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Exclusive Interview with Tony Hawk The Basics: How to Nollie Photography of the month Skaters of the future Park Discovery Board Design The Fix
7 issue 1
skating’s
most wanted man
images courtesy of tony hawk gallery, words by jamie timworth.
watch tony’s 900 at the 99 x games
tony hawk
we chat with the legend who transformed
a sport and an entire culture downloadable wallpaper
mr. hawk, did anyone ever tell you that you were wasting your time with skateboarding? SURE, IN HIGH SCHOOL A TEACHER TOLD ME THAT IF I CONTINUED TO NOT FOLLOW THE RULES I WAS NEVER GOING TO MAKE IT ANYWHERE.
as a kid you were tested with an iq of 144. did you feel any different knowing that you were supposed to be smart? NO, THEY JUST PUT ME INTO WHAT’S CALLED THE GATE PROGRAM FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE MORE ADVANCED AND MORE GIFTED AND LUCKILY I DID HAVE SOME CAMARADERIE IN THAT. I HAD A COUPLE OF FRIENDS WHO WERE IN THE SAME PROGRAM.
how does a highly intelligent kid in the ’80s get so obsessed with skateboarding? I WAS SKATING WITH FRIENDS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND THEN EVENTUALLY I WAS INVITED TO GO TO THE SKATE PARK WITH ONE OF THEM. WHEN I SAW PEOPLE FLYING ALL AROUND – LITERALLY FLYING IN AND OUT OF BOWLS – THAT IS WHEN I KNEW I WANTED TO DO IT. I WANTED TO FIGURE OUT HOW I COULD GET THERE AND HOW I COULD FLY.
how long was it before you got injured for the first time? 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.
what was their reaction? MY DAD MADE ME GET A NEW HELMET. (LAUGHS)
what was the most painful injury you ever had? A BROKEN PELVIS. 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. IT SUCKS.
how old were you when that happened? I WAS ABOUT 33. IT WAS A ROUGH TIME AND IT TOOK ME A LONG TIME TO GET BACK TO SKATING AT THE LEVEL I WAS SKATING BECAUSE I HAD A LOT OF CONFIDENCE ISSUES. I COULDN’T TRUST MYSELF ANYMORE.
that was two years after you landed your first 900, at the time the biggest trick anybody had ever done on a skateboard. in 2012 the first 1080 was done by twelve-year-old tom schaar. what does that say about the future of skateboarding? IT BASICALLY EXPLAINS HOW MUCH SUPPORT THERE IS FOR SKATEBOARDING NOW. THE FACT THAT A GUY LIKE TOM HAS THOSE KINDS OF FACILITIES AND TRAINING GROUNDS AND INTEREST AND SUPPORT TO DO THIS KIND OF THING IS AMAZING. WE DIDN’T HAVE HUGE RAMPS, WE DIDN’T HAVE FOAM PITS AND STUFF LIKE THAT. SO THAT REALLY SHOWS YOU HOW FAR WE HAVE COME IN THE SPORT AND IT DEFINITELY SHOWS YOU THE FUTURE.
but you were bullied for being a skateboarder back when you were in school. YES, BUT THAT GAVE ME THE FIRE TO PUSH IT EVEN FURTHER. THAT GAVE ME THE REASON TO TRY HARDER AND MAKE IT MORE LEGITIMATE. I FELT LIKE I HAD SOMETHING THAT THEY DIDN’T REALLY UNDERSTAND AND I LIKED THAT. I LIKED THAT IT SET ME APART AND I DIDN’T CARE WHAT THEY THOUGHT.
do you sometimes have a hard time believing that skateboarding is now generally considered as cool? I THINK THERE IS A PART IN ME THAT STILL DOESN’T BELIEVE THAT BECAUSE OF HOW IT WAS RECEIVED WHEN I GREW UP. BUT THE OTHER PART OF ME IS VERY MUCH LIKE, “FINALLY THEY FIGURED IT OUT!” I KNEW IT ALL ALONG THAT THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS MUCH DEEPER, A POSITIVE CREATIVE AND ARTISTIC OUTLET.
you witnessed your sport become a global sensation and then suddenly it became unpopular again in the early ’90s. how did that affect you as skateboarding’s poster boy? A LOT OF SKATEPARKS WERE CLOSING BECAUSE THEY COULDN’T AFFORD THE INSURANCE AND IT WAS FALLING OUT OF FASHION AS WELL. THAT WASN’T THAT TOUGH BECAUSE I HAD ALREADY LIVED THROUGH THAT EARLY ON, BUT THE HARDEST THING FOR ME WAS PROVIDING FOR MY FAMILY. I HAD TWO HOUSES AND A BIG MORTGAGE AND MY INCOME WAS BEING CUT IN HALF EVERY MONTH. THAT GOT REALLY HARD.
did you start your company birdhouse skateboards because of that moment of crisis? YES, THAT IS EXACTLY WHY I STARTED IT. I FIGURED IT WOULD NOT TAKE THAT MUCH TO MAKE A SPLASH IN THE SKATE WORLD. ADVERTISING ON THE BACK COVER OF A SKATE MAGAZINE WASN’T VERY EXPENSIVE AT THE TIME AND WE WERE ABLE TO PUT OURSELVES IN A GOOD POSITION RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING.
did you always have an entrepreneurial streak? I HAD AN INTEREST IN IT, BUT THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT I ACTUALLY TOOK A RISK LIKE THAT.
