Tony Hawk

As a dad, how have you encouraged your own kids to lead healthy, active lifestyles?

“Well, luckily for me, they all have the same amount of energy that I did when I was a kid and I was their age,” Tony Hawk answered, adding: “So they're always trying to get after something: skating, snowboarding, surfing. My daughter plays lacrosse. So I think it's more just by example that I lead them down that path. And they see that I'm in my 50s, I'm still active. I'm still skating at, well, I will be skating at a professional level again, [but] I am coming off of a broken femur. And so, if anything, I just led by example.”

What role did playing outside and being in nature have for your family when your kids were younger and as you raised them into their teens and older years?

“It just kept everyone healthy,” Hawk said. “And I think that for their mental health, as well; the idea that they're always going to be finding new challenges and always being active. Whether it be skating, or one of my kids is a rock climbing enthusiast, and I can just tell that they know that it keeps their state of mind healthy and young. And so, if nothing else, they do it to stay in a good mental space.”

You mentioned leading by example, which I think is great because so often parents try to push their kids into an activity, a “tiger parent” thing, which is… not good. So how can parents encourage physical activity, outdoor adventure, all that stuff, without being pushy?

“Without being pushy? I think if nothing else, just trying to explain the benefits of it as you get older,” Tony Hawk replied. “As you age — as you develop — it can be paramount to your health and to becoming the adult that you really want to be. And so I would say lead kids into [activities] more by example. It's hard to listen to a parent that's just going to sit around eating and watching TV. And so, if you can at least show them that you're willing to do that work too, that would be hugely beneficial.”

What skating feat are you most proud of? Which isn't necessarily to say the first 900 or the hardest, wildest trick ever, but is there anything that you just happen to be the most proud of for whatever reason?

“That's a good question. I think that the trick that probably I was most proud of, that is more of one that skaters can appreciate, is the ollie 540, which is basically a 540 spin in the air without using your hands to keep your board on your feet. When I first tried it, it was completely as a joke. It was like I tried it and I went up in the air to be like: ‘Huh, wouldn't that be crazy? A no hands and big twist!’ And then at some point, I started to figure out each piece of it until I actually did it. And it's a trick that people do today. Not very many, but it has become somewhat of a standard.”