Becoming & staying pro : There’s a difference
Upon watching Tony Hawk’s latest, and apparently his self-proclaimed last video part, it got me thinking more deeply about the whole longevity scenario within skating, as well as any similarly physically taxing activity.
I highly recommend watching the clip, it’s linked on this post, and partly inspired me to write it, in combination with a discussion on a recent episode of Hawk vs Wolf podcast, which he co-hosts with Jason Ellis, an Aussie ex vert pro. In it, they discuss the matter of not only being good enough to “make it” and become a pro skater in the first place, but the difference between that and then maintaining the status of legitimate pro for an extended time period.
Tony Hawk does NBD’s at 55 in his latest and last clip
During my active years as a sponsored skater, I saw many amazing pro’s come into the scene with much hype, but to then drop off, often swiftly & unceremoniously, and mostly disappear into the shadows, if not completely into the void to be basically never heard of again. Over the years I’ve discovered that several of them still skate, which is always cool to see. But there’s (usually) a difference between skating for fun, and really putting it out there, as well as putting oneself on the line.
As the time passed, I recall thinking about it more prominently as each one dropped off the radar, and wondering how long one can skate for, and hence how long that I would stay committed for to keep trying hard and pushing myself. Consequently, I vividly remember the point in time when I acknowledged to myself that I’d lost that proper drive, and the thoughts that transpired during that moment, which was seconds after tearing my medial ligament in my right knee in Bondi Bowl. But thankfully for the most part I was at peace with it, as I already had the understanding that such a time was coming, and a few years prior, stemming from my passion for music, I had taken up DJ’ing as a less injury-prone pastime - although I reckon that I broke a few neighbours eardrums in my early learning stages!
At that point it had been pretty much 25 years of unwavering and almost single-minded passion (outside of snowboarding & surfing), with 16 odd years of those being sponsored and actively engaged in that realm – and headspace (although several years before being sponsored I was indeed aspiring to get there! Additionally, in my 33rd year of skating, I competed in - and won - a Masters bowl competition). Not to mention my non-stop and evolving involvement in various facets of the industry coinciding with my actual skating.
Hence, I guess that I had a decent stint compared to some, relatively speaking at least, and therefore believe that I have some understanding of what it takes to push through and keep the vibe alive.
There are many reasons why anyone stops skating, or stops skating hard. Debilitating injuries, or just not wanting to be hurt anymore, work/career (and not being able to be injured, or risk getting fired etc), other interests, or just being over it, among other things. We all deal with things in our own way, and for many of us we can mostly choose to come & go in whatever aspects we feel. There’s no right or wrong, as skateboarding – and life – will carry on irrespectively, so we must do what may be best for our individual circumstances. There should be no shame in that whatsoever, but perhaps just so long as we constantly aspire to be the best version of ourselves, and to share that with the world.
There are quite a few crew who still represent not only solidly, but also publicly after decades of consistent and prolific dedication & masochism, with the more obvious ones being Cab, Lance, Rune, Rodney, Sandro, Andy Mac etc, but I have to give a special props to the street skaters, even though they mostly are a little younger (not by a lot though), as I do believe that it’s more challenging overall to maintain street pop & agility, plus public domain output, as compared to vert/transition stuff – although I’d never discount the ever-present spectre of hanging up and getting pitched straight to the flat bottom of a decent sized vert ramp or concrete bowl!
Andrew Reynolds, Jamie Thomas, Daewon, Guy Mariano, Geoff Rowley, Ron Allen (who is actually older than every one of the aforementioned, including the transition guys!), and also a more than honourable mention goes out to Aussie’s Darren Kaehne & Davo, plus Renton in vert-land, all of whom are still shredding with on-point technique as well as the odd bit of gnar thrown in (mostly from Reynolds!).
Surfer Kelly Slater deserves a shout out here too, for legitimately winning heaving Pipeline, a literally deadly wave, at two weeks off being 50 years old, against all of the young guns on the pro tour.
Still, being really good and maintaining a level is one thing, but having the inspiration as well as determination to progress, not just one’s own skill set, but also within the vernacular of the pursuit, is something else. At this point some might say “oh but Tony is cashed up and doesn’t need to work a ‘real job’, so he can afford the time to skate and try stuff etc..”. While there is a certain validity in that, it could be directly countered with the statement that he doesn’t need to skate at all anymore, and why would he bother putting his body at risk when he could very comfortably have quit and rested on his laurels many years ago – and still deservedly have received each and every one of the accolades that he has earned.
Indeed, there are many tricks, and ways of doing them, that Tony hasn’t necessarily done, yet the mere fact that he’s still contributing in unique & meaningful ways towards the ever-evolving picture of the art itself is a testament to what being a professional is – and that’s not to mention any of his equally continuing industry & scene contributions. Yes, Tony has his self-confessed personal flaws, as we all do, whether we may acknowledge them or not. But as the old saying goes, don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater; and so may we all learn from our mistakes.
To still be skating this way after 45+ years on board is not only an amazing feat, but a way of showing to anyone that may be paying attention what real-time dedication is, particularly taking into account his recent broken femur and the complications that went along with it! How many would continue to push through such punishment?!?
Regardless of how long it may have been for, to all of those whom have brought us all forward in positive ways, I salute you.
Namaste
