Tony Hawk’s post-50 resurgence is proving to be one of the more interesting chapters of his story. 40 years later, he’s not only still doing it; he’s signing new deals and remains a cultural icon. Hawk gives some insight into maintaining  a middle-aged pro skateboarding career in an interview with The New York Times from last week.

What is your physical state these days?

There are tricks that I don’t want to attempt any more because the risk far outweighs the reward. They’re tricks that I used to take for granted, and it’s like, I’m not really going to get a lot out of doing it again unless I decide, all right, I’m going to put my mind to it and make this the last one. But so many of those tricks — I know the cost of one tiny mistake. It could be devastating. So that doesn’t interest me. But the state of my body? I feel healthy. My neck is super stiff. That’s probably the one ongoing issue, and not getting any better. You know when you call out to someone, and they turn to look? When I turn, you’d be like, “Oh, what’s wrong with your neck?”

In addition to knowing his own limits, it appears that Hawk also knows when he will quit.

Think you’ll ever stop?

If my skills are truly fading and I’m just going through the motions, I wouldn’t be doing it in public. I won’t be on display. But I’ll still be skating.

Read the entire piece here.

Image Via The New York Times