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Hawk, Tony, and Sean Mortimer. Tony Hawk: Professional Skateboarder. !!T Books, 2002.

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Tony hawk was in an accident, he was born out of nowhere. His mom was in the middle of completing college when she had him. For the first decade of his life he was a nightmare, he started committing a lot of offenses.

Quote #1

"I was an accident. My mom laughs and shakes her head no whenever I say that, but its the truth." (5)

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A couple of diehard skaters were undeterred by the slushy weather in the Andy Kessler Skate Park, near the Henry Hudson Parkway. They weren't together, and each moved in his own loose orbit, trying different tricks and carving around puddles. One was a teen-ager dressed for the cold-beanie, parka, and pillowy snowboard gloves. The other, a lanky middle-aged man shivering in jeans and a hoodie, was Tony Hawk.

"My schedule's so jammed that I didn't want to waste time going back to the hotel for warmer clothes," Hawk said, rubbing his hands together. "That might've been a mistake." At fifty-five, Hawk is a philanthropist, an entrepreneur, the titular character in a billion-dollar video-game franchise, and the most iconic skateboarder ever to have lived. He'd flown in from California the night before and spent the morning at City Hall, lobbying for public skate parks. That evening, he was being honored at a gala, and he would fly home, to San Diego, the next day to record an episode of his podcast, " Hawk vs Wolf." This was his only window for skating.

"My first trip to the city was in the mid-eighties, on a Bones Brigade tour," he said. "Back then, there was nowhere to skate, so we just stopped at CBGB to buy T-shirts and got back on the road." He dropped into a half-pipe. "Everything's changed for the better," he said. "This city cares about skaters."

Hawk and his wife, Catherine, first visited New York together in 2010. They'd arrived late and headed straight for Blue Ribbon Brasserie. When they walked in, a diner in bottle-thick glasses slid back his chair to block their path. Hawk recognized the man immediately. "I turn to Catherine and go, 'That's Mark Mothersbaugh!' " he recalled. "And she looked at the others at his table and said, 'And that's Devo!' "

Last summer, Hawk's teen-age daughter attended theatre camp in the city, and the family rented a place on the Lower East Side. Hawk was also finishing what would become his farewell "video part," the skateboarding equivalent of a writer's final novel. The part, " Tapes You Leave Behind," required more than four years to complete-for one thing, Hawk took a hiatus from filming while he underwent two major surgeries. The first procedure occurred after he miscalculated his landing on an aerial and broke his femur-"I tried getting up, but my leg didn't come with me. It was pointing in the wrong direction." The second surgery was less than a year later, the consequence of returning to skating before his femur had healed. A documentary about his recovery is currently being shopped around Hollywood.

"After I'd recovered enough to be creative, I remembered I'd been working on a part," he said. "Once I committed to finishing, I realized it was going to be more difficult-and exhausting-than I'd ever imagined. I didn't set out for this to be my final project, but here we are.

"That term, 'video part,' used to make sense, by the way," Hawk said. "It was your three or four minutes in an hour-long video with other skaters. Full-length skate videos are a lost art form because of costs and logistics, so now the part is the whole. Part of what, though? The Internet, I guess."

As a cold wind whooshed through the park, Hawk flowed from the half-pipe to the street section and back. He improvised routes in order to hit every obstacle, as if collecting tokens in a video game. Despite his injury, he looked ageless on his board. When he snapped a lofty ollie over an embankment, the teen-ager finally clocked who'd been skating with him; he started patting his pockets for his phone.

"I feel humbled and, I don't know, liberated?" Hawk said about skating after the release of "Tapes." "It doesn't feel like I have some herculean goal to reach every session. I used to get obsessed and, like, angry. I'd get this intense tunnel vision, and people have told me, after the fact, that I've made them uncomfortable when we skated together. Now it can kind of feel like I'm coasting, and I've never liked coasting, but I'm trying to embrace it. I'm thinking of it as a new trick. It's fun."

The teen-ager skated up, dragging his toe to slow down while casually extending his glove for a fist bump. Then he asked for a selfie. "I met you here over the summer," he said.

