Tony Hawk. What happened to the skateboarding star of the ’90s?

If you don’t know Tony Hawk, you’ve probably never been interested in skateboarding. After all, it was under his watch that the sport became the most popular. Tony was the first in history to conquer the trick “900” – two and a half turns in the air with a landing in the opposite direction. The cost of this trick, in his own words, was a broken shoulder, more than 20 concussions and about 13 years of training. Hawk did it in 1999 at the age of 31 and then repeated it twice: at 43 and 48!

Tony Hawk is ready to repeat tricks at 51

Now the legendary skateboarder is already 51, and he still performs tricks masterfully and is not going to stop.

As you can see, for Hawk there are absolutely no barriers, and he is still honing his skills in any places, even not intended for skateboarding. No ramp nearby? No problem, Tony will skate on the wall around the TV. “Don’t kill television… just ride around it,” reads the caption to this video.

How did Tony Hawk become popular?

Such dedication to his favorite cause has helped Tony Hawk build an entire empire and infect millions of people with skateboarding. His influence is hard to overstate. In the early 80’s, at a time when he was just starting to skate, the industry was very underdeveloped. No one wanted to master skateboarding, most kids in the US chose baseball, American soccer or basketball. Hawk was not strong in team games, it was difficult for him to join the company, so he spent his days riding on the ramp, which his parents built for him in the backyard.

Gradually improving, at the age of 12 Tony already got his first sponsor Dogtown Skateboards, and by the age of 16 he became one of the best skaters on the planet. Thanks to his talent and hard training, the athlete already started to perform at the professional level at the age of 14, and after signing a solid contract with Power Peralta, he was able to buy his first house before graduating from high school.

What else does the skateboarder do?

Tony Hawk is not only a first-class athlete, but also a successful businessman. At the end of the 90s, he and his family founded the skateboard companies Birdhouse and Hawk Clothing. In addition, he is the founder of Boom Boom Huck Jam Tour, which organizes performances of the strongest skateboarders, BMX-bikers and motorcycle freestylers at large arenas and amusement parks in the United States. At one time, Tony Hawk owned an amusement park ride at Six Flag. Hawk’s fortune, according to various estimates, is $120-140 million.

Tony does not forget to develop his favorite sport, which made him a superstar and a millionaire. Thanks to his investments, more than 450 skateparks have been opened across the United States. His foundation finances the construction of new public playgrounds in low-income areas and supports young riders from all over the country. In total, the Tony Hawk Foundation has invested more than $3 million in the development of skateboarding.

In 2009, Barack Obama invited Tony to the White House as part of his Father’s Day celebration. Since Hawk never part with his skateboard, he decided, with the permission of the authorities, to ride around the lobby of the main government building of the country and take a couple of photos.

Hawk is still skating and doing it at a very high level. You can appreciate his current skilling.

The public’s attention to Tony has not waned. Recently he gave an interview to VOGUE, in which he answered 73 questions. It turns out that as a child, Hawke was thinking about a career as a musician, he could make a great violinist. However, when his music teacher asked Hawke to play a concert on the weekend, the kid skipped everything and went skateboarding.

A skateboarding legend, a successful businessman, a father of 4 children, a participant of many charity events, a guy who doesn’t part with his skateboard even in the business class of an airplane, and still an idol of youth – that’s how Tony Hawk appears to us at 51.