About Leon

Leon Toppin is a New York–based skateboarder, instructor, and performer who teaches skateboarding as a path to resilience, creativity, and self-discovery.

Leon grew up in New Rochelle and started skating at the New Rochelle skatepark before it was renovated. Inspired by Tony Hawk, Kareem Campbell, and Chad Muska, he fell in love with skate culture early. Not the tricks so much as the feeling. The freedom of rolling through the city on a piece of wood. The rush of committing to something that scared you. The bonds that come from shared obsession and shared pavement.

For Leon, skateboarding is one of the last truly analog art forms. It demands balance, courage, and persistence in a world that keeps moving toward screens and shortcuts. It cannot be simulated. It has to be lived.

Leon teaches with patience, strategy, and genuine encouragement. He helps students of all ages find the confidence and joy that comes from learning to move through the world on a skateboard. Whether you’re stepping on a board for the first time or returning after years away, Leon meets you where you are and builds from there.

Beyond lessons, Leon works with filmmakers, brands, and creative teams seeking authentic skate culture, whether as a performer, consultant, or on-screen talent.

Having skated Westchester and NYC parks for over two decades, Leon knows the landscape better than anyone. Which parks are best for different skill levels. Where the smoothest ground is for a first push. Which spots have shade, benches for parents, and parking. Where the local skate community gathers and where the events happen. That knowledge shapes every lesson he teaches.

His goal is to build a more welcoming skate community where people of every background and skill level can learn, grow, and experience what skateboarding creates.