and people did call you a sell out for it. BUT I NEVER COMPROMISED MY VALUES, I WAS NEVER CHANGING THE REASON FOR THE THINGS I DID JUST BECAUSE THERE WAS BIGGER MONEY BEHIND IT OR A BIGGER SPONSORSHIP.
you advertised for mcdonald’s.… I ATE MCDONALDS AS A KID, THEY DIDN‘T CHANGE MY BELIEFS OR SOMETHING.
one last question: do you consider the marble floor hallway of the white house a good spot to skate? (LAUGHS) YOU KNOW, I DIDN’T PLAN THAT AHEAD OF TIME, BUT IT WAS FUN. I BROUGHT MY BOARD WITH ME WHEN I GOT INVITED AND SUDDENLY I FOUND MYSELF WALKING THROUGH A HALLWAY WITH NO ONE AROUND, SO I THOUGHT I WOULD JUST GRAB MY SKATEBOARD AND GET A PICTURE.
you didn’t ask for permission? NO, THAT IS NOT REALLY THE SKATE CREDO.
the full interview
what’s new with tony? visit his site and find out
AROUND
THE WORLD
SKATE BOARDING Discover new parks: Robert’s Skatepark, Omaha, USA Omaha is the largest and known city, the county seat of Douglas County in Nebraska, United States. This incredible city is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, approximately at 16 km/10 mi in the north of the mouth of Platte River. When it comes to Omaha, we try to find the combination of words that will describe this amazing, full of life and challenging place. This city is not famous only for its long history, economical development, a surge of notable people and unlimited sightseeing. A vital ingredient that makes this place always busy is the recreational opportunities that are readily available to everyone. Robert’s Skatepark, which lies in Omaha, is a well-known skatepark with the best features for an exciting activity. It is a 1300 m² / 14000 ft² skatepark with concrete riding surface. The park includes some urban elements such as ramps, stairs, quarter pipes, a grinding block and fun box.
There is also a flat area transition into a snake run that empties into a 1.22 m / 4 ft width and a 2.13 m / 7 ft length bowl. At the entrance, you find two silhouettes of skateboarders, made by galvanized steel, which are dedicated in honor to the late Mathew Kress and Tommy Craft, campaigned for this skatepark. The park is open during daily hours only, and while you skate there, you are kindly requested to adhere to the rules of the park. So, skate with caution, use helmets, bicycles and scooters are prohibited, alcohol and glass containers too. The admission is free and your adventure is the city’s highest priority!
Find: Robert's skate park
Skatepark I-Punkt, Hamburg, Germany Hamburg is the second largest city in Germany, the sixth largest city in the European Union and the thirteenth largest German state. It is situated on the river Elbe while its port is the second largest port in Europe and tenth worldwide. Hamburg is known for its big sporting activity among others. One sport that is very popular in Hamburg is Skate Boarding. There are many places where you can skateboard, however within skate-parks you can have twice as much fun as anywhere else due to the presence of numerous obstacles to ride. One skate-park that is very popular in Hamburg is Skatepark I-Punkt. It is an indoor 1500 m²/16146 ft² warehouse with an additional 1800 m² /19375 ft² outdoor terrain.
Indoors you will find a half-pipe of 4 m /13.1 ft high and 10 m /32.9 ft wide, a bowl of 2 m /6.6 ft high, 3 corners, a hip that extends into an overexert part and an extension. Furthermore, the spot also hosts a pyramid, quarter ramps, loads of handrails in different sizes and angles, curbs, ledges, banks all in different sizes and a mini ramp 1.20 m / 3.1 ft and 8 m /26.2 ft in width.
Find: Skatepark I-PUNKT
New Bird Skatepark, Liverpool, England Liverpool is situated along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. The climate here is classified as a temperate maritime climate, like much of the British Isles, with mild winters and cool summers. Liverpool is noted for its music, as it is the birthplace of The Beatles. It is also well known for its rich architectural heritage. In addition to that, the city won the World Heritage Site status by UNESCO in 2004. New Bird is a popular, outdoor skatepark that is located in Liverpool. Its name derived from its location, as it is based on New Bird street. This spot offers a number of different shaped banks, quarter pipe ramps, different sized hips
and a bowl corner. A feature of this location is a rail, where you can show off with your tricks. In addition, the skatepark is suitable for both the beginner and experienced skateboarder. Note that, you should use a helmet , as well as knee pads and elbow, in order to prevent yourself from getting injured.
Find: new bird skatepark
The One and Only Skatepark, Adelaide, Australia Adelaide, the liveliest city in Australia, is the capital of South Australia state and is situated on the Adelaide Plains and more specifically at the north side of Fleurieu Peninsula. The city is built next to Torrens River and is surrounded by the Mount Lofty Ranges and the Gulf St Vincent. The climate is considered to be Mediterranean, with dry and hot summers when temperatures can reach up to 42°C/107.60°F, and humid and cool winters with frequent rainfalls. Adelaide is the paradise of skateboarding lovers with many areas dedicated to skating. City Skatepark is situated in the heart of the city and is one of the best skateparks in the whole country. It has several concrete ramps, half-bowls, rails, steps, fast and hard hips, vertical drops and ledges, thus perfect for transition and street skating.
Slide on the rails, make your jumps and ollies off the ramps and land back again on your board, do stunning kickflips and drop-ins. Buy or take your skateboard with you and get ready to perform stunning tricks up in the air!
Find: The One and only skatepark
Visit our official park finder XTREME SPOTS
Skatepark I-Punkt, Hamburg, Germany
New Bird Skatepark, Liverpool, England
The One and Only Skatepark, Adelaide, Australia