Q&A WITH TONY HAWK

John Rogers, Cypress, Calif.: Do you like the old school boards with just one kicktail or do you like the boards today better? How much longer do you think you will be skating for?

Hawk: I like today’s boards better because you can do more things with two kicktails. As for how much longer I’ll be skating, who knows? I love what I am doing and although I’m considered old (28) by skateboarding standards, I’m still pretty young. I don’t see myself leaving anytime soon.

Brooke Howell, Midland, Ontario: Watching you pull off a 720 McTwist in last year’s X-Games inspired me to start skating. Why do you think you have such an influence on the young skaters today?

Hawk: I honestly don’t know. I just try to set a good example as a person and constantly try new things on my board. People are interested when you try new tricks in the half pipe or on the street course. Hopefully you can pull off a McTwist some day.

Aaron Kores, Bothell, Wash.: How has your career calmed down or speeded up since the '80s when the skate scene was a lot more popular with all the skate parks and hype that pro skate boarding was getting? And do you still have your own skateboards?

Hawk: I think that skating is much more popular today. Just look at the exposure that ESPN is giving us by showing our competitions in prime time. A lot of people are out there watching us. The '80s were a lot slower and events were harder to come by. I can skip an event now and not miss a beat, but I couldn’t skip one back then because there wouldn’t be another one for months. I make my own skateboards and I try to keep as many as I can.

Colin Larson, McHenry, Ill.: I'm a bit scared at going off jumps with my board, and I cannot afford a good board. The one I use now is a $30 board I bought from Target, and I don't really like it. My friends think I am a wuss for not going big like them. The first time I tried going big I wiped out totally and broke my thumb. What do you think I should do?

Hawk: Colin, I think you should go at your own pace. Don’t let your friends influence you. Just do as much as you can and then after you get comfortable with that, then you can try different, harder things. Don’t try to do something you know you can’t do. Your friends aren’t the ones getting the broken bones. Keep skating!

Rafael Ferreira, Campinas, Brazil: Tony, I am 29 and a retired skateboarder in Brazil. I saw your career from the beginning. Where did you get your creativity and inspiration? You are so unbelievable? I have HUGE respect for you and I think you are a very neat guy!!

Hawk: First, thanks for the kind words. I get my creativity from just constant practice. I am always trying new things on the ramp. It just comes to me. I’ll be up in the air and I’ll just try something new. If I think it will work, then I’ll keep practicing it. My inspiration at the beginning of my career was to put skateboarding on the map. That was what drove me, to get skating recognized. Now that we do get a lot more recognition, I just skate for fun now.

Kristina Marcus, Las Vegas, Nev.: I met you in Las Vegas at the Hard Rock Cafe Skateboarding Competition, which you won. I was just wondering if, after winning so many competitions, you ever get tired of winning? I understand that you've got great talent ... but do you ever get tired of skateboarding and contests?

Hawk: I don’t remember you, but if you say I met you, I guess I did. I never get tired of competing. Obviously I don’t always win all the time either. Andy (MacDonald) proved that today. The day that I get tired of going to competitions is the day that I’ll retire. Sometimes I get tired physically, but that’s got nothing to do with my desire to compete.

Paulo Anshowinhas, Sao Paulo, Brazil: As one of the biggest of all time, how do you see the improvement of the Brazilian skateboarders in the world scene?

Hawk: I know that Carlos Andrade from Brazil is doing really well and has a great future. Skateboarding in Brazil has become really popular. I think a lot of talented skaters from Brazil will be competing in events like these really soon.

Amit Stern, Ktivon, Israel: If I want to be like you, what should I do? I am your biggest fan.

Hawk: I don’t think you want to be exactly like me. But it’s flattering to know that people think so highly of you. Thanks. In terms of being like me on the board, all I can say is just keep practicing and it’ll come. If you really want to get good, you can. Just keep hitting the ramp.

Jeremy Babbitt, Houston, Tex.: Tony, I was wondering how you felt about the all the changes in the design of skateboards over the past few years from the Powell Poratla 7 ply Hawk Skull, with big tail and flat nose and side rails, compared to the newer boards which are smaller and have no real difference between the tail and nose in pitch. Do you feel the boards have gotten better, worse or are there any tradeoffs? I am also thinking about getting back into skateboarding after watching the X-Games and after seeing that my idol is still poppin’ 740 gives me the itch.

Hawk: Jeremy, I hope you do get back into skating. It’s a great sport. In terms of the difference between today’s boards and older boards, there really isn’t that much difference. They look different and today’s are a little lighter and smaller, but there really isn’t that big a difference. I must admit that I like the boards I make the best in the “Birdhouse.”

Ricardo A. Vilaro, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico: Can you please give tips to doing a good slider, truck rail, ollie and the flip kick?

