The Day Tony Hawk Can No Longer Skate is the Day We're All Officially Dead

Yesterday was a bittersweet day for Tony Hawk fans.

Bitter, because the Birdman announced he broke his femur and skated around the possibility of this being the injury that forces him to hang up his board for good. Although he said, he's up for the challenge ahead!

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Yesterday sucked. I broke my elbow 20 years ago and managed to make a full comeback; this broken femur recovery will take longer but I’m up for the challenge.
Strangely ironic that it happened on the eve of @HBO releasing a trailer for “Until The Wheels Fall Off,” @samjones’ doc pic.twitter.com/xeVwwtQjVb

— Tony Hawk (@tonyhawk) March 9, 2022

I’ve said many times that I won’t stop skating until I am physically unable. A broken leg - with plenty of hardware - will probably be the biggest test of that creed. I’ll be back… maybe not at full capacity but I resigned to that notion years ago as I approached “mid-life.”

— Tony Hawk (@tonyhawk) March 9, 2022

But sweet, because a trailer dropped for a new HBO documentary, Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off, which debuts on April 5th (R.I.P. Kurt Cobain and fun fact...Tony appeared in Weird Al's video for "Smells Like Nirvana").

Seeing the possibility of a world where Tony Hawk can no longer skate FUCKED ME UP. Society has already been through enough, we don't need this. I know he's getting older and can't be doing 900s and McTwists on giant half pipes anymore, but you'd imagine he'd always be able to fuck around on a board, still riding, doing kickflips and shit until the day he dies. Like Michael Jordan isn't in the NBA anymore either, but you know he can still bust that ass in a game of 21 or horse. I know getting older and eventually no longer existing is a part of life, but as billions of people felt before me, the prospect is terrifying.

I turned 30 about three months ago, and it has me thinking about life and my own mortality more than usual. Even though I'm literally the fattest I've ever been (something I'm addressing with not one but TWO doctor's appointments next week....hopefully my heart holds up! lol), I don't "feel" 30. In my head, I'm still some fluorescent adolescent trying to figure life out. Sure I've matured and learned how to adapt (sorta) as an adult, but I'm a 30ino; 30 in name only. Seeing stars of my youth (and I guess my parents too) really start to age, as internet basic bitches say, "hits different."

Hopefully, Tony makes a full recovery and can keep doing what he loves, but there will be a day when skating is no longer a possibility for the Birdman. Even though he's 23 years my senior, I hope that's a day I never see. As for the documentary, I cannot wait; it looks incredible. In my 30 years, I've done a decent amount of Tony Hawk research and know about the struggles he faced trying to make it in a sport that was in its infancy, then felt like a fad, but Tony Hawk IS skateboarding, and even though I fucking stink at skating, it's always been something I've had an interest in. Some of my earliest video game memories involved THPS and were a common interest that helped me make friends as I went to a different middle school every year. Skate and alt-rock culture appealed to me at a pretty young age and to this day are things I enjoy.

I wish you well in your recovery, Mr. Hawk. Never stop skating.

P.S.

Here's a little piece of my love of skateboarding that predates 9/11!

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