Mike Smith (skateboarder)

Mike Smith is an American professional vert skateboarder from Southern California and the founder of Liberty Skates. He is credited as the inventor of both the Smith Stop, also called the Smith Stall, a maneuver that later became known around the world as the Smith Grind, and the Smithvert, a personalized variation of the invert. During his competitive career he appeared twice on the cover of Thrasher Magazine, in June 1981 and January 1982. In 1999, after years of not competing, he placed third in the Masters Division of the Vans Triple Crown of Skateboarding in Huntington Beach, California, behind Steve Caballero and Jeff Grosso, and he was the subject of a 2019 segment of Jeff Grosso's podcast.