Hawk: I’ve said this to a couple of others already, but it’s all practice. To get into specifics about how to pull off each move would be pointless because it depends on the individual. Depending on how close you are to actually pulling them off, just a little more practice is all it takes. Watching guys like us on television doesn’t hurt either.

Bob, Waltham, Mass.: Tony, back in the mid-'80s, I used to watch you duel it out with Hosoi, McGill, Mountain and the rest at Bare-Cover sponsored competitions in Mesa, Ariz. Back then, it seemed everyone and their mother had a skateboard and loved it. Then it nearly died out in the early '90s. It's great that it's back strong, but my question is: Why do you think skateboarding had such a lull in interest and declined so quickly back then?

Hawk: I think there was a lull in popularity because skateboarders were perceived as bad guys and they always got into trouble. Kids on skateboards were considered trouble-makers back then. Now, skating is almost a means of transportation. In a place like Newport (R.I.) where traffic is horrible, I’ve seen kids all week skating around from one place to another. The bad boy perception is gone now.

Felipe Bruxel, Buenos Aires, Argentina: You didn’t use a lot of rails in last year’s street competition. Are you going to use them more this year?

Hawk: The street is not my strongest event. I’m much more confident in the half-pipe. I’ve practiced a lot on the rails this year but I don’t know if I’ll be brave enough to pull them off. If you mess up on the rails, it’s going to hurt.

Richard Katz, Washington, D.C.: Tony, I am a long-standing skater, my favorite days go back to "The Search for Animal Chin.” What I want to ask you is if you reminisce a lot back to those days? Do you miss them? Do you still keep in contact with the Bones Brigade?

Hawk: I have a lot of great memories from when I first started. It seems like such a long time ago. The sport has come a long way since then. As far as the Brigade, I still keep in touch with the guys occasionally.

Sean Kelly, Malibu, Calif.: Tony, I saw your wakeboarding photos in Wakeboarding Magazine. Have you ridden since, and what do you think of the future of wakeboarding?

Hawk: Sean, I love to wakeboard and think it’s a lot of fun. I think it’s really an up-and-coming sport. I try to ride when I can but my schedule is so busy that I rarely get a chance. I definitely would encourage anybody to get started in the sport though.

Sean Auyeung, Windsor, Conn.: Do you think that the non-skater owned companies will sell out all their loyal followers to focus on what the mainstream wants instead of what's best for skateboarding?

Hawk: The sport is becoming a big business. Companies are out to make money, not friends. I don’t think they’ll “sell out”, but if they do there are still manufacturers that will stay loyal. I know the “Birdhouse” will exposure that ESPN is giving us by showing our competitions in prime time. A lot of people are out there watching us. The '80s were a lot slower and events were harder to come by. I can skip an event now and not miss a beat, but I couldn’t skip one back then because there wouldn’t be another one for months. I make my own skateboards and I try to keep as many as I can.

Colin Larson, McHenry, Ill.: I'm a bit scared at going off jumps with my board, and I cannot afford a good board. The one I use now is a $30 board I bought from Target, and I don't really like it. My friends think I am a wuss for not going big like them. The first time I tried going big I wiped out totally and broke my thumb. What do you think I should do?

Hawk: Colin, I think you should go at your own pace. Don’t let your friends influence you. Just do as much as you can and then after you get comfortable with that, then you can try different, harder things. Don’t try to do something you know you can’t do. Your friends aren’t the ones getting the broken bones. Keep skating!

Rafael Ferreira, Campinas, Brazil: Tony, I am 29 and a retired skateboarder in Brazil. I saw your career from the beginning. Where did you get your creativity and inspiration? You are so unbelievable? I have HUGE respect for you and I think you are a very neat guy!!

Hawk: First, thanks for the kind words. I get my creativity from just constant practice. I am always trying new things on the ramp. It just comes to me. I’ll be up in the air and I’ll just try something new. If I think it will work, then I’ll keep practicing it. My inspiration at the beginning of my career was to put skateboarding on the map. That was what drove me, to get skating recognized. Now that we do get a lot more recognition, I just skate for fun now.

Kristina Marcus, Las Vegas, Nev.: I met you in Las Vegas at the Hard Rock Cafe Skateboarding Competition, which you won. I was just wondering if, after winning so many competitions, you ever get tired of winning? I understand that you've got great talent ... but do you ever get tired of skateboarding and contests?

Hawk: I don’t remember you, but if you say I met you, I guess I did. I never get tired of competing. Obviously I don’t always win all the time either. Andy (MacDonald) proved that today. The day that I get tired of going to competitions is the day that I’ll retire. Sometimes I get tired physically, but that’s got nothing to do with my desire to compete.