Hey, Campers!
Do you picture yourself standing on a skateboard at summer camp on a sunny afternoon, determined to pull off a trick you’ve been trying all week. With a deep breath, you push off, attempting a kickflip for what feels like the hundredth time. You pop the board into the air, time slows down, and anticipation builds with each rotation of your board. And then, finally, the satisfying click of the wheels meeting the ground and your feet on the board—a successful kickflip, achieved through persistence and determination!
Tony Hawk is more than just a name in the world of skateboarding; he's a record-setter, an innovator, and an icon. Check out a camp experience he had back in the 80’s! Thanks to this Facebook post he wrote a handful of years back about that time, I’m going to let him do his own talking:
“I spent the summer of 1985 in a small town outside of Stockhom at the Eurocana Summer Camp with Lance Mountain and Rodney Mullen. We were skate camp ‘instructors’ for 5 weeks, with a rotation of European skaters coming in and out. It was a formative time in skating and for me personally, as I was gaining confidence, creating new tricks (like stale fish & 720’s) and absorbing all of the new experiences.”
For Hawk, the summer of 1985 was more than just a footnote in his skating journey—it was a transformative experience that helped define his love for skateboarding and solidified his place in the sport’s history.
As he continues to inspire a new generation of skaters, Hawk's legacy serves as a reminder that with passion, dedication, and a little bit of punk rock spirit, anything is possible on and off the skateboard. Thanks for reading, Everyone. Happy Skateboarding and, as always, Happy Camping!
- John