Tony Hawk Interview: Finding Your Passion | THE THREAD Documentary Series

Tony “The Birdman” Hawk defies both gravity and time. In this episode of The Thread, skateboarding’s living legend describes his early years as a teen who was called “too small” to ever compete successfully. Through sheer determination and fearlessness, not only did he dramatically prove his critics wrong, he went on to become an international representative of skateboarding as a sport. Hawk played a crucial role in paving the way for what was once dismissed as a “passing fad” into an Olympic competition. Tony Hawk’s extraordinary story is about transforming a childhood dream into a hugely successful lifetime career. He’s proof that you can combine passion with profession into an exuberant enjoyment of life – that you can love what you do and still do what you love. Tony Hawk was born on May 12, 1968, in San Diego, California. When he was nine, he received a skateboard from his older brother. It didn't take long for Hawk to excel at skateboarding. By age 12, he got his first sponsor, Dogtown skateboards. Two years later, he became a professional skateboarder. Hawk was considered one of the top skateboarders in the world by the time he was 16 years old. In 1992, he co-founded a skateboarding company, Birdhouse, with fellow pro Per Welinder. Their company struggled until the rise of extreme sports generated new interest in skateboarding. Hawk competed in the first Extreme Games (later simply called the X Games) in 1995 becoming one of the best-known skateboarders in the world. His ability to perform impressive stunts fueled Hawk's popularity. He has created amazing tricks, including the "900." This trick calls for the skater to rotate 900 degrees in mid-air. Hawk was the first to successfully complete this move in competition at the 1999 X Games. In his 17-year professional career, he won more than 70 skateboarding contests, including gold medals at the 1995 and 1997 X Games. In 1999 Hawk launched a highly successful line of video games entitled Tony Hawk: Pro Skater with publisher Activision that has generated over $1 billion in sales. Hawk was married to Cindy Dunbar from 1990 to 1993. They had a son. Hawk then married Erin Lee in 1996 and had two more sons. After Hawk and Lee divorced in 2004, he married Lhotse Merriam in 2006 and welcomed a daughter. Following his divorce from Merriam in 2011, Hawk married Catherine Goodman in 2015. Hawk has worked to help young people by creating more public skateboard parks through the Tony Hawk Foundation. Since 2002, the foundation has provided grants and technical assistance for new parks in all 50 states, especially in low-income areas. Subscribe for access to interviews, series, films, and educational materials that address issues of social justice, history, politics, the arts, and culture by spotlighting relatable human stories of purpose and meaning. Learn about our work and how to support our mission here: https://www.lifestories.org/. For extended versions of these interviews and more, visit:    / @lifestoriesinterviewarchive   To teach using this episode go to: https://www.lifestories.org/learning/... Follow us on Instagram:   / lifestoriesinterviews   Chapter Markers: 00:00 - Opening 00:29 - Getting Into Skateboarding 02:30 - Skateboarding Inspirations 03:15 - Determined Mindset 04:50 - School Outcast 06:14 - Improvements from Determined Mindset 07:06 - Relationship with Thrasher Magazine 08:52 - Influence of Video Cameras on Skateboarding 10:40 - Starting Company while Professionally Skateboarding 12:02 - Commercial Success 15:13 - 900 at X Games 19:28 - Routine Headspace 20:15 - Skateboarding Philosophy and Growing Up 21:38 - Family Becoming A Priority 22:58 - Skateboarding Culture Tony Hawk, Professional Skateboarder & Entrepreneur Interviewed By: Ari Fishman Interview Date: August 31, 2023 © Kunhardt Film Foundation. All Rights Reserved. #TonyHawk #lifestories