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Published June 18, 2026 03:00AM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
It seemed like just another day at the backyard ramp. It was March of 2022, and Tony Hawk\u2014the Michael Jordan of skateboarding\u2014had just completed a skateboarding session at his home in Southern California, when some friends showed up. Hawk, who was 53 at the time, wanted to show that his aging body could still perform at its pinnacle. He dropped in, soared up the side, and attempted a trick called the McTwist\u2014a 540-degree flip. But Hawk didn\u2019t have quite enough speed, and when he tried to land, he snapped his femur. Now 58, Hawk opens up about how that fateful moment and devastating injury changed his life on and off the skateboard.<\/p>\n
What His Skateboarding Was Like Before the Injury<\/h2>\n
I was still pushing myself to the limits of my age and my skill set in my early fifties, and I rarely thought about the consequences. I\u2019d been injured in my career before, but never in a way that had a truly dire effect on my body.<\/p>\n
What He Did Wrong That Day in 2022<\/h2>\n
It was kind of an average day. I had already completed a tiring skating session when my friends showed up, including Bucky Lasek, Andy Macdonald, and Kevin Staab. One of our son\u2019s good friends from college was there, and he was showing everyone my office, our house, and then our ramp. I felt inspired to get back onto the ramp. But these days, once I\u2019ve already done a hard session, my body kind of freezes up. And back then I didn\u2019t have much of a post-workout regimen. To be honest, I didn\u2019t have any kind of recovery regimen.<\/p>\n
I got back on the ramp and could already feel my body tightening up. And that\u2019s when it happened. I was trying to show off. I didn\u2019t have enough speed and tried a McTwist. In my youth, I could have compensated for the lack of speed. So I tried to come down in a squat to save the trick, but I can\u2019t squat the way I used to because I put too much pressure on my femur and it broke. I fucked around and found out the hard way that I\u2019m no longer Peter Pan.<\/p>\n
How He Approached Recovery<\/h2>\n
I was cavalier, thinking I\u2019ll get back to 100 percent of what I was doing soon. I was adamant I\u2019d get back soon. And I pushed things too hard and sabotaged the healing process. I skated up a three-foot ramp, and when I stepped off, I felt the bone shift out of place. I needed to have another surgery to realign it. That\u2019s when I really had to take inventory and understand that, at my age, I need to take my recovery slow. I couldn\u2019t expect to get back to the level I had been at. And I lost a couple of very key techniques to my skating that I relied on.<\/p>\n
The Moves He Lost<\/h2>\n
Still to this day, I miss being able to do a tuck-knee grab, and it\u2019s the foundation for a variety of tricks, hand plants, the McTwist, Method Air. It was the default move for at least one-third of my tricks. I can\u2019t really grab with my front hand around the side of my board. I\u2019ve had closure on a lot of moves that I don\u2019t do anymore. But I didn\u2019t get closure on that move. It\u2019s like one day it was just gone forever.<\/p>\n
His Approach to Being an Athlete<\/h2>\n
The injury inspired me to actually start a workout regimen off the skateboard. I had always prided myself that skateboarders aren\u2019t traditional athletes, so we don\u2019t do cross-training. When I hit my fifties, upon the request of my wife, I started doing strength training and stretching. After the injury, at least three times a week I\u2019m doing strenuous exercises for an hour. Weightlifting, rowing exercises, squats\u2014my routine changes every other day. On the days I\u2019m not doing those exercises, I\u2019m doing yoga-like stretching, so I can at least jump on a skateboard and do the basics. I\u2019m still skating three to four times a week and it\u2019s strenuous. There are new techniques I\u2019m working on, but they are low-impact and with a lower risk factor. They challenge me and I still find that fun.<\/p>\n
RELATED: How Little Strength Training Can You Get Away With?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\nHis Advice for Aging Athletes<\/h2>\n
Lessen your expectations. Don\u2019t think your sport is going to happen the way it used to happen. It\u2019s healthy to still push yourself. Customize your expectations for yourself to your age. Don\u2019t compare. I skate with Andy Macdonald, and he\u2019s a few years younger than me, and he didn\u2019t break his leg. He can still do all of his tricks. And there\u2019s part of me that\u2019s super excited. And there\u2019s part of me that\u2019s jealous. I just have to let it go. Be thankful you can still do it at all.<\/p>\n
What Skateboarding Should Do to Stay Relevant<\/h2>\n
Whatever skateboarding needs to do to stay relevant with kids, it\u2019s doing it already. Skate parks are now part of the fabric of most cities. When I was growing up, there were three of them across the entire United States. Now there are probably three in your town. The idea that kids can choose skating as easily as they choose to play baseball or soccer, is amazing. I\u2019m hopeful for more international growth for skating, and for more international support and recognition. It\u2019s happening\u2014maybe not at the rate that I\u2019d like it to. But now that we have Olympic inclusion, that\u2019s helping skating\u2019s international recognition.<\/p>\n
His Newest Project<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s a restaurant called Chick & Hawk.<\/a> I linked up with chef Andrew Bachelier [when] he was running a restaurant in San Diego doing gourmet takeout. It turns out we both love Nashville[-style] hot chicken. We went to every hot chicken sandwich area in Southern California for R&D. He came up with a recipe that I thought was the best. It took a year to find the right location and three more to get the permits. And we opened a few months ago. Around San Diego, people tell me that they\u2019ve tried it and liked it, which is a good sign.<\/p>\n\nThis article is from the Summer 2026 issue of Outside magazine. To receive the print magazine, become an Outside+ member here<\/i>.<\/i><\/p>\n
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