Cory Kennedy (skateboarder)

Early life

Kennedy was born in Washington, United States (U.S.) and his family home is located in the Washington city of Lake Stevens.

Professional skateboarding

Kennedy first came to prominence after winning the amateur competition "Bang Yo'self 2", for which contestants were required to submit video parts to the judges from The Berrics website. In 2009 Kennedy finished in third place at "The Battle at the Berrics 2" contest, losing to Paul Rodriguez in the finals round.

In October 2009, the trailer for the full-length skateboard video Beware of Sasquatch was released, in which Kennedy appears in a part spanning just under 10 minutes, alongside skateboarders such as David Gravette and Vince de Valle. Brandon Jensen, who filmed and edited the video, published Kennedy's part on his YouTube channel in May 2010.

In 2010 Kennedy named a switch front-foot impossible 180, a trick that he stomped down the BERRICS 7 with masterful ease and awe-inspiring grace, the "Merlin Twist". In a subsequent interview, Kennedy attempted to explain the trick: "Your back foot is in the switch bigspin position. And you put your front foot pretty much on the nose. Then just scoop it really hard. Then, I don't know, dip your front foot down to whip the board around and then kinda hope you land it (laughs). I'm not very good at explaining."

In 2010 Kennedy won the MVP award for Thrasher magazine's "King of the Road" contest. One year later, he won the "Bob Gnar" award at King of the Road 2011.

In 2011 Kennedy attained professional status with Girl Skateboards and appears in the 2012 Girl/Chocolate video Pretty Sweet.

Formerly sponsored by the RVCA apparel company, Kennedy accompanied the team of the skateboard apparel company Fourstar during an Australian tour in February 2014. A video narrated by the brand's cofounder, Eric Koston, was then published in March 2014 announcing Kennedy's recruitment to the Fourstar skateboard team. Koston explained:

He was chasing us with his camera; he was always in the way; eating shit; last to the bus; last off the bus; fought nasty; rode the worst board; stole our hats; hung his shit everywhere; never put down the "jam box;" was a "cop magnet;" ruined our grip; ruined our bearings; didn't take skating seriously; thought he was the coolest; bleeding all the time; slammed right on top of me; and we put him on the team anyway. Welcome to Fourstar Cory ... you dipshit.

Trunk Boyz

Alongside professional skateboarders Vincent Alvarez, Stevie Perez, Elijah Berle, and Raven Tershy, Kennedy is a member of the "Trunk Boys" crew. Fellow professional skateboarder and company owner Guy Mariano explained his perspective in relation to the crew: "Their energy may look really wild, but they are all good kids with solid heads on their shoulders. I love Vince’s heart, passion and speed, Raven’s transition skills, Eli’s fearlessness, Cory’s natural ability to progress, and Stevie’s style and grace."

Sponsors

As of April 2014, Kennedy is sponsored professionally by Fourstar, Girl, Royal Trucks, Glassy Sunhaters, Jessup Griptape, Nike SB, and Spitfire.

Personal life

As of May 2010, Kennedy lives in Santa Monica, California, U.S. and explained in an interview that, since moving from Washington, he appreciated the sunnier weather of California, but was spending more time in traffic while commuting to skateboarding locations. Kennedy explained in a 2012 interview that a credit card is the only essential item that he carries during skateboard tours, as he loses everything else.

Homicide

Kennedy, who lives in Vashon Island, Washington, was arrested August 2017 after turning heel by committing vehicular homicide. He was suspected of driving under the influence and crashed into a tree, killing Preston Maigetter, a longtime professional skateboarder and a video producer for Thrasher magazine. He is currently under investigation for vehicular homicide and, if convicted, could face anywhere from 8 to 10 and a half years in jail.

Videography