Tony Hawk On Skateboarding In The Olympics

Hi Bob,

Seeing skateboarding's rocky road to being in the Olympics first-hand, I respectfully disagree with your take that it will "put a dent" in our beloved sport / lifestyle / art. The competition format was exactly the same as we've had for years (decades), and the rawness and diversity of the skaters were highlighted well, especially in the park event. I do agree that the street format is not exciting for a non-skating audience, and filed my complaint accordingly.

My take is that the Olympics needed our cool factor more than we needed their validation, and I stand by that sentiment. BUT having access to an entirely new international audience, and knowing that some countries will now embrace & support skateboarding with sate-of-the-art facilities - especially ones that discouraged skating in the past (it was once illegal in Norway) - is the silver lining to this mass exposure.

Seeing young skaters on the podium was not a surprise though; I won my first world championship at age 15, and Nyjah Huston was considered the best competitive street skater by the time he was 14. And we're both still here, and both still considered relevant or so I'd like to believe.

The street culture of skateboarding remains as strong as ever; you'll still see plenty of bold kids hopping fences and skating "forbidden" terrain… maybe even more now that the Olympic dust has settled. Renegade antics and chaotic competitions will still be on display for the next three years, sprinkled with "official" Olympic qualifiers as we near 2024. And NBC will benefit from younger viewers finally tuning in to the summer games for McTwists and bluntslides. The Olympics aren't putting a dent in skateboarding; skateboarding has put a dent in Olympic tradition.

Tony Hawk

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