Custom painted 'Eyeball' skateboard helmet worn by George Orton

Custom painted, fiberglass downhill skateboard helmet painted to resemble an eyeball was worn by George Orton during his downhill career. To show his sense of humor, Orton affixed a "Die Trying" sticker to the back of the helmet next to a drawing of a Band-Aid and "Just Send Me the Bill" handwritten underneath the Band-Aid. Orton began skateboarding in the early 1970s and is credited with assisting Tony Alva in creating the front side air, the first vertical aerial move in pool skating which paved the way for new tricks to develop above the coping ledge of the pool. Orton had a successful career as a pool and half pipe skater but retired from skateboarding in the early 1980s. He returned in the late 1990s to begin his career as a street luge and downhill skater. Since his entrance into luge and downhill he has made a name for himself as the wearer of colorful helmets with his “eyeball” downhill helmet and his “shark” street luge helmet. He competed in the 1997 X-Games in San Diego as well as winning medals at the 2000 Gravity Games, the 1999 St. George Grand Prix and the 2000 Grand Prix X-Mass Luge.

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