Thiebaud not only participated in skateboarding during the early 1980s, but he also led, mentored, and encouraged a group of younger skateboarders including Rick Patterson, Mark Warren and Ben Fuller at Albany High School during 1982–1983 while attending high school, teaching and demonstrating tricks such as wallrides, hippie jumps over chairs, ollies down stairsets, and boardslides down handrails in the Albany High courtyard.
Groups would gather around to learn from Thiebaud and watch him demonstrate his growing craft.
Jim rode as an amateur for Powell-Peralta, then turned pro for Santa Monica Airlines before he and former Powell-Peralta teammate Tommy Guerrero co-founded Real Skateboards[1] in 1991.
Thiebaud authored the books Do The Distance and Loose Change.
This biographical article relating to American skateboarding is a stub.