RIDE Channel / YouTube
Tony Hawk is 50 years old. I still remember sitting in front of my parent’s TV during the 1999 Summer X-Games on TV when Tony Hawk became the first person to ever land a documented ‘900’ degree spin after 10 failed attempts in the “Best Trick” competition in what was probably the coolest televised moment in the history of skateboarding.
Now he’s 50 and hasn’t won a skating competition since 2002. Oh, and has one of the best selling video game franchises of all-time which has led to an estimated net worth of somewhere around $150 million (he also has amusement park rides named after him). To celebrate his 50th birthday, Tony Hawk thought it’d be cool to hit the vert pipe/vertical halfpipe and throw down 50 different tricks. Some of which he hasn’t busted out for years, and others he’ll never try and land again. Tony put this awesome clip out on his RIDE Channel on YouTube which you should 100% subscribe to if you haven’t already:
When you’re 16-years-old, ‘fifty’ seems like the oldest age there is. It’s like the stepping stone to being elderly and entering retirement. When you hit 30, suddenly 40 doesn’t seem that old because you’ve already got several friends who are 40. I have to assume that Tony Hawk, the greatest pro skateboarder of all time, doesn’t feellike he’s 50-years-old in his mind even if his body has felt 50 for the past two decades. Anyway, I want to send a HUUUUUUUGE shoutout to Tony Hawk for bringing me my all-time favorite N64 video game back in the day and for keeping pro skating relevant for years.