"Good to see you again," Hawk said with practiced courtesy. "You been skating much?"

"Yeah, but this is actually only my second time at this park," he said. Light was fading, but there was still enough. Hawk put down his board and pushed toward the embankment. The teen-ager followed.

"It's a rad park for sure," Hawk said.

"Oh, definitely," the kid said. "Every time I skate here, you're here, too." ♦

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The skate icon hits a half-pipe in Riverside Park and considers his last-ever video part, Bret Anthony Johnston writes.

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Tony hawk was a bad kid, his parents put up with it because they felt sorry for him. he had determination, and was gifted. Hawk was so determined that if he had a obsession, it would be done right away, and stop after a few days. He got the term "gifted" after he had scored a 144 on an IQ test, which would eventually bump him up a grade.

Quote #2

"She arranged for an IQ test, and when the results came back, we found out that I had scored a 144. This was higher than the average score and it put me in the "Gifted" category." (15)

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TONY HAWK BIO

Tony Hawk was age 9 when his older brother gave him a blue fiberglass skateboard, chipped and scratched from years of use. The first time Tony stepped on it and rolled down an alley behind the family's house in San Diego, there was no epiphany, no revelation ... no foreshadowing whatsoever that he would go on to become the most famous skateboarder of all time. He reached the end driveway, looked back at his brother and shouted, "How do I turn?"

Eventually, of course, Tony learned to do more than merely turn. Practicing at the now-defunct Oasis Skatepark, the undersized prodigy soon began to attract attention by performing maneuvers well beyond his years. At age 12 he was winning amateur contests throughout California, at 14 he turned pro, and at 16 he was widely regarded as the best competitive skateboarder in the world. By the time he was 25, he'd competed in 103 pro contests, winning 73 of them and placing second in 19-a record that will almost certainly never be matched. He was crowned vertical skating's world champion 12 years in a row.

As a 17-year old high school senior, Tony's annual income surpassed that of his teachers, mostly as a result of royalties from his primary sponsor, Powell Peralta skateboards. He was able to buy his first home before he graduated. Through the late '80s, he traveled the world, skating demos and contests. Then, in 1991, the sport of skateboarding died a quiet but sudden death. Tony's income shrank drastically; times were so lean that he survived on a $5-a-day Taco Bell allowance.

But while many of his peers moved on to other, more traditional pursuits, Tony never gave up on the sport he loved. The next few years flew by in a blur of financial uncertainty. Confident that skating would rebound, Tony refinanced his first house and with a friend launched his own skateboard company, Birdhouse Projects. The first few years were rough: Birdhouse wasn't making money, and Tony's future was sketchy.

But, almost as abruptly as it died, skating's popularity surged skyward, and the Hawk became the Phoenix. Birdhouse grew into one of the biggest and best-known skate companies in the world, and Tony signed a wide range of endorsement deals. In 1998, he and his family started a children's skate clothing company called Hawk Clothing. A year later, skating rocketed to unprecedented heights, from which it has yet to descend. Tony's career came with it; in fact, he provided much of the fuel.

In 1999, Tony teamed up with Activision to create the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater video game franchise. The Tony Hawk video game series became one of the most popular game franchises in history (and has now surpassed $1.4 billion in sales) and in September 2020, an all-new Pro Skater 1+2 in 4K launched, bringing the franchise full circle. In a stroke of good timing, at the X Games that year, Tony also became the first skateboarder to ever land a 900, a maneuver that had eluded (and occasionally hobbled) him for 10 years . It was one of skating's most gripping moments, playing out in front of a collection of his peers and fans, and on national TV. That exposure, along with his successful video game, helped establish Tony's mainstream celebrity

Soon after the 1999 X Games, Tony retired from competition, although he continues to put on demos and exhibitions all over the world. His Boom Boom HuckJam Tour featured some of the top skateboarders, BMXers and freestyle motocross riders in a giant tour that played in large arenas and theme parks across the country. Tony's action sports exhibitions and shows continue to pack venues worldwide.

