Eddie Elguera

Since then, Elguera has been skating and telling people the good news about the Lord Jesus Christ, all over the world. “The Lord has blessed me one hundred fold, with a comeback after seven years of having left skating. From success to nothing, and back to success with Jesus, only God could do such a thing”. Elguera has been on Nickelodeon, ESPN, The 700 Club, T.B.N.’s Fire By Night, 100 Huntley Street a Christian program in Canada and on television programming in various countries around the world. Along with various magazine interviews such as Christianity Today, Breakaway, a Focus on the Family publication, Elguera has skated as part of the Franklin Graham and John Guest Crusades across the U.S. and Youth Alive in Australia.

In 1983, Elguera became a born-again Christian. He joined an “on fire” church and sat under the teaching and discipleship of his “spiritual father” and pastor, Jim Cobrae. Within a three-year period of time Elguera married his wife Dawna, a girl from his church, and they began a family which now includes three boys. During this time Elguera decided to return to skateboarding.

In 1980, Elguera went on to win the 1980 Gold Cup Series of skateboarding and became the World Champion for the 2nd year in a row. Some of the tricks, which have enabled him to play a major part in skateboarding history, include the Elguerial, the frontside rock-n-roll, the fakie ollie and the frontside invert, which he perfected. Elguera also performed in the music video "Freedom of Choice" for the new wave band "Devo". However, Elguera soon developed a substance abuse problem that he struggled with for several years.

In May 1979, Elguera received the title of U.S. Amateur Skateboard Association Champion. He then went on to the professional circuit and became Skateboarder of the Year (a Skateboarder Magazine readers' poll, but still significant, since the sport was relatively unknown at the time) along with receiving the “Most Spectacular New Maneuver” award for inventing the "Elguerial", a skateboard maneuver named after him.

Eddie Elguera (born November 12, 1962, in Bellflower, California) is a 2-time world champion skateboarder and senior pastor of The Rock Church of Coachella Valley, in the Palm Springs area of Southern California. He is also known by the nickname "El Gato". Eddie graduated from Rim of the World High School. He is married to Dawna Elguera and has three sons, Malachi Elguera, Christopher Elguera, and Isaac Elguera. Elguera and his family currently live in Palm Desert, California.