarding's popularity increased in the mid-1990s, Welinder became a very wealthy man.
´s skateboard scenes in the classic 1985 time travel movie Back to the Future
. The year after, he played the part of "Per", a Venice freestyler, in the movie Thrashin'
.
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...
in a contest.
Welinder was born at Täby, just outside Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. In the 1980s, Welinder and Mullen were competitors in freestyle 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...
, and Welinder regularly placed 2nd to Mullen's 1st. At a 1983 contest, Mullen (under psychological duress from his father forcing him to soon quit skateboarding, as well as being sick) skated uncharacteristically off and Welinder won.
Mullen retired for a year and was soon allowed to return to the scene, overshadowing Welinder and all the other freestylers, but Welinder consistently was the second most popular freestyler in skateboarding. In addition to his freestyle board model, Welinder also had a street model (which was unusual for a freestyler) and this board - with its well-regarded graphic and long nose - was one of the most popular among skateboarders for a few years. This was followed by an unusual, hybrid model of his in 1990 called the "Nordic Sperm", which also sold relatively well.
Welinder was featured prominently in the Bones Brigade videos "The Bones Brigade Video Show", "Future Primitive", and "Ban This". In January, 1992, he left 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...
to start a new skateboard company, Birdhouse Projects, with fellow team member 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...
as his partner and main attraction. As Tony Hawk began to achieve superstardom when skateboarding's popularity increased in the mid-1990s, Welinder became a very wealthy man.
Appearances in 1980s culture
Per Welinder was a stunt double for some of Michael J. FoxMichael J. Fox
Michael J. Fox, OC is a Canadian American actor, author, producer, activist and voice-over artist. With a film and television career spanning from the late 1970s, Fox's roles have included Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy ; Alex P...
´s skateboard scenes in the classic 1985 time travel movie Back to the Future
Back to the Future
Back to the Future is a 1985 American science-fiction adventure film. It was directed by Robert Zemeckis, written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale, produced by Steven Spielberg, and starred Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover and Thomas F. Wilson. The film tells the story of...
. The year after, he played the part of "Per", a Venice freestyler, in the movie Thrashin'
Thrashin'
Conversely, Brolin had turned down the role of Thom Hansen on 21 Jump Street, which ultimately went to Depp.-Continuing reaction to the film: Sixteen years after initial release, the MTV series Jackass, in a February 2002 episode, played homage to the "jousting scene" with "maces and man-purse" in...
.
External links
- http://www.intresseklubben.nu/svif/ShowReport.asp?ReportID=251&Bokstav=GSviF - Per talking swedish in the movie Thrashin'Thrashin'Conversely, Brolin had turned down the role of Thom Hansen on 21 Jump Street, which ultimately went to Depp.-Continuing reaction to the film: Sixteen years after initial release, the MTV series Jackass, in a February 2002 episode, played homage to the "jousting scene" with "maces and man-purse" in...
]