Tony has won numerous awards, including Make-A-Wish's Favorite Male Athlete, Teen Choice Awards' Choice Male Athlete and Nickelodeon's Kid's Choice Awards' Favorite Male Athlete, beating out such sports icons as Shaquille O'Neal, Tiger Woods, and Kobe Bryant. From video games to skateboards to online media to clothing to world tours, Tony has dominated the Action Sports market with his laid-back style. He is the most recognized Action Sports figure in the world and, according to some marketing surveys, one of the most recognizable athlete of any kind in the United States.

Today, his business skills have helped create a Tony Hawk brand that includes a billion-dollar video game franchise, successful businesses such as Birdhouse Skateboards, Hawk Clothing, and the Tony Hawk Signature Series sporting goods and toys. Tony regularly appears on television and in films, and on his Hawk V Wolf Podcast with Jason Ellis. His autobiography, HAWK-Occupation: Skateboarder was a New York Times bestseller and is currently available in paperback. In 2010, Wiley Publishing released How Did I Get Here? The Ascent of an Unlikely CEO. During 2012, in partnership with Google, Inc. Tony's film production company, 900 Films, launched RIDE Channel on YouTube, the world's most popular video site.

Tony is a role model for fans of all ages. His charitable foundation, The Skatepark Project (formerly the Tony Hawk Foundation), has awarded over $13 million in grants to over 660 skatepark projects throughout the United States. Over 8 million users annually enjoy skateparks that the foundation has helped fund.

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The official website of skateboarding legend Tony Hawk. Featuring photos, videos, appearance information and more.

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hawk was hanging out with his older brother who he considered as his best friend, they were digging in the garage looking for something to do, but hawks older brother Steve pulls out, a skateboard, and tells hawk to try it. His brother teaches him the basics of stake boarding. as he rides more he gets more interested into staking and does it a few times a week.

Quote #3

"One day we were digging in the garage looking for something to do when Steve pulled out a dusty, blue fiberglass skateboard." (18)

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Tony Hawk Lands FIRST-EVER 900 | X Games

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hawk would always watch the people at oasis stake, he would be amazed, later he asked his dad to take him to the park but they didn't have extra money to waste on a membership, so his dad built him a ramp to skate on in their driveway. His parents always encouraged their kids to follow their dreams. Tony hawk's dad was a pilot during WWII and the Korean war, and his mom was a teacher. Once his parents saw how much he enjoyed skating the driveway ramp, they got him a better skateboard. ever since then he loved skating.

Quote #4

"Once they saw that I enjoyed skating the driveway ramp on an old blue board, they bought me a better one that was more modern and wider with better trucks and wheels." (24)

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His parents supported him skating, as he enjoyed it more than any other sports he played. hawk never gave up on him self, he became more mature, since he couldn't blame anyone else but himself. which made him a better person.

Quote #5

"With skating my teammates couldn't blame me for loosing-because I didn't have any. I only had myself to blame." (31)

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Hawk had struggles doing advanced tricks since he was to skinny to wear his safety equipment, in which he was made fun of. Tony hawk entered his first contest at the age of eleven years old, at Oasis, where he always practiced skating. he never found out how he did on the contest. As he started reading skateboarder magazines he discovered more skate-parks, and started competing in the ASPO. he won his age division.

Quote #6

"I was eleven years old when I entered my first contest. it was at Oasis, but I was still scared." (35)

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Tony Hawk - Oasis Skatepark team, 1978. Would love help identifying everyone in this photo (my old neighbor Thad is lower left). Pretty sure the trophies are for ASPO series Park Team division. I’m lower right with Rector shorts, Norcon helmet and Mr. Bill shirt. | Facebook

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Oasis Skatepark team, 1978. Would love help identifying everyone in this photo (my old neighbor Thad is lower left). Pretty sure the trophies are for ASPO series Park Team division. I’m lower right...

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skating started to die out, and skate parks closed down. ASPO went out of business, so they started California Amateur Skateboard League also known as CASL. In which he won the "most improved skater award".

