American professional skateboarder Anthony Frank Hawk, also known by his nickname Birdman, is also a businessman and the proprietor of the Birdhouse skateboard company. Hawk accomplished the first known “900” skating trick in 1999, making him a pioneer of contemporary vertical skateboarding.
Just peek over Tony’s list of made-up maneuvers. The Madonna, the rodeo flip, the airwalk, the kickflip mctwist, the 720, and, of course, the door-opening, globally broadcast 900 are among his dictionary of vert standards.
In the Andy Kessler Skate Park, next to the Henry Hudson Parkway, a few dedicated riders were unfazed by the slushy weather. They didn’t move in unison; instead, they experimented with various manoeuvres and avoided puddles. One was a teenager with a parka, pillowy snowboard gloves, and a beanie on for the cold weather. Tony Hawk was the other man, a lanky middle-aged man dressed in pants and a hoodie and shivering.
Hawk rubbed his hands and replied, “My schedule’s so packed that I didn’t want to waste time going back to the hotel for warmer clothes.” “That might have been an error.” At fifty-five years old, Hawk is the most famous skateboarder in history, a billionaire, a philanthropist, and the lead character of a series of video games. After arriving from California the previous evening, he spent the morning advocating for public skate parks at City Hall. He was receiving honors at a banquet that evening, and the following day he was returning home to San Diego to record an edition of his podcast, “Hawk vs. Wolf.” He had only this window of