Legendary pro skater Tony Hawk recently talked about the age of skaters in the Olympics, pointing out that while many top competitors are young, the conversation is missing the fact that skaters can now continue into their adult lives and still be considered relevant and innovative.
Back in the day, turning pro at 14 was the norm, and there wasn't much of a career to be made in skateboarding.
Prize money was minimal, and sponsorships were just for product. Despite the lack of support, the passion for skateboarding kept them going.
Now, the "pro" category spans four decades, with older skaters still actively skating. It's great to see that kids now have more resources and encouragement to skate, unlike their predecessors.
The Birdman posted, "There is a lot of focus on the age of skaters in the Olympics. And it is true, some of the top competitors are very young. But that is nothing new to our sport. What’s missing from the conversation is the fact that we can now continue to skate into our adult lives and still be considered relevant and/or innovative. For context: I turned pro when I was 14 years old, in 1982. Most of my peers were nearly the same age. The “elder” skaters during that era were in their late teens. And you were considered too old by the time you reached an age of responsibility. Mostly because there was no career to be made; skating was considered a hobby at best. Prize money was minimal ($100 for first place, for example) and sponsorships were for product only. In other words: skateboarding was not a career, so grow up and get a job. None of that discouraged us because we had found our passion and we knew we would never quit… even if we had to work 9-5 doing something else. As the industry grew and eventually sustained popularity, our generation continued to innovate. And now we are much older but still actively skating, which means the “pro” category now spans FOUR decades. Kids are starting to skate at a younger age because they are encouraged to do so, and they are learning advanced techniques because the knowledge and resources are available to them. We were not so fortunate - especially the few brave girls that dared to skate back then - but we persevered. None of this lessens the difficulty factor of modern skateboarding; we all stand on the shoulders of giants that came before us. It just happens that the giants are still around, enjoying the ride.
Here are some images of Mark Gonzales and me “previewing” the park course on Monday, shot by legendary skate photographers @originalbk & @atibaphoto 🛹🇫🇷"