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This gives me an opportunity to clarify a myth from my childhood. Was Tony Hawk the first ever to hit a 720?

• zimpenfish 2y ago
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_(skateboarding) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerial_(skateboarding) says "The 720, two full mid-air rotations, is one of the rarest tricks in skateboarding. It was first done by Tony Hawk in 1985, and it wasn't something he planned to do." (Which is presumably "the first recorded" but I'm guessing if someone had done it, they'd have been shouting about it and -probably- the only kind of person who could pull it off would be a pro skater anyway?)
  • detoured299 2y ago
    At that time only a few pro vert skaters would have had the ability to throw 720s, yeah. Nowadays a good number of ams can too. The rarity of seeing a 720 or above has as much to do with the fact that most skaters don’t skate vert - instead skating street or smaller transition - as the trick’s difficulty. Outsiders tend to imagine large spins are the holy grail of skate moves but almost all skaters aren’t interested in them for aesthetic reasons among others.
  • voytec 2y ago
    He worked much longer for the 900 but more importantly - he repeated the 900 at the age of 48[0]! [0] https://youtu.be/TnvPt_a7iOQ?t=93 https://youtu.be/TnvPt_a7iOQ?t=93
    • imiric 2y ago
      Even more impressive: a 9-year-old did three consecutive 900s in front of Tony Hawk[1]. Arguably, this feat is easier for a small child, but still... insane talent at a young age. [1]: https://old.reddit.com/1dh6p2h https://old.reddit.com/1dh6p2h