Many regard Tony Hawk as the most influential skateboarder. When Hawk was young, he mastered the sport. Hawk has contributed a lot to skateboarding and helped make it mainstream. Without him, street and park skateboarding would have never been a part of the Olympics. However, very few know that in the ’80s, Tony had the opportunity to switch sports.

In a 2021 interview with Slam City Skates, Hawk revealed why he didn’t make the switch to pro snowboarding. Even though later, athletes like Shaun White did.

Tony Hawk explained his decision

In the 2021 interview, Tony Hawk talked about his love for snowboarding. “I’ve been snowboarding since 1985, ’84 maybe.”, said the skateboarding legend. He also said in the early days, “snowboarders were treated like skaters… everyone thought you were a criminal.” However, that didn’t stop Tony from loving the sport and he was happy to see snowboarding making progress.

The skateboarder also revealed that he once got an opportunity to turn pro, but as a snowboarder. Hawk decided not to pursue it. He said, “There was a time in ’80s when a snowboard company called Kemper just sent out gear to all the pro skaters in the hope someone would decide to pick it up and become pro because it was so new.” However, there was more than one reason behind it.

Hawk, who was doing great things as a skateboarder in the 80s, didn’t want to switch sports. However, there was another, more prominent reason. “I think the last time that I had knee surgery was from overshooting a jump, snowboarding, and I thought that if I was going to continue to skate, I can’t get crazy with this,” said the legendary skateboarder. 

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Hawk feared that another snowboarding injury would jeopardize his career. His friend Shaun White, however, ventured into the sport. Shaun, who is much younger than Hawk, became a master of both sports. The three-time Olympic gold medalist even holds the record for the most X Games and Olympic golds by a snowboarder.  

The skateboarding pioneer

While Tony Hawk never turned into a pro snowboarder, he was a trailblazer in skateboarding. Hawk mastered vert skateboarding. He experimented and invented many skills that are a common sight today. Hawk’s most ambitious trick, however, is the ‘900’ that he pulled off during the 1999 X Games.

A 900 happens when a skateboarder spins two-and-a-half times, in mid-air. Tony Hawk landed the trick after eleven tries and created history.

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Could Hawk have successfully transitioned into snowboarding? While that question will remain a mystery, Hawk certainly made the most of his skateboarding career. He pushed the limits of what was possible, climbing to the top.