Tony Hawk Reveals True Feelings About Skateboarding Being Included in the Olympics

Transcript

00:00I think you said in an interview recently that skating has finally come of age as we are heading

00:05into the Paris Olympics. Why do you think it's taken so long for it to come of age? And is it

00:12disappointing for you that it's taken so long or are you happy that now it's getting the

00:16recognition that it deserves? No, I'm ecstatic that I get to live to see it grow so much and

00:23be so widely accepted. I mean, when I was a kid, skating was the furthest thing from cool. In fact,

00:28I had to hide my skateboard when I was a freshman in high school because I would get bullied and

00:34hassled just for having it. So nowadays, people can choose to skate. They can do it at their

00:41leisure. They can make a career out of it. They can be Olympians. There is equality. There's

00:46equity. It's amazing. So I love it. Why did it take so long? I think that it got a pretty good

00:56kickstart in the early 2000s in terms of more recognition and availability. But I think that

01:03in the last five or maybe even 10 years is when the push for equality came, especially because

01:09of the Olympic inclusion. And that really accelerated the interest level. And now,

01:19I mean, I'm actually at my office where my ramp is right behind me. And I'm looking at three,

01:26no, I'm looking at four people on the deck. Two of them are women. That's awesome. That's

01:31really cool. So that's what it is now. And they're encouraged to do it and they're supported in it.

01:40Is there any FOMO about competing in the Olympics? Do you wish that you can get out there? Maybe you

01:46will get out there? No, but I, not really. No. I mean, we had, there was so many events through

01:55the years. When the X Games came into play, that was our Olympics. And I participated in 10 years

02:04almost. So not at all. No, I mean, and I'm really happy. I'm just thankful that I get to be part of

02:11it in some way. Like I will be in Paris. I'll get to skate the course. I'll get to hang out with all

02:16the riders. That's the best case scenario. So I don't have that pressure that the entire country

02:20is relying on me for the success. I love that. I love that.