Episode Summary

Tony “The Birdman” Hawk defies both gravity and time. In this episode of The Thread, skateboarding’s living legend describes his early years as a teen who was called “too small” to ever compete successfully. Through sheer determination and fearlessness, not only did he dramatically prove his critics wrong, he went on to become an international representative of skateboarding as a sport. Hawk played a crucial role in paving the way for what was once dismissed as a “passing fad” into an Olympic competition. Tony Hawk’s extraordinary story is about transforming a childhood dream into a hugely successful lifetime career. He’s proof that you can combine passion with profession into an exuberant enjoyment of life -- that you can love what you do and still do what you love.