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One-on-One with Tony Hawk

Posted by Janelle Nanos on March 10, 2010
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His name is synonomous with skateboarding, and despite not being on the competitive circuit for a number of years, Tony Hawk has become a sort of alternative sport emissary to the world, traveling widely to put on skateboarding exhibitions and to promote his charitable foundation. One of his greatest pleasures is traveling with his own four children, who sometimes accompany him on business and exhibition trips. Traveler Editor in Chief Keith Bellows spoke with Hawk in the March issue about some of his recent travels:

What drives you to do your mission work?

The least I can do with all the success I’ve had is to help give the same opportunities to kids who might not otherwise have them. I started a foundation to build public skate parks in low-income areas. I also went to Sierra Leone on behalf of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and for the Right To Play organization. It was probably the most eye-opening experience of my life. Poverty was so prevalent, yet the kids were excited to see us.

We were there to give out sporting goods and to help get former child soldiers, for example, playing with other kids again. They learned volleyball, Frisbee, jump rope. They called my skateboard–something they’d never seen–a “roller buggy.” The only cement I found where we could skate in the town we visited was at a bombed-out school. I gave kids rides up and down the hallway on my skateboard.

Read the full interview here.

Photo: Greg Gorman

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Comments

  1. enrolled agent
    March 13, 2010, 12:46 am

    Tony Hawk giving back to the society. Tony is one of my idols when it comes to X-treme Sports. He’s not only the best skateboarder out there but he also finds the time for his family and to the society, making sure that other people will also benefit from the graces that he had received.
    Rock on, Tony Hawk!

  2. Car hire
    March 22, 2010, 7:35 am

    God… I’m just looking at he’s face, and can’t believe that Xtreme nation is growing older… but it does :/

  3. appartamenti caorle
    April 13, 2010, 10:55 pm

    I really like this article and you are given here really a wonderful information.Thank you so much for sharing.Keep blogging.

  4. fitflops
    May 14, 2010, 1:39 pm

    Everything he touches seems to turn to gold: skateboards, clothes, fitflops, action figures – even a remote control Tony Hawk skater. In all, his products have made him as much as $10 million a year.

  5. screen capture
    August 7, 2010, 5:38 am

    “I started a foundation to build public skate parks in low-income areas” This is great. Donate to the Tony Hawk Foundation and help create free, quality public skateparks for youth in low-income communities.

  6. Inchirieri de masini Baneasa
    October 30, 2010, 2:15 pm

    Pretty good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. If I agreed with you we’d both be wrong.