Feb 07 2023 81 mins 2
061 Teddi Dean AKA: Teddi Bennett OG Bones Brigade Member, Modern Elder
Teddi was an original Bones Brigade Team Member. I used to skate quite frequently with him in the late 70's, early 80's. He had a buttery smooth surf style, growing up surfing in Huntington Beach in the 70's. He seemingly disappeared from skateboarding in the early 80's, and I always wondered what happened with him. I re-united with Teddi in 2015 and learned of his interesting life story, and decided it was time to share it with more of the skateboard world.
His website describes his life pat simply "Curiosity led Teddi Dean from life as a Southern California pro skateboarder to travel as a student of the Dharma. He is now a mindfulness and meditation teacher". Teddi currently works down in Baja with the Modern Elder Academy.
Obviously there is a lot of stories on that path, including his days on the Bones Brigade, and his respect for Stacy Peralta. He also spent some time in the film industry, teaches and practices Yoga and Meditation, and he shares some background of the formation of the Modern Elder Academy. He also talks about getting Stacy to come and speak at the Academy as a Modern Elder, a term I love, as I yearn to be one myself as I just turned 60.
I hope you enjoy learning about or catching up with Teddi, another amazing product of the pioneering days of skateboarding.
