By Rory Carroll (Reuters) -Skateboarding great Tony Hawk has announced that he is putting his most famous deck up for auction with the goal of raising money to build skateparks in underserved areas. Hawk landed his groundbreaking “900” – 2-1/2 full mid-air rotations – at the 1999 X Games in a moment that helped propel […]
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Skateboarding-Hawk puts his history-making ‘900’ skateboard up for auction
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By Rory Carroll
(Reuters) -Skateboarding great Tony Hawk has announced that he is putting his most famous deck up for auction with the goal of raising money to build skateparks in underserved areas.
Hawk landed his groundbreaking “900” – 2-1/2 full mid-air rotations – at the 1999 X Games in a moment that helped propel the sport out of the subculture and into the mainstream.
The Birdhouse “Falcon 2” board is expected to fetch between $500,000 and $700,000 when it goes on the block in Los Angeles on September 23, according to Julien’s Auctions.
Hawk called the moment he became the first skateboarder to land the trick in front of a roaring X Games crowd after several failed attempts on June 27, 1999 “the best day of my life.”
“It was a huge moment in my career – the result of years of persistence and getting back up after every fall,” he said in a press release.
Other items up for sale include Hawk’s signed helmet, knee pads, sneakers, and the 1999 X Games Vert Finals bronze medal.
“I never imagined that my board, pads or helmet from that day would be of any interest to collectors,” he said.
A portion of the sale proceeds will benefit The Skatepark Project (TSP), Hawk’s foundation supporting skatepark construction in underserved communities.
TSP grant programs have awarded over $13 million to help fund nearly 700 public skateparks in all 50 U.S. states, enjoyed by an estimated 17 million people annually, according to the non-profit organisation’s website.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Ken Ferris)