| There are a lot of short videos out there that show low-res clips of this event. This isn't one of them. On June 28th, 1999, Tony Hawk made history. He completed a 900-deg. rotation on a skateboard. No one had ever landed a 900, not in competition, not in practice, not in their backyard, not even in their dreams. Late in the evening on the last day of the best trick skateboard portion of the X-Games, Tony tried a 900. He missed. It was his second run. As he prepared for his third run, the crowd of 5000 began to chant: 900, 900, 900 He smiled a little bit, dropped into the pipe, and missed. When he got up, he looked grim, he looked determined, and he looked confident. He climbed the stairs, and dropped into the pipe. Official competition rules allow three attempts, this was his fourth. No one cared. The crowd stomped and chanted: 900, 900, 900 He missed. When he got up, the camera showed a close-up on his face, I felt his intensity through the camera. He climbed the stairs and stood on the edge of the pipe, 5000 people were on their feet screaming as loud as they could: To-ny, To-ny, To-ny Every other competitor was banging the rails with their boards. The look in his eyes was so intense and focused, you could tell there was no way he was going to miss this again. He missed. Again, He missed. and missed. And missed again. At the top of the pipe, as he stared into space, everyone touched him. There were eight or ten hands on his head or shoulders, there were 5000 people in ... |
