You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, right? Tony Hawk may not love the idea of being called an old dog, but the simple notion that the guy is still getting after it and trying to up his game should provide a little bit of motivtion and perspective for all of us.
Let’s get some context going here first: Hawk became the biggest thing in skateboarding decades ago as a vert guy. Admittedly, he gave up his street career in the 90s and focused on a discipline in which he excelled. So while the core skate crowd understands Hawk’s influence on the sport going mainstream really only covers one specific aspect, the casual observer probably still looks at the guy as the Michael Jordan, the Bruce Lee, the Muhammad Ali, the Kelly Slater of skateboarding.
Enter Donovan Strain and Hawk linking up to nail down a first ever for the 51-year-old.
“I’ve never done any big flip. Not one,” Hawk says. “It was basically in the 90s when I sorta gave up my street career. That’s when all the flip stuff started happening, all the big flips and things like that, and by that time I had already moved on to just skating vert only.”
So whatever it is you love to do, let this guy offer a little inspiration. You’re never going to be too old to get better. You’re never going to be so good that somebody can’t teach you something new. And hopefully, you’re never too old to just stop playing.
