“Big Air” Bob Burnquist and Stonyfield Farm
— a great match for action sports and sustainability

We're extremely excited to sponsor champion skate boarder and crowd-pleaser Bob Burnquist on his action sports tour this summer. Beginning with the 11 th X-Games in Los Angeles in early August, the Stonyfield Farm label has been traveling the Big Air with Burnquist

See Bob Burnquist with his feet on the ground, at home and talking about his partnership with Stonyfield Farm and why he views yogurt as a “super food”. *This content requires the Macromedia Flash Player 8. Get Flash

Not only does Burnquist have dazzling “Vert” skills, (a half-pipe maneuver that heads straight toward the ground), he's committed to organics and to sustaining the planet. Burnquist grew up in Sao Paulo, Brazil; his father is American and his mother Brazillian. He began skateboarding at age 11 and turned professional in 1995 after moving to the United States.

The champion skateboarder is also involved in an effort to recycle some of the miles and miles of linear feet of wood used to build skateboarding ramps at these extreme events. As part of their “Give Back” program, the Action Sports Environmental Coalition (ASEC) dismantles the event ramps and donates the materials to inner city groups.

Learn more about Action Sports Environmental Coalition (ASEC) and the Stonyfield Farm sponsorship of this program.

Since turning professional, Burnquist has turned down lucrative sponsorship opportunities with soda companies and other big-buck corporate types, mainly because he feels strongly about eating right and being a good role model for his daughter, Lotus, who began skateboarding at age 5.

“I'm stoked about working with Stonyfield Farm, a sustainable company,” Burnquist said. “I don't drink soda when I skate, so why should I advertise it?

“If I go out and tell kids, through commercials, that something like that is good, I'm sending the wrong message. And it's not just going to every other kid, it's going to my daughter,” Burnquist said. “She knows. She sees. She watches t.v. At least she'll see that her father is not connected to that.”

Burnquist tries to eat organically. He doesn't eat meat, but he does eat fish. He says he often makes his own breakfast by picking things from his own organic garden. Having grown up near farmland in Brazil , eating fresh fruits, vegetables and home-cooked meals was the norm for him. He says he found the fast-food culture and wasteful lifestyle in America a bit disconcerting when he first arrived in this country, and then he adopted some bad eating habits of his own.

After a while, he realized, “I can't eat like this anymore,” and so he returned to his Brazilian roots, took to reading his food labels carefully, and became more sensitive to what he ate.

Burnquist has not only set an example in his eating habits, but in his approach to environmentalism. “When I first came here, I'd see skaters just break their boards for no reason, or when they were frustrated. I never liked that—trees take so long to grow! It was hard to see this mentality, this disregard for the trees. I was even surprised by the houses in the United States —they're all made of wood!”

When his family opened a restaurant in southern California , they also became involved with organic farming. Burnquist helped start an organic farm, then used it to supply fruits and vegetables to the restaurant.

Burnquist's involvement in organics is what caught the eye of Stonyfield Farm CE-Yo Gary Hirshberg. “It's only natural for us to partner with him. Not only is he at the top of his skateboarding game, but he takes very seriously his position as a role model. Bob doesn't just preach about healthy foods – he makes smart choices to keep himself in shape and competitive. His fans easily see that healthy foods can make the difference.”

But it was Gary Hirshberg's 15-year-old son, Ethan, who took note of Burnquist's skating.

Burnquist has also been recognized by the mainstream sports community, including an ESPY nomination for Action Sports Person of the Year and the prestigious Laureus World Sports Award for Alternative Sports Person of the year which was presented to him by his hero Michael Jordan. In 2002 Bob proved his untouchable skills when he was crowned the OP “King Of Skate”, skating switch-stance in the loop with the top removed. You have to see it to truly appreciate it.He's also known for taking chances out at skateboarding events. He hopes to be known for “landing a trick that hasn't been done before,” and so he falls more than the average competitor. He's had 25 fractures in his day and believes that eating right helps him heal better and faster.

With his success, Burnquist's star celebrity status has made him very conscious of his status as a being a role model. "I have the freedom to buy what I want to buy, but I don't want to preach. Kids won't hang with that. I want to set an example. They can have their burger, but I show them a way they can heal faster, grow faster, (and) get better faster."

Bob Burnquist in the news:

• Silver Medal - X Games, Vert - 2006
  
• Bronze Medal - X Games, Vert Best Trick - 2006
  
• Bronze Medal - X Games, Big Air - 2006
  
• 1st Place - Dew Action Sports Tour Louisville, Vert - 2006
  
• 1st Place – Oi Vert Jam Brazil, Vert - 2006
• Bob Burnquist won the skateboarding vert “best trick” award at the X Games in August 2005. Read all about it in this San Diego Union-Tribune article.
  
• Learn more about Bob's medal-winning trick—known as the "front side gnar/jar"—in this Sign On San Diego article.
  

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