Historic Auction Underway to Benefit Skateboarder Ray Underhill

May 21 2007 / Los Angeles, CA

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For skateboarding fans everywhere there is a historic auction underway to benefit former Powell-Peralta pro Ray Underhill, who was diagnosed with a brain tumor in January and underwent surgery to remove the tumor in February.  Underhill is best known for being a member of the Bones Brigade, alongside Tony Hawk, Rodney Mullen, Steve Caballero, Mike McGill and Lance Mountain, among others.

After his surgery earlier this year, Underhill has been battling back to recover his speech and other abilities that were affected.  He is about to start eight weeks of almost daily radiation treatments in California to help eradicate the tumor.

Friends and colleagues of Underhill have come together to raise money for his family and the mounting medical bills, and the lineup of those contributing items can only be categorized as amazing.  There are decks, magazines, private photo shoots and even a TWS award up for bid.

The auction goes through early next week, with more than 140 items up for grabs and all with small starting bids.  As of this writing, some items still haven't been bid on, and others are already up to hundreds of dollars and dozens of bids. 

Lat34 checked in with Sean Mortimer, who helped set up this auction for the Underhill family, for a few details:

Lat34: What are some of the items you think will be most sought after in this auction?
SM:  Rodney Mullen's Skater of the year trophy, Stacy Peralta's personal skateboard, Photo class with Grant Brittain using Tony Hawk as a subject, Tony Hawk's board from 1984, Chris Cole's board he rode to win the last X Games, Danny Way's deck from 65' world record, Orig. G&S Fibreflex jersey...

Lat34:   If someone would like to just make a donation for Ray, how can they do that?
SM:  Check out RayUnderhill.com

Lat34: I know there was a dinner last month for Ray -- after the auction, are there any other benefits planned?
SM:  This is it. Owen Neider organized that and raised 10 Gs.

Lat34:  How can fans send a message of support to Ray?
SM:  On the website.

Check out some of the items below, along with their current bid (as of this writing).  So far, there are more than $13K in bids...

• WES HUMPSTON HAND PAINTED DECK - Rare art piece!  - Current bid - $610.00
• MIKE VALLELY'S OWN ANIMAL MAN SKATEBOARD - Current bid - $570.00
• TONY HAWK'S PERSONAL COMPLETE SKATEBOARD - Current bid - $541.26
• RODNEY MULLEN'S 2002 SKATER OF YEAR TROPHY - Current bid - $510.00
• SHAUN WHITE'S PERSONAL AUTOGRAPHED SNOWBOARD - Current bid - $505.00
• PHOTO CLASS W/ GRANT BRITTAIN AND TONY HAWK - Current bid - $500.00

There are a ton more exciting items to check out -- visit RayUnderhill.com or the eBay auction for more details.