Tony Hawk has done more for the sport of skateboarding, than most modern pioneers in their respective sports. Despite being a firm believer in his special abilities, Hawk wasn’t always devoid of superstitions. Like many sportsmen, Hawk had a few tricks up his sleeves that he developed at an early age.

Pioneer of modern vertical skateboarding, Hawk recently underwent leg surgery and returned with his podcast ‘Hawk vs Wolf’ to discuss many things including his childhood superstitions.

Tony Hawk started skipping practice a day before any contest

Hawk said, “The very first contest I entered I did so poorly, that I am not doing any of the things that I did”. As a 10-year-old kid, it naturally upset him. He immediately started believing, that everything he had done before the match had been wrong.

Hawk said, “As a kid, I used to be superstitious about contests and I would not skate the day before”. He started believing that, be it any contest, the whole day before it had to be a rest day. This probably had to do with the fact that the Birdman spent the day before his first competition training rigorously. Due to his loss despite such intense practice, he had vowed to never do that again.

READ MORE – “That Felt Forced”: Tony Hawk Once Opened Up on Where He Draws the Line on Selling Out

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In hindsight, Hawk’s superstition could’ve inadvertently helped him and might’ve been a wise decision after all. Since he used to skate all the time, he often overtired himself before the main contest causing him to perform in a weary state. So skipping skateboarding a day before wasn’t that bad a superstition after all. However, 10-year-old Tony Hawk knew little about it.

Hawk’s other superstitions and if they actually helped him

Hawk also developed a deterrence towards stickers on shirts after the same game. Hawk said, “Never am I gonna put stickers on my shirt again”. Someone had given him a sticker to put on his shirt right before the fateful game. Hawk maintained these superstitions long enough before actually realizing that they did nothing.

One last superstition that the Birdman developed was out of his general nervousness before any big game. He said, “I wouldn’t eat, mostly because I was nervous but then this became a thing”. He would often fast until the competition was over, and at the most eat a Tiger Milk Bar.

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Tony Hawk came a long way from being that shy, superstitious kid to one of skateboarding’s most prolific and early superstars. Even as a 53-year-old, he is seen skateboarding, breaking his leg in the process, and then recovering from it. It naturally makes him an idol for many young skateboarders.