INTERVIEWS

Hawk Talks Aging Gracefully with The New York Times

Published

2 years ago

May 26, 2021

Skate Newswire

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

INTERVIEWS

Justin Sommer Featured in Santa Cruz’s True Grit

Published

2 months ago

January 20, 2023

Skate Newswire

Follow the journey of German skateboarding prodigy Justin Sommer in this episode of True Grit, a docu-series produced by Santa Cruz Skateboards.

Born to young parents, he was practically raised in the streets of Berlin where he got introduced to skateboarding. Justin learned the ropes from his older friends.

He also fell into wayward life when he was younger. But with the help of his genuine friends, he was able to steer in the right direction and has now made a successful career in skateboarding.

INTERVIEWS

Kelly Bird Opens Up in Latest The Nine Club Episode

Published

3 months ago

December 28, 2022

Skate Newswire

Nike SB Global Brand Manager Kelly Bird opens up about growing up in Houston, getting into skateboarding, becoming a pro, and eventually transitioning to the industry side of skateboarding.

Before he became the global brand manager of Nike SB, Kelly worked for DC Shoes and Lakai Footwear.

INTERVIEWS

Catch Up with Mariah Duran in the Latest Nine Club Episode

Published

3 months ago

December 20, 2022

Skate Newswire

Pro skater Mariah Duran has always been into sports as a young kid, she revealed in the latest episode of The Nine Club.

The goofy-footed skater from Albuquerque, New Mexico got introduced to skateboarding when she was around 10. Initially, she would borrow his brother’s board, but her mom eventually bought her a board.

She was also into softball when she was younger and basketball when she was in high school. Later on, she shifted her focus to skateboarding.

Mariah won the USA Skateboarding National Championships Womens Street in 2019, and 2021. She placed 4th in the most recent competition.

She is also a two-time X Games gold medalist for Women’s Street Skateboarding.