I Wanna Be Like
Tony
Why life for Birdman Tony Hawk is good these
days.
by Kayla Mossien
TWEENS and TEENS News November
2007
Being an adolescent is all about
life experiences like overcoming challenges
and facing fears. Most kids today are in search
of an idol who looks fear in the eye and doesn’t
back down— someone cool and adventurous
to emulate.
Living legend and professional skateboarder
Tony Hawk is just the man for such a job.
Hawk has beaten unbelievable odds and channeled
his inner fears into determination and confidence.
As a strong-willed child, Hawk was deemed
“gifted.” He was also athletic
from the start. When frustrated, Hawk sought
solace from his difficulties by skateboarding.
At age 9, Hawk’s brother gave him a
Bahne board— a blue fiberglass skateboard—
that served as an outlet that would soon lead
him to total domination of the extreme sports
world. But despite a natural-born talent for
skateboarding, Hawk was hard on himself when
he didn’t perform his absolute best,
even if he had won first place.
“If I don’t do my best,”
Hawk says on his Web site www.tonyhawk.com,
“it kills me.”
After starting to ride at age 9, Hawk was
sponsored by Dogtown skateboards at age 12,
turned professional at 14 and became the world’s
greatest skater at 16. While most of his friends
were dealing with peer pressures, grades and
identity issues, Hawk was excelling in the
world of extreme sports.
With a slew of personally invented tricks
like the backside varial, shove-it roc ’n’
roll, fingertip backside air, airwalk-to-fakie,
the 720, Indy 540, 360 varial disaster and,
the most popular to date, the 900 (two and
a half mid-air spins) done at the 1999 X Games,
Hawk has claimed his position as one unbelievable
boarder. When it comes to competition, not
many can say they have beaten the warrior.
In nearly all of Hawk’s competitions,
he has placed first or second and he has mastered
more than 80 tricks. No wonder he is one of
the most widely searched athletes on the Internet.
Along with putting his stamp on skateboarding,
Hawk has positively influenced aspiring athletes
and other kids around the globe. A philanthropist
as well, Hawk founded the Tony Hawk Foundation,
which promotes and helps finance public skate
parks in low-income areas. The Foundation’s
mission is to foster lasting improvements
in society, with an emphasis on supporting
and empowering youth. The organization also
teaches kids about the positive things life
has to offer and the charitable people who
improve neighborhoods worldwide. The Foundation’s
Web site www.tonyhawkfoundation.org enables
viewers to donate funds, join other skateboarders
and lend a helping hand.
Today, Hawk is a father to three children.
He says he wants to give insight to children
everywhere, especially kids who are struggling
to find personal guidance. As with his Foundation,
Hawk has taken a major step in giving back
by promoting safety with his Maximum Safety
for Active Kids Campaign.
With 24 years of professional skating experience—
not to mention the immense sweat and effort
it took him to achieve incredible skill and
professionalism— Hawk knows a thing
or two about the bumps and bruises that can
incur from extreme sports. That is why he
and longtime friend and professional BMXer
Mike “Rooftop” Escamilla visited
Toys ’R’ Us Times Square for the
Maximum Safety for Active Kids clinic this
past April. There, kids considering becoming
active riders in the extreme sports community
received tips on sport safety. Hawk’s
Maximum Safety Campaign was designed to teach
kids what to wear for protection while riding,
as well as how to wear gear correctly. The
free clinic started with a demonstration and
led to a Q&A and autograph session for
emerging professionals.
“At times, kids will get a gift of skateboarding/BMX
gear and it will be the wrong size,”
Hawk said. “I also see a lot of kids
wearing a helmet and its hanging back here,”
he continued, gesturing toward the back of
his head. “If kids get themselves into
these sports and aren’t wearing protection
correctly, they may as well be wearing a hat—
or nothing at all for that matter.”
Following are Tony Hawk and Mike Escamilla’s
top five safety tips.
Tip #1: No piece of gear is more important
than a properly fitting helmet.
Tip #2: Make sure that your bike is the right
size so that you have the maximum control
when you ride.
Tip #3: Keep your bike tuned up. Your tires
should be properly inflated, and you should
always make sure that your brakes, spoke,
chain and other moving parts are in good shape
and properly lubricated.
Tip #4: Always wear a helmet, elbow pads and
knee pads on scooters and skateboards.
Tip #5: Follow the rules of the road by always
riding on the right-hand side of the street
and obeying traffic laws.
Kayla Mossien is an assistant editor.
