Tony Hawk
Tony Hawk
Anthony Frank "Tony" Hawk, nicknamed "The Birdman", is an American professional skateboarder, actor, and owner of skateboard company Birdhouse. Hawk is well known for completing the first documented 900 and for his licensed video game titles, published by Activision. He is widely considered to be one of the most successful and influential pioneers of modern vertical skateboarding...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionSkateboarder
Date of Birth12 May 1968
CityCarlsbad, CA
CountryUnited States of America
I started skating when I was about 10 years old. It was in an alleyway. I picked up my brother's skateboard and stood on it. I started to roll down the alley, and I yelled at my brother asking him how I turn the thing. At the end of the alley, I just jumped off, picked up the board and physically turned it around.
Some of the spins he has learned on his skateboard had never been done before, because we, as skaters, didn't have a frame of reference to try them for the first time. For instance, nobody had attempted a 1080 in skating until Shaun tried it last year. He wasn't scared because he's done it plenty of times in the snow.
I wanted to promote skateboarding as much as possible through different media.
I consider skateboarding an art form, a lifestyle and a sport. 'Action sport' would be the least offensive categorization.
I won't quit skating until I am physically unable.
These sports are just -- you go do it, and you're doing it on your own. You don't have to answer to anyone.
That's awesome. Aside from being a really positive outlet for kids who are going to skate whether there's a park or not, it's a breeding ground. It helps our sport grow.
When you break your pelvis, you can't do a whole lot. It took me about six weeks to be able to get out of bed. Anything you do that shakes your body is painful all over, so you can't cough, you can't sneeze, and going to the bathroom is impossible.
There are endorsements I regret taking when I was younger and didn't know any better. But I didn't have options then. People weren't knocking on my door.
When you've got videos up on Web sites that are literally shot the same day, the whole skate community knows right away when new tricks are invented or new techniques are available.
When people start talking about venture capital and finances and how to create this and do that, a lot of it, I swear, it's like sitting in an escrow meeting when all you want to do is buy a house, and you're signing 50 pieces of paper, but you have no idea what they're talking about.
When I was around eleven or twelve, my board got hung up on the top of a bowl, and I got a concussion, and I knocked my teeth out. That was the first time that I got seriously injured, and I was taken to the hospital in an ambulance, and my parents briefly doubted.
When I landed the first 900 at the XGames, it was just - it was a personal achievement. It was something that I have strived for for years and years and years, and in a lot of ways had given up on it. But I just didn't think of the resonance that would have.
There's a stigma to skating. People think of it as a kid's sport. People kept telling me I couldn't possibly make a living out of it. Then they said I couldn't keep it up in my 30s. And here I am in my 40s, and I'm still improving my skills.