Tas Pappas

Tasou Micah Pappas (born 1975), better known as Tas Pappas, is an Australian sponsored skateboarder.

He was previously a professional skateboarder, primarily in the discipline of vert skateboarding, and competed in a number of major international events.

Pappas was born in 1975 in Melbourne, Victoria and grew up in the north-western suburb of St Albans.

He and brother Ben were the only children of a Greek-Australian father, who worked for a finance company, and an Australian mother who was a caterer—the parents eventually separated after marrying at a young age.

During the 1990s, he and brother Ben Pappas were highly regarded skateboarders on a global scale, reaching the top two places in the world rankings.

In a 1994 advertisement for the now-defunct Mad Circle skateboard deck company, an x-ray of Pappas' femur complete with metal plates and screws, is depicted with the tagline: "Tas Pappas, Mad Circle's Answer to the Bionic Man."

Pappas then appeared alongside Moses Itkonen, Edward Devera, Mike Cao, Justin Girard and Scott Johnston in the 1996 Mad Circle video Let The Horns Blow.

Pappas won the 1996 World Championships skateboard contest over Tony Hawk that led to his world number-one ranking—he won with a broken rib sustained earlier in the contest.

Pappas explained that he was "humbled" soon afterward, as he subsequently broke his back.

Both the Pappas brothers then found that they were unable to gain favour with the American skateboard industry due to their attitudes, which were considered abrasive and wild.

In 1999, Pappas' brother Ben was intercepted by law enforcement while attempting to smuggle cocaine into Australia and, in addition to a prison term, his passport was confiscated for a three-year period and he was unable to continue his skateboarding career in the US.

In 2005, Revolution Graphite Skateboards (RevDeck) announced the release of a new skateboard deck, co-designed and tested by Pappas (he was also sponsored by DVS Shoes at this time).

In 2005, Pappas married Colleen, an American he met through skateboarding.

They lived in San Diego with their two children.

However, due to financial difficulties, the relationship was strained and Pappas began using crystal methamphetamine, to numb the pain from injuries during contests that he desperately participated in to earn money.

Additionally, Pappas was prescribed an antidepressant after he consulted a doctor for help with a low emotional state caused by his life situation—Pappas proceeded to use alcohol and cocaine with the medication.

Following his return to Australia in 2007, Pappas began drinking alcohol heavily and his father died of a heart attack the following year.

Also in 2008, Pappas flew to South America in an attempt to procure cocaine to smuggle into Australia so that he could pay off a drug debt.

Pappas, who attempted to smuggle the drug in three skateboard decks while intoxicated on benzodiazepines, alcohol and amphetamines, was intercepted at Sydney Airport after the traces of cocaine on his clothing alerted authorities.

Pappas was consequently imprisoned for three years in various New South Wales facilities.

In November 2011, Pappas was afforded the privilege of prison day-release on weekends and used this time to skate the vert ramp in Albury, New South Wales.

In December 2011, after internet blogs reported Pappas' Albury visits, SLAM Skateboarding Magazine ran a feature on Pappas and suggested that, at the time, he remained one of the most highly skilled skateboarders in Australia.

The video footage that SLAM published to coincide with the article revealed that the session was Pappas' "third skate in 3 years" due to his incarceration—the video was filmed by Stewart.

Following his incarceration, Pappas was drawn to the tenets of Christianity as a central part of his recovery from drug use, having read the Bible during his sentence.

He also continued to develop his marriage with Helen Norman, whom he raises a son with, and he resumed skateboarding.

Cliché Skateboards, through Dwindle Distribution, released a Tas Pappas "guest board" in January 2013, with graphics by renowned skateboarding graphic designer, Marc McKee.

Tas Pappas described a chaotic home environment in 2014:

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.

I wanted to prove myself.

I ended up having what felt like a chip on my shoulder because of it all.

I just wanted to get to America and become something.

Pappas became fascinated with skateboarding at the age of 12 years after watching touring American professionals perform at the Prahran skate park.

He then visited the United States (US) for the first time three years later, before relocating to the US at the age of 17 years after he dropped out of Kings Park High School.

Pappas' first residence was with other skateboarders in Tampa, Florida.

Australian filmmaker Eddie Martin, who knew the Pappas brothers as teenagers skateboarding at Prahran skate park, explained in 2014: "They’re [Pappas brothers] very Australian characters. They were so raw and full of passion. They just went over there and stuck it to them. It just didn’t go down very well."

As of 2014, Pappas is associated with the company, according to the "About" section of the website; however, in August 2014, the website's home page stated that the company is manufacturing certain skateboard deck products for a limited period of time.

Pappas explained in 2014 that his drug use at the time led to paranoia about his wife being involved in an extramarital relationship and during an argument he physically assaulted Colleen.

Pappas said: "I was paranoid that she was on with someone ... I don't agree with what I did, but I ended up hitting her and losing the plot and went to jail."

Pappas' actions resulted in a two-month prison term and he was eventually deported after he was found in a drug-related car crash during his corresponding parole period.

While in detention, awaiting to be flown to Australia, Pappas received a telephone call from his father to inform him that Ben Pappas was dead, a moment that Pappas described as "the saddest thing I've ever heard."