“It wasn’t my intention to be an ambassador for skating,” says the affable Tony Hawk almost right off the bat. But that’s exactly what Hawk, still boyish-looking at 40, has most definitely become. The self-described “hyperactive” 9-year-old kid who first picked up his brother’s skateboard on a whim is, today, the greatest athlete the sport has known. He’s pushed skateboarding to ever-higher heights—literally—pioneering a steady stream of “tricks,” each more daring and death-defying than the last.
Today, skateboarding is a thriving, multibillion-dollar business—and Hawk stands squarely atop the heap. The peripatetic father of four headlines top-grossing tours (Tony Hawk’s Boom Boom HuckJam), sells tens of millions of Tony Hawk–branded video games and has clothing lines, amusement park rides and, of course, a line of skateboards to his name. In fact, it’s this elusive crossover appeal of Hawk, who turned pro at the improbable age of 14, that almost single-handedly planted a once-outlaw sport squarely in the cultural mainstream.
But despite his outsized success, it’s his work with the Tony Hawk Foundation, which helps build quality skate parks in underserved communities (including a top-tier facility in nearby Staunton, Va.), that seems destined to leave its mark on today’s young skaters. Now retired from professional competition, the high-flying Hawk put down his board long enough to chat with Flyer about everything from sports to politics and philanthropy to, well, flying.
So, Tony, how’s that skateboarding thing working out for you?
(Laughs.) It’s going well. I’m still working on it. But I’ve had a good run.
I hear that before you got into skateboarding, you were sort of a problem child.
I think I was just really energetic—what they consider hyperactive [today]. I always wanted to do things physically, even though I was a scrawny runt. I think I was lucky in that my parents were older and they’d already had three kids before me, so they’d already been through what they thought was everything. If I had been the first [child], I think they would have thought, “They’re all crazy!”
What was your reaction the first time you got on a skateboard?
I didn’t think much of it, to be honest. I just picked it up and tried it. I was going down the alley and was literally asking my brother, “How do I turn this thing?” … I did it leisurely at first. About a year later, I started going to the skate park, and once I went to the skate park, I saw what was possible: People were literally flying. I wanted to fly.
But at that time, skateboarding wasn’t considered a serious sport, right?
In the beginning, skating was always looked on as a fad. It was like hula hoops, yo-yos and skateboards. Then skating rose to popularity in the late ’70s and early ’80s, [but] it sort of faded out again and then when it did, the people who loved it didn’t have anyplace to go. They were labeled as vandals and rebellious kids and outcasts because they were skating the malls and parking lots … I knew all along in my heart that skating was more than crazy haircuts and weird clothes.
When did it click in your mind that you could spend your life skateboarding and make a good living from it?
I didn’t make that realization until about 10 years ago. Because up until then, skating was very volatile. It was considered cool, and then it wasn’t cool. To be a pro skater meant you rode a trend wave. About 10 years ago, we sort of broke through the ceiling of niche sport. It was here to stay; it was much more recognizable; parents were encouraging their kids to skate. It was on TV; it was a genuine activity that kids chose to do or follow a career in. That’s when I realized that skating would be my livelihood for my foreseeable future, whereas before it was like, “Uh oh, I’m going to have to figure something else out.”
You hit it big—turning pro at 14 and buying your first house in your teens. Why didn’t that success turn you into one of these young problem stars?
Skating was always my priority. My motivation was to get better at skating and to be the best I could. I saw other guys getting a taste of success and falling off—partying, trying to have the celebrity lifestyle, and all of a sudden their skating wasn’t a part of it. And I thought, “That’s not me.” Plus, in the ’80s it wasn’t really that glamorous. We definitely had success but it wasn’t the Paris Hilton type of stuff. [Instead], it was like some girls would actually talk to you instead of turning away from you because you skated.
Then you jumped into the business world. How did the evolution to businessman come about?
