Being an adolescent is all about life experiences like overcoming challenges and facing fears. Most kids today are in search of an idol who looks fear in the eye and doesn’t back down— someone cool and adventurous to emulate.

Living legend and professional skateboarder Tony Hawk is just the man for such a job. Hawk has beaten unbelievable odds and channeled his inner fears into determination and confidence.

As a strong-willed child, Hawk was deemed “gifted.” He was also athletic from the start. When frustrated, Hawk sought solace from his difficulties by skateboarding. At age 9, Hawk’s brother gave him a Bahne board— a blue fiberglass skateboard— that served as an outlet that would soon lead him to total domination of the extreme sports world. But despite a natural-born talent for skateboarding, Hawk was hard on himself when he didn’t perform his absolute best, even if he had won first place.

“If I don’t do my best,” Hawk says on his Web site www.tonyhawk.com, “it kills me.”

After starting to ride at age 9, Hawk was sponsored by Dogtown skateboards at age 12, turned professional at 14 and became the world’s greatest skater at 16. While most of his friends were dealing with peer pressures, grades and identity issues, Hawk was excelling in the world of extreme sports.

With a slew of personally invented tricks like the backside varial, shove-it roc ’n’ roll, fingertip backside air, airwalk-to-fakie, the 720, Indy 540, 360 varial disaster and, the most popular to date, the 900 (two and a half mid-air spins) done at the 1999 X Games, Hawk has claimed his position as one unbelievable boarder. When it comes to competition, not many can say they have beaten the warrior. In nearly all of Hawk’s competitions, he has placed first or second and he has mastered more than 80 tricks. No wonder he is one of the most widely searched athletes on the Internet.

Along with putting his stamp on skateboarding, Hawk has positively influenced aspiring athletes and other kids around the globe. A philanthropist as well, Hawk founded the Tony Hawk Foundation, which promotes and helps finance public skate parks in low-income areas. The Foundation’s mission is to foster lasting improvements in society, with an emphasis on supporting and empowering youth. The organization also teaches kids about the positive things life has to offer and the charitable people who improve neighborhoods worldwide. The Foundation’s Web site www.tonyhawkfoundation.org enables viewers to donate funds, join other skateboarders and lend a helping hand.

Today, Hawk is a father to three children. He says he wants to give insight to children everywhere, especially kids who are struggling to find personal guidance. As with his Foundation, Hawk has taken a major step in giving back by promoting safety with his Maximum Safety for Active Kids Campaign.

With 24 years of professional skating experience— not to mention the immense sweat and effort it took him to achieve incredible skill and professionalism— Hawk knows a thing or two about the bumps and bruises that can incur from extreme sports. That is why he and longtime friend and professional BMXer Mike “Rooftop” Escamilla visited Toys ’R’ Us Times Square for the Maximum Safety for Active Kids clinic this past April. There, kids considering becoming active riders in the extreme sports community received tips on sport safety. Hawk’s Maximum Safety Campaign was designed to teach kids what to wear for protection while riding, as well as how to wear gear correctly. The free clinic started with a demonstration and led to a Q&A and autograph session for emerging professionals.

“At times, kids will get a gift of skateboarding/BMX gear and it will be the wrong size,” Hawk said. “I also see a lot of kids wearing a helmet and its hanging back here,” he continued, gesturing toward the back of his head. “If kids get themselves into these sports and aren’t wearing protection correctly, they may as well be wearing a hat— or nothing at all for that matter.”

Following are Tony Hawk and Mike Escamilla’s top five safety tips.

Tip #1: No piece of gear is more important than a properly fitting helmet.

Tip #2: Make sure that your bike is the right size so that you have the maximum control when you ride.

Tip #3: Keep your bike tuned up. Your tires should be properly inflated, and you should always make sure that your brakes, spoke, chain and other moving parts are in good shape and properly lubricated.

Tip #4: Always wear a helmet, elbow pads and knee pads on scooters and skateboards.

Tip #5: Follow the rules of the road by always riding on the right-hand side of the street and obeying traffic laws.

Kayla Mossien is an assistant editor.

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