Lee Ettinger -- Professional Biography
Lee Ettinger received his first pair of roller-skates at age five. When he was 12 years old, his father took him to his first skate park. Lee was instantly hooked on skating transitions and has been skating pools and ramps ever since.
Lee was fortunate enough to be skating in a place and time where the worlds best vertical roller-skates were practicing their craft. Lee learned from word class skaters such as Duke Renie, Fred Blood and Jimmy Scott. All the worlds best vertical skaters converged around Southern California in the early eighties. Although not being able to replicate the tricks and skills he saw, the young Lee Ettinger watched and took notes. Lee saw what was possible and set out to accomplish what he saw these world class skaters accomplishing.
Fast forward to today. Lee Ettinger has toured with and been sponsored by almost every major company in the skate industry. Lee is one of the few individuals that has been a professional skater both on conventional quad roller-skates and inline skates.
Lee was instrumental in putting together the very first extreme sports skating teams for Rollerblade Inc. and the Ultra Wheels company. Lee was also involved in producing and skating in the first X-Games like events to be held in Southern California. Not only did Lee produce these shows, he also skated in many of them as well. Lee was the first inline skater to ever do a no-hands back flip on a ten (10) foot vertical half pipe.
Some of the companies that have sponsored Lee have been:
- Rollerblade
- Ultra Wheels
- Anheuser-Busch
- Kryptonics
- Hyper Wheels
…and many more
Lee has toured several states in the US and has done shows at Knott’s Berry Farm, The LA County Fair, Orange County Fair and throughout Southern California.
Lee has been an innovator and ambassador the sport for over 20 years. Lee says that his personal confidence and inner strength is directly related to his accomplishments in the skating world. Lee truly believes that skating is a way to challenge your fears and learn to overcome anything standing between you and your dreams. Lee is currently training in Southern California and is scheduled to compete in the first vertical roller-skating competition since 1990 latter this year at the Monsters of Roll event at Woodward West.