Teens at Meadow Lane Skatepark were starstruck as professional skateboarder Tony Hawk visited and performed a number of tricks.
In advance of Hawk’s Oxford Union speech last Wednesday, the owner of skateboard company Birdhouse and namesake of the hit game “Tony Hawk: Pro Skater” reportedly performed tricks at the local park, including a Monty grind, a notoriously difficult trick named for skateboarder Monty Nolder.
The appearance preceded a speech at the Oxford Union, at which Hawk reportedly discussed gender equality in his sport and his experience of skateboarding as he gets older.
The Oxford Union Twitter account quotes Hawk as having said “When I found skating, I found my own voice, I found my own style, and I found a way to be creative… All the people that I found through skateboarding were creative, and they came from all walks of life. I felt at home among this band of misfits.”
Some hope that the high-profile appearance of skateboarder Tony Hawk in Oxford will help to stoke interest in skeboarding among the student body. Although Oxford City Council lists the city as having 4 skate parks, although there is at present no Oxford Skateboarding Society.
One student, discussing his attempt to set up such a club, says he has “tried so many times” but has not yet had any luck.
