Table of Biography
Tas Pappas is an Australian skateboarder. Tas Pappas was previously a professional skateboarder but now is a sponsored skateboarder. He was most popular in the discipline of vert skateboarding.
Early Life
Tas Pappas was born on 9 February 1975 and he is currently 48 years old. He hails from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and he grew up in the north-western suburb of St Albans. Likewise, his full name is Tasou Micah Pappas.
Talking about his family, Pappas had a brother named Ben Pappas. Sadly, on 10 March 2007, authorities found Ben’s body floating under the pier of the Victoria Dock.
Moreover, Pappas’ parents are their father Bill, and his mother Kerry Pappas (nee Bardot). His father was born in Egypt and is of Greek descent whereas his mother is an Australian who was a caterer. However, his parents separated after marrying at a young age.
In the 2014 documentary All This Mayhem, he mentioned that he and his brother’s childhood was “pretty hectic.” He added:
“The family was very dysfunctional … We were hurting as kids from a lot of the fights we saw … I always felt like I just wanted to get out of where I lived and I wanted to prove myself. I ended up having what felt like a chip on my shoulder because of it all. Also, I just wanted to get to America and become something.”
Eventually, Pappas was fascinated with skateboarding at the young age of 12 years. It all started after watching touring American professionals perform at the Prahran skate park. Pappas then visited the United States for the first time three years later. After that, he relocated to the US at the age of 17 years. He had already dropped out of Kings Park High School when he relocated to the US. Pappas’ first residence was with other skateboarders in Tampa, Florida.
Caption: Tas Pappas with his late brother Ben Pappas in a childhood photograph. Source: Instagram
Tas Pappas – Career and Professional Life
Tas Pappas is a sponsored skateboarder. He was previously a professional skateboarder. Likewise, he was primarily popular in the discipline of vert skateboarding. He also competed in several major international events. During the 1990s, the Pappas brothers were highly regarded skateboarders on a global scale. He was the #1 and his brother Ben was #2 in the world rankings.
Contest History
In the year 1996, Pappas won both titles at the Hard Rock Cafe Skateboarding World Championships beating Tony Hawk. Soon after this, Pappas suffered several serious injuries. As a result, he was not able to compete or maintain the level at which he had been skateboarding before the mishaps.
Then in 1999, Pappas placed highly in a string of events. This also included the X Games and the Milwaukee Triple Crown. This all happened after the physical rehabilitation for his injuries.
Moreover, on 28 October 2006, he won the vert skateboarding event at the LG Action Sports World Championship. At this event, Pappas beat Brazilian professional Sandro Dias in a tiebreaker. During his winning run, Pappas executed a 720-degree rotation in his RevDeck skateboard deck. One of the competition’s commentators also described this as “flawless”. Moreover, Pappas completed the run without making a single error.
Caption: Tas Pappas captured while skateboarding. Source: Instagram
Recognition and Influence
Both Pappas and his brother Ben Pappas were credited with helping to revive the popularity of vert skateboarding. At that time, the sport was beginning to fade. This happened after Pappas’s success with the Hard Rock Cafe competition.
Then in August 2011, both the Pappas brothers received the number 10 ranking in Transworld Skateboarding’s “10 Infamous Australians” article for “rekindl[ing] vert’s flickering candle” during the 1990s.
Moreover, Pappas became the 12th skateboarder and the first Australian in history to complete a 900-degree rotation. It was at a newly built facility on Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia called the “Megaranch” in April 2014. He achieved this record on the Anzac Day holiday.
Tas Pappas – Personal Life
Marriage, Drug Abuse, and Deportation
In 2005, Pappas married Colleen. Collen is an American and they met through skateboarding. The couple lived in San Diego with their two children. However, financial difficulties strained their relationship. Following this, Pappas began using crystal methamphetamine to numb the pain from injuries during contests that he desperately participated in to earn money.
Additionally, doctors prescribed him an antidepressant after he consulted for help with a low emotional state caused by his life situation. However, he used alcohol and cocaine with the medication.
In 2014, Pappas explained that his drug use led to paranoia about his wife being involved in an extramarital relationship. Due to this, he physically assaulted Colleen during an argument. This incident resulted in a two-month prison term. Later, he was deported after authorities found him in a drug-related car crash during his corresponding parole period.
While waiting to be flown to Australia, Pappas received a telephone call from his father. Through this phone call, he came to know that his brother Ben Pappas was dead. Pappas describes this moment as “the saddest thing I’ve ever heard.”
Caption: Tas Pappas was captured with his children Kaia and Ayden. Source: Instagram
Drug Smuggling and Prison Time
After returning to Australia in 2007, Pappas began drinking alcohol heavily. During this time, he lost his father to a heart attack the following year. Then in 2008, he flew to South America in an attempt to procure cocaine to smuggle into Australia. He did so to pay off a drug debt.
However, authorities intercepted him at Sydney Airport. This was due to the traces of cocaine on his clothing. At that time, Pappas had tried to smuggle the drug in three skateboard decks while intoxicated on benzodiazepines, alcohol, and amphetamines. Following this event, he consequently served prison time for three years in various New South Wales facilities.
2010 Onwards
In November 2011, authorities afforded Pappas the privilege of prison day release on weekends. He used this time to skate the vert ramp in Albury, New South Wales. Then in December 2011, SLAM Skateboarding Magazine ran a feature on Pappas after internet blogs reported Albury visits. They also suggested that Pappas remained one of the most highly skilled skateboarders in Australia at that time.
The video footage filmed by Stewart and published by SLAM to coincide with the article revealed that it was Pappas’ “third skate in 3 years” due to his incarceration.
Caption: Tas Pappas celebrating his 45th Birthday with his family. Source: Instagram
As of May 2014, Pappas resides in the inner north-eastern Melbourne, Australia suburb of Clifton Hill. There, he shares a home with Helen Norman and their five-year-old son Billy. He works as an abseiling window cleaner and attends a Christian church for mass.
In May 2014, he revealed his diagnosis of borderline personality disorder in connection with his experience of sexual abuse as a young child. He (or doctors) describes his self-destructive behavior as a manifestation of the disorder. Regarding the personal life recovery process that he was continuing with at the time of the interview, Pappas stated:
“Everything had to happen for me to learn … Dad had to die, Ben had to die, I had to lose my kids. I had to be humbled. I was too angry and I had to be crippled and put on my knees to finally realise I’m not in charge.”
In a July 2014 interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Pappas described himself as “a work in progress” and told them “I’ll take ownership of all my shit actions”.