Hawk gives a speech at the opening of the Compton Skatepark in LA in 2009. THF raised more than $70,000 for the park
H
e may be the world’s most recognisable skate- boarder – indeed one of the world’s most recogni- sable sportspeople – and he may have made a for- tune from skating, but
for Tony Hawk it has never been about the money or the fame. “I never expected any of this when I
started,” he says. “There was no dream of becoming rich and successful, because no-one had ever done it – and it didn’t even seem possible. I just loved skating. It gave me a sense of accomplishment and a sense of self confidence that I couldn’t find anywhere else – as well as a creative outlet.” At 45, with four children, a hugely
successful skateboard business, a wildly popular video game franchise and a char- itable foundation to take care of, ‘the Birdman’ still makes sure he skates for at least two hours a day and regularly per- forms in skate demos around the world. When I talk to him, he has just come back from a tour of Canada, which saw him perform alongside other world class skateboarders in cities including Toronto, Winnipeg and Calgary. “I’m still actively skating,” he says.
“I don’t have every hour of the day to devote to skating any more, because I have so many other responsibilities, but
Issue 3 2013 © cybertrek 2013
I never expected any of this when I started, there was no dream of becoming rich and successful
going out and trying new moves is what I strive to do. Plus I’d never want to make a living from skateboarding if I weren’t actually skateboarding myself.” To say that he makes a living from
skateboarding is something of an under- statement. He runs the hugely successful Birdhouse Skateboards skate company, while his Tony Hawk Pro Skater series is one of the most successful video game franchises in history. He makes skate- board videos, organises extreme sports events, regularly appears on tv and in films, has made millions from a wide range of endorsements, has launched a premium channel on YouTube dedicated to skating and has published a hugely popular autobiography. In 2002, he established the Tony Hawk
Foundation (THF), a charitable organisa- tion that helps build skateparks in low income communities across the US. His Twitter biography (he has more than 3.5 million followers at @tonyhawk) reads: ‘professional skateboarder, dad, vid- eogame character, CEO, kid chauffeur,
global hopscotcher, food glutton and public skatepark defender.’
HOW IT ALL STARTED When Hawk was nine years old, his brother gave him one of his old skate- boards. A self-confessed “hyperactive demon child,” Hawk discovered that skateboarding gave him an outlet for his excessive energy and he found a home from home at the Oasis Skatepark near San Diego in southern California. By 12, he was winning amateur compe-
titions throughout California and by 14 he had turned pro. By 25 he had com- peted in 103 professional competitions, winning 73 of them and coming second in 19, and was widely regarded as the world’s best vertical skater. In the early 1990s the global reces-
sion hit and skateboarding died a sudden death. Skateparks were torn down or bulldozed, competitions were cancelled and skate companies closed down. Hawk stuck with the sport though and launched his skateboard company,
Read Sports Management online
sportsmanagement.co.uk/digital 17
PHOTO: JODY MORRIS/©TONY HAWK FOUNDATION
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