I feel like skateboarding is as much of a sport as a lifestyle, and an art form, so there’s so much that that transcends in terms of music, fashion, and entertainment. – Tony Hawk
Technology has allowed me to reach my fans directly. Social media: it has been a complete revolution of how to interact, promote and share things. – Tony Hawk
My youngest son’s pre-school class was recently asked what their dads do for work. The responses were things like, my dad sells money, and my dad figures stuff out. My son said, ‘I’ve never seen my dad do work.’ It’s true. Skateboarding doesn’t seem like real work, but I’m proud of what I do. – Tony Hawk
Don’t be afraid of girls. That is my big regret. Knowing what I know about girls, I should have just gone for it. Guys are such wimps. – Tony Hawk
Any time skating was featured in a video game, I ate it up. So around 1997-98, I was shopping this video game idea. I was weighing my options when I went to Activision, but when I saw what they were working on, I said, ‘This is exactly what I’d love to be involved with,’ and following that gut reaction was hugely successful. – Tony Hawk
I believe that people should take pride in what they do, even if it is scorned or misunderstood by the public at large. – Tony Hawk
I’ve definitely had my share of calls where I just laugh. Someone came to me once and wanted to do a signature Hawk cologne. I was like, ‘Of what? Sweaty pads? Am I wringing out my pads into a little perfume bottle?’ – Tony Hawk
I jumped between two seven-story buildings in Los Angeles, launching from one rooftop to the other with ramps. – Tony Hawk
If I can stand up when I’m 80, I’ll be happy to cruise around on a skateboard. If I feel like my skills are fading, I just won’t do it publicly. – Tony Hawk
I changed high schools three times because my parents moved. I had one friend my freshman year named Miki Vukovich. Miki and I were the only skaters in our high school. He runs my foundation now. – Tony Hawk
I was skating with friends in my neighborhood, and then eventually I was invited to go to the skate park with one of them. When I saw people flying all around – literally flying in and out of bowls – that is when I knew I wanted to do it. I wanted to figure out how I could get there and how I could fly. – Tony Hawk
The biggest lesson I learned from my dad is to support children even if they’re doing something that is unorthodox. – Tony Hawk
I was nerdy and really into computers. I was a good student until my senior year, when I started traveling and had a lot of absences. – Tony Hawk
I love snowboarding, but I would never want to do it competitively or at a professional level. Snowboarding is a spawn of skating, and skating is my passion. – Tony Hawk
I consider skateboarding an art form, a lifestyle and a sport. ‘Action sport’ would be the least offensive categorization. – Tony Hawk
If you look at the success of snowboarding in the Winter Games and how that’s brought a more youthful edge to the Olympics in general, they don’t have that with the Summer Games. They don’t have anything that’s drawing in a younger viewership. – Tony Hawk
In ramp skating, there’s this guy Alex Perelson who’s really coming into his own and doing some amazing new stuff we haven’t seen before. Just different types of spin. – Tony Hawk
You might not make it to the top, but if you are doing what you love, there is much more happiness there than being rich or famous. – Tony Hawk
The pro skaters I know are responsible members of society. Many of them are fathers, homeowners, world travelers and successful entrepreneurs. Their hairdos and tattoos are simply part of our culture, even when they raise eyebrows during PTA meetings. – Tony Hawk
I love the fact that there is now a skate park in almost every city, but it will always have a rebellious/underground edge to it because it is based on individuality. – Tony Hawk
You just have to adapt, and you have to realize where people are going to actually play their games. It used to just be Nintendo and PlayStation, and now it’s all kind of devices. So you’ve got to learn to adapt what you know from the technology into those areas… I’ve been wanting to do a mobile game for a long time. – Tony Hawk
I started skating when I was about 10 years old. It was in an alleyway. I picked up my brother’s skateboard and stood on it. I started to roll down the alley, and I yelled at my brother asking him how I turn the thing. At the end of the alley, I just jumped off, picked up the board and physically turned it around. – Tony Hawk
Honestly, the best skater that I’ve seen who raps is Tyler, The Creator. He really can skate… He’s legit. – Tony Hawk