Quote #7

"By the end of the year I had skated well enough in most CASL contest to win the Most Improved Skater Award." (49)

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Tony hawk invited to be on THE team "the Bone Brigade" which was run by the world champion skateboarder in 1977 Stacy Peralta, and it had hawk's favorite skateboarders, but he was also asked to skate for another company. He chose to skate for Stacy. At the age of 13 he went to a sponsored amateurs contest, in which he did bad in and thought he had disappointed everyone, but his team understood his nervousness.

Quote #8

"Stacy flew me and the rest of the Bones Brigade to a contest in Florida. I was thirteen years old, the youngest member of the Bones Brigade." (55)

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Hawk turned into a professional skater at the age of 14, after he places third in a contest at Whittier, California.

Quote #9

"In 1982, a few months after my fourteenth birthday, I turned pro." (64)

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Hawk was laughed at by other professional skaters because of his different style of skating. Even though he had a different style, he won a pro contest at Del Mar. Yet he was still laughed at, which made him more depressed.

Quote #10

"Robot or not, judges at contests appreciated the amount of tricks I could jam into a run, and I won the next pro contest." (70)

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Because of hawks parents skating didn't die, as his father got CASL up and running, but since pro contests had no ranking his father fixed that and started NSA, and his mom helped his father out with the tournaments. hawk wanted to sell his first every professional board which didn't go so well since the design got messed up, and made no money, but Stacy helped out and hawk started making 500-1000 dollars a month at the age of 15.

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Hawk turned 16 and got a old red Honda civic for his birthday present, and now he could drive to school and the skatepark himself. Later he won an award of NSA's first world vert champion title., yet he was still hated on for his style, and other skaters were smooth. he tried to change it but, you cant change the way you skate.

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Skating popularity was increasing, and hawk was making more money than his parents and teachers. Winning the world championships made hawk a really popular skater at his school. After years of skating tony hawk got enough confidence and tricks to start winning contests consistently. he was the first pro to win three contest in a row.

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#14 - Winning contest is not always fun 

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#14 - Winning contest is not always fun 

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Hawk had won his fourth NSA world championship title and seemed to win majority of the contest, and he was getting bored of it. the judges would score unfairly of his tricks and he started to get tired of it and started to get depressed, and thought about quitting contests, in which he did after he won another NSA vert world championship.

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After 3 months of not competing in skating he wanted to compete again. But this time he would have unexpected runs, and had fun again. Hawk was making loads of money from their company, and were going on a lot of tours and tv shows.

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Street skating was introduced by many few young kids as it was much cheaper and you could skate anywhere, the pro skaters were being called dinosaurs as they couldn't keep up with the new style the kids made, Also Powell started to die. Hawk went to Japan and got injured while trying to land a 720 on a demo ramp. This caused him to stop skating for a while, but recovered. later he married his girlfriend Cindy while they were shopping, shortly after the wedding he won another NSA vert champion title.

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Hawk won ANOTHER NSA vert world champion title, but skating was dying , most of the skaters decided to leave their team. Hawk decided to start his own company with another skater Per Welinder, he pull all his money into the company birdhouse. he couldn't support his child and wife since the company didn't do so good for the first year.

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Everything went down hill for Tony hawk, skating died and he retired from skating. Him and his wife got a divorce. He later soon started dating another girl names Erin she was a blonde and she got along with him and his song, they met in a demo.

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Hawks Dad died of cancer, but skating started to gain its population again and hawk's board started selling and he started making money. He got married to the girl he was dating Erin, after he started making decent income. Hawk sprained both of his ankles at a contest. But after a while of skating he felt better. Later he had another son.

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Tony hawk quit contest after winning his last one of the year. Later Activision released a game called Tony hawk's Pro Skater video game, which became the best selling video game in the world at that time. hawk became an ESPN commentator since he didn't like how people presented skating a in a competitive way. he started an TV program called Tony Hawk's Gigantic Skatepark Tour with ESPN and two for his friends to show kids how skateboarding is a positive influence. He had a second kid with Erin, Keegan in 2001. Tony Hawk really appreciated skating and it changed his life.