How Did I Get Here (19 page)

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Authors: Tony Hawk,Pat Hawk

BOOK: How Did I Get Here
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The foundation’s true mission, it turns out, goes beyond simply giving skateboarders a curvy place to play. We’ve discovered that the benefits that derive from the process of getting a skatepark built, while not tangible or quantifiable, can be just as valuable as the product itself. If it’s done right, a skatepark project can teach young people a lifelong lesson in the power of perseverance, and remind adults that kids with funny haircuts and pierced lips not only can be good people, but also can get things done.

Despite all of the mainstream credibility that skateboarding has received in recent years, many adults still regard skaters as disrespectful troublemakers. Business owners chase them away. City officials pass ordinances to impede them. Police give them tickets. Stigmatized as outsiders, many skateboarders grow up feeling disenfranchised, and the institutionalized image of skaters as delinquents becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

In a lot of towns, though, a skatepark—and the effort that goes into getting one built—has proven to be the perfect hammer to break that cycle. At its best, it works like this: A skater gets in trouble (maybe a ticket, maybe a call home from the principal) and complains to his mom and dad that he has no place to skate. His parents persuade him to write a letter to City Hall, or to attend a city council meeting. The kid gets some friends together, puts on his cleanest shirt, sits through a boring meeting, and then makes a nervous but respectful plea for a skatepark. City officials, impressed by the courteous request, decide that it’s a good idea and order their parks-and-recreation staff to look into it. The city agrees to donate land for the skatepark but requires the skaters to find the money to build it.

With the help of one or two city officials and a handful of parents, the kids form a committee and spend the next year or two raising money and community awareness. They apply for grants. They hold car washes, barbecues, raffles, and skate-a-thons. They do yard work for their neighbors and donate the wages to the skatepark fund. Eventually, the whole town rallies behind the determined youth brigade. The police chief writes an editorial in the local newspaper praising the kids for their efforts. The local Lions Club holds a pancake breakfast, and the hometown newspaper runs a photo of some beribboned World War II vet flipping flapjacks for skaters.

This is when attitudes change. The kids realize that the adults really want to help them, and the adults realize that the kids are willing to work hard for this thing they love. Most important, the kids discover that they can actually accomplish something by working within the system rather than beating their heads against it or sitting at home complaining about it. They learn how to communicate in a way that will encourage adults to listen, and they go from feeling alienated to empowered.

I don’t want to sound sappy, but I’m convinced that when teenagers, parents, police, politicians, business leaders, and civic groups all get together and push the same wheel, and that wheel actually turns, the effort alone makes the world a slightly better place.

Not to mention that the kids end up with a place to skate.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Lhotse Hawk

Riley Hawk

Spencer Hawk

Keegan Hawk

Kadence Hawk

Frank Hawk

Nancy Hawk

Lenore Dale

Pat Hawk

Steve Hawk

Alan Deremo

Pamm Higgins

Dick Dale

Greg Dale

John Dale

Hagen Deremo

Emily Deremo

Will Hawk

Cameron Hawk

Ray Underhill

Kerry, Keaton & Olivia

The Mortimer family

Greg Smith

Catherine O

Matt Goodman

Barry Z

Maximillion Cooper

Julie Brangstrup

Jackass crew

Christian Jacobs

Cindy Dunbar

Trent Reznor

Rob Sheridan

Jaimie Muehlhausen

Seth Venezia

Jared Prindle

Sandy Dusablon

Shaun Anderson

Steven Perelman

Kevin Staab

Mike “Rooftop” Escamilla

Kim Novick

Miki Vuckovich

CC Flashman

Kirsten Kuhn

Irene Navarro

Angela Rhodehamel

Matt Haring

Derek Richardson

Steve Haring

Ralph D’Amato

Jesse Fritsch

Kris Sale

Jim Guerinot

Larry Tull

Lisa Kidd

Sarah Hall

Daniel Burch

Lisa Shotland

Lowell Taub

Michael Yanover

Lloyd Frischer

Maggie Dumais

Brian Dubin

Andrew Muser

Eric Zohn

Peter Hess

Richard Charnoff

Marc Geiger

June Horton

Amy Flax

Ron Opaleski

David Schwab

Krista Parkinson

Bobby Kotick

Will Kassoy

Joanne Wong

Antonio Ramos

Ryh-Ming Poon

Mike Fulkerson

Kathy Vrabeck

Ron Dornink

Yale Miller

Hjalmar Hedman

Lisa Hudson

Dave Pokress

Jeff Kaltreider

Scott Pease

Joel Jewitt

Josh Tsui

Kehau Rodenhurst

Dave Stohl

Bob McKnight

Danny Kwock

Russell Nadel

Greg Macias

Greg Perlot

Guy Channin

Josh Katz

Marty Samuels

Mathieu Darrigrand

Matt Ramirez

Mike Matey

Nicolas Foulet

Steve Tully

Bill Bussiere

Alex Chalmers

Andy Jones

Andy Macdonald

Bam Margera

Bob Burnquist

Brian Deegan

Brian Sumner

Bucky Lasek

Carey Hart

Chad Kagy

Clifford Adoptante

Colin McKay

Daewon Song

Dave Mirra

David Loy

Dennis McCoy

Derek “Ghost” Burdette

Derek Burlew

Donny Barley

Drake McElroy

Dustin Miller

Elliot Sloan

Eric Koston

Graham Gustin

Greg Garrison

Jamie Bestwick

Jason Ellis

Jean Postec

Jeremy “Twitch” Stenberg

Jeremy Klein

John Parker

Kerry Getz

Kevin Robinson

Kris Markovich

Lance Mountain

Lincoln Ueda

Lyn-Z Adams Hawkins

Mat Hoffman

Matt Ball

Matt Beach

Matt Buyten

Micky Dymond

Mike Cinqmars

Mike Escamilla

Mike Mason

Mike McGill

Mike Vallely

Neal Hendrix

Ocean Howell

Paul Zitzer

Randy Ploesser

Rick Thorne

Rodney Mullen

Ronnie Faisst

Rune Glifberg

Ryan Scheckler

Scott Taylor

Sean Eaton

Sean Nielson

Sergie Ventura

Shaun Gregoire

Shaun Stulz

Shaun White

Shawn Hale

Simon Tabron

Stacy Peralta

Steve Berra

Steve Caballero

Steve Nesser

Todd Richards

Tom Stober

Willy Santos

Alex Macleod

Bill Silva

Bruce Haynes

Bruno Musso

Carl Harris

Craig Sneiderman

Dave Seoane

David “Gurn” Kaniski

Ed O’Leary

Ian Voterri

Jill Berliner

Jim Reeder

Jody Morris

Josh Smith

Lowell McGregor

Mike McGinley

Mike Relm

Nick Jeen

Peter Harper

Pierce Flynn

Ray Woodbury

Ryan Young

Shelby Meade

Sound Image

Suzy Shortt

Terry Hardy

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