A lot of it evolved with the opportunities that came up. I saw the skater culture permeating the mainstream, and a lot of people [were] not understanding where that came from … When I had a chance to work on [a skating video game], I wanted it to be authentic, so I worked on it for almost two years. When it came out, it went gangbusters. I had no idea it would be that big. I just wanted skaters to be proud of it. I think that had a lot to do with [my] getting the clout as a businessman … People took me seriously, as opposed to, “You’re just a skater, you wear some crazy outfit. Go dance, pony boy.”
Now you’ve got a wide range of successful commercial ventures under your belt. Why do you think you’ve been spared being labeled a sellout by your fans?
People call you a sellout when your stuff finally sells. I’ve had signature products since I was 14 years old but no one cared, because they just sat on shelves ... I’d like to think [my credibility comes from the fact that] I represent what we do with integrity, and I like to represent it authentically. I’m not trying to bastardize what we do into whatever it is that people think skating is. And I try to include those out there who are skating.
What was the inspiration for the Tony Hawk Foundation?
To me, it was just a response to a lack of support for skating in a lot of communities. To me, skating is such a positive influence, rather than something parents should discourage. You need to provide a place for [skaters], an outlet for this. Otherwise, they’re probably going to get into trouble.
We’ve raised about $2.7 million in the last six years and helped to fund about 400 skate parks. Last year, we hit the million-dollar [mark] in our annual fundraiser, and this year we did it again. To raise a million dollars for charity in today’s economic environment is no joke.
Speaking of which, is the tough economy likely to make things harder for skating, or for kids who skate?
... Now is the time they need our help more than ever. We need to show support for them—not when things are great, but when things are hard, and they’re going to be even harder for these kids.
Tell me about some of the skate parks that the Tony Hawk Foundation has
supported and built in the D.C. area.
There’s one that was made of recycled tires, [which] I skated, right outside of D.C. For the foundation of the cement, they used recycled tires. It was the first of the grassroots green skate parks [in the country].
How does a community successfully build a skate park?
First, it’s [by] including the skaters in the design process, because a lot of the time, skate park construction and design goes to the lowest bidder, and that doesn’t mean the most experienced bidder. [You’ve also got to] listen to skaters who are going to ride it [and plan for] many different styles of skating.
You have four kids, including an infant daughter. Has skating influenced the way you relate to your kids?
It’s kept me physically active and young at heart, so that I’m able to go do the things that they like to do ... to join in them, as opposed to just watching from the sidelines. [Additionally], in skating, there are all these auxiliary opportunities [like] travel, and I can include the family.
Your life involves a lot of flying—and not just on a skateboard. Has travel always been something you loved?
To be a pro skater, especially in the ’80s, required you to travel to expeditions and competitions. And to be honest, I had never traveled much as a kid, and I was freaked out even about going to Florida. But I learned to embrace it. Now we love it. My wife and I have been to Sierra Leone, Cambodia, Thailand, India. We love things I never, ever imagined I could get to do, all from riding a skateboard.
Here in D.C., politics is our hometown sport. Which is more extreme—politics or skateboarding?
I guess that all depends on your definition of extreme. Politics seems like a giant game to me … It all seems so difficult.
And speaking of politics, how do you rate President Obama’s athletic prowess?
I’ve seen him play hoops, and he’s good. The guy can move! Clearly, he knows what he’s doing. He’s active, at least, and I appreciate that.
You’ve been skating for more than 30 years now. Did you ever imagine you’d
be skating at 40?
When I was a kid, I didn’t think that I could skate past high school, because I thought you had to be responsible, and skating was never a part of that agenda. When I turned 30, people said, “you can’t be 30 and be a pro skater,” and I felt like I had just hit my stride and had learned some new tricks. If something happens to me physically, I won’t do it in public anymore. I’m not going to be the sad old man just going through the motions like some old ice-skater.
You’ve achieved incredible success and traveled the world just by picking up a skateboard. Does it ever hit you what a wild ride it’s been?
Every day!