‘Uncle Andy’ has a son 2 years older than the other two Team GB skateboarders, who are both 16
Andy Macdonald, shown here at Magdalena Ecke Family YMCA Skate Park in Encinitas, will be 51 when he represents Great Britain in the park competition at the Paris Olympics on Wednesday. PARIS – Andy Macdonald’s wife had lived in Paris, and when they got married he promised to take her there as often as he could. They went a few years later, when their oldest son was a toddler.
But it’s not like he’s a guy who discovered the sport late, or returned after a hiatus, or got some sort of charity spot from an underrepresented country to fill out the field. Macdonald is No. 25 in the world rankings. He’s a legend on the megaramp, winner of multiple X Games titles, the subject of YouTube skate videos, buddies with Tony Hawk, an influential figure in the development of the sport, a household name in the San Diego skateboard community.
His father was born in Luton outside London but moved to the United States with his family during World War II at age 5. A British law grants citizenship to any siblings born before 1983.Entering the final qualifier in Budapest, he was ranked 38th and needed to reach the 16-man semifinals to climb into the top 25 and make the Paris field.
His first job was at SeaWorld, posing for photos in a furry Shamu suit while trying not to trip over its flipper feet. Pay: $4.75 per hour. He was sleeping on a friend’s couch in Ocean Beach. Point Loma’s Tate Carew, who is 32 years younger, is also on the U.S. team. Macdonald had already been pro for 11 years when Carew was born.
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