Paul Rodríguez: A skateboarding legend

The shadow of his father has not made him smaller, but the opposite. P-Rod has been able to be recognized for his skills on the table and his own personality

"He does not want to conquer the world or be a skater only. One day people will remember him and not because he was my son, but they are going to talk about him as if he was the first Paul Rodriguez".

Well then, that day which Paul Rodriguez's father, a famous actor and comedian, makes reference arrived some time ago. Many famous artists have taken the familiar baton to make a space for themselves in the world of celebrities. That is not Paul Rodriguez case, the first and only athlete to get two consecutive gold medals at the X Games in Street and one of the best skaters in the world for his fantastic performances of the most creative and innovative tricks.

This Mexican American, born December 31, 1984, in California, could have easily followed his father footsteps and dedicate himself to the show, but instead he has managed to have his own personality to fight for what he truly loves, skateboarding. His passion appeared from one day to the next when he was 12 years old and his father just brought him a table for Christmas, not knowing that this would be one of his best decisions he could ever make. "I was not sure what I wanted to be before that, an actor or what. But as soon as I started skating, that was it. I wanted to be a pro skater. I was sure of it”. Rodriguez, however, remembers that it was not easy at first to gain acceptance from his parents. "My parents did not like the idea of leaving everything for skateboarding. I had to prove it to them".

He soon gained respect not only in the world of skateboarding but also within his family, where his father idolizes him. "My son has been instrumental in gathering the family. It's an old soul because despite he is physically young, he has always been pretty responsible. He always brought us together. He has taught me to be a better dad. He gives me advice on how to be a responsible person", says the actor, who also adds that "he has been a person who has forgiven me all my faults ... it’s a gift God gave me", referring to the history of his son’s life, who was born from a relationship he had when he was 30 years old during the filming of a movie. At that time, Laura, his ex-couple got pregnant and the comedian, confused and not knowing what to do, even supported a possible abortion, something that he would have regretted from all his life long.

And the nature and personality of this skateboarding master led him to be the first Mexican American to earn a signature shoe for Nike. What is more, he has participated in several movies, videos, TV series and even in some video games of Tony Hawk, one of the monsters in this discipline.

This personality is also reflected in his nickname. P-Rod came up when he was on a City Stars trip. "People really started calling me that when I got to the hotel, guys were all saying, ‘Yo, P-Rod is here’. I found another similar situation in a mall where I was doing a signing and a child came to me and said, ‘Hey P-Rod, what’s up? I don’t know how he found out but suddenly all the kids started calling me P-Rod. And that was how I adopted my nickname".

A charismatic, funny guy and a big legend of skateboarding who doesn’t come out from his characteristic humility when being asked about his future plans. "Just staying healthy, staying on the board and just trying to be a better skateboarder, little by little. I don’t have a specific plan, I have been fortunate enough to get anything I’ve ever wanted and at this point I learned that if I keep focusing on skateboarding and doing what I love opportunities will keep coming".

Paul Rodriguez, from possible actor and comedian to a reference in the world of skateboarding.