Ricky Oyola is a regular-footed professional skateboarder from Philadelphia, PA.[1] [2] [3]
Oyola was born in Pemberton, NJ. and grew up in Medford, NJ.[4] He received his first skateboard in 1985 as a birthday gift, a Town & Country Zoner. Before he moved to Philadelphia, Oyola would drive into West Philadelphia, park at Roger Browne's house and spend the days skating with him.
Oyola is credited with popularizing the skate scene in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, alongside Browne, Matt Reason, and Sergei Trudnowski.[5] Oyola is recognized for his distinctive east-coast street skate style. He was known in his early days to sport an afro and other hairstyles involving long hair. His part in Dan Wolfe's 1996 skate video Eastern Exposure 3, showcased Oyola's creativity, versatility, and speed, exposing his skating to a larger audience.
| Skate Videos | Year |
|---|---|
| Devastation – Z Products | 1991 |
| Spitfire[6] | 1993 |
| Real Life – Sub Zero | 1994 |
| 1995 |
| Eastern Exposure #3[7] | 1996 |
| 7 Year Glitch – New Deal[8] | 2002 |
| Static II[9] | 2004 |
| Via – Traffic Skateboards[10] | 2006 |
| Black and Blue – Vox Footwear | 2007 |
| Tokyo Transfer – Traffic Skateboards[11] | 2009 |
Oyola's first official sponsor was Z-Products who noticed Oyola's skating while he was on a two month trip to California. Oyola has held numerous sponsors over his career including companies he founded or helped influence (Illuminati and Silverstar) and long-established companies: Kastel, Zoo York, New Deal, Nicotine, Spitfire, Airwalk, Duffs, Memphis, Vox, Krux trucks, Division Wheel Company, as well as; Vision Street Wear and Converse.[12]
After leaving New Deal skateboards in 2003, Oyola founded his own company Traffic Skateboards. Staying true to its name, the initial Traffic team was composed of East Coast street skaters including Shaun Williams, Rich Adler, Jack Sabback, Bobby Puleo, and others. Oyola currently skates for Traffic skateboards and Autobahn Wheels. He has a pro model shoe on Vox footwear named after him, however since he left the team the shoe has been renamed the Vox Philly.[13]