How Tony Hawk Is Using Tech To Extend His Career And Prepare For X Games Return

When Tony Hawk started skateboarding at nine years old, he never thought he would still be doing it at fifty, let alone professionally. At that time, there was no project.

And even the world's greatest snowboarders must constantly contend with Father Time, who isn't always invincible in the end, but lives up to his commitment to physical health and his tenacious mindset.

Hawk never struggled with this mental toughness; From the age of 14 until now, he has worked hard to achieve his dream. In the year He is famous for his first 900 race at the X Games in 1999 because after 10 failed attempts, the organizers allowed him to continue making history.

And sure enough, 22 years later, at Hawke's inaugural Vert Alert event in Salt Lake City, I saw more than 10 of his attempts to get an early return taxi - something he never did. done once in his life, 26 years ago - end well. . The all-time gag competition where you compete against younger players in games.

Beating the road several times with a piece of hard wood, he finally reached it, drenched in sweat and bloodied. He is 52 years old.

Whether Hawke and his teammates have the physical health necessary to continue skateboarding professionally into their 50s is not a given.

“When I was a kid, there was no need to become a professional skater or get into professional skating. There was no career,” Hawke, now 54, told me. “When you’re in your twenties, you’re considered old. "

Today, skateboarding is an Olympic sport and its professionals train in state-of-the-art facilities with access to nutritionists, trainers and rehabilitation specialists.

“We have no resources or expertise,” Hoque said. "It's not like it used to be. However, we're going against the grain; we love what skateboarding has given us and being part of the counterculture."

But Hawke is at the forefront of what it means to live when your body betrays you. Forget ski skills; In the year after breaking his right leg in March 2022, Hawke needed crutches to get around, something the world witnessed later that month when he appeared at the Oscars.

Hawke has been injured before, many of them during his long career. But it was different, he said. At first, he denied the severity of the broken femur, physically returning to skateboarding as soon as possible and ignoring signs that something was wrong.

Jumping the gun prevents him from participating in the commission any more than he initially feared; Hawk's femur will need surgery again in December 2022. She admits she was "more cavalier" about her injury and gave her body more grace this time around.

This experience forces Huck to pay more attention to his health than before, using new technologies to manage his overall health. Many athletes enjoy the benefits of wearable devices in their sport; Until he started using his Citizen CZ smartwatch regularly, Hawke didn't realize how much data he wasn't using.

“I'm grateful to be alive in this day and age because I have the resources that allow me to be useful and still be able to skate even in my 50s,” Hoke said. "I use technology and the data it provides. I've never tracked my sleep, heart rate, or best time to work out, and I'm now working out while I'm recovering from a fracture of the femur.

The CZ Gen-2 smartwatch includes YouQ's health app using Hawk, built using research information from NASA's Ames Research Center and an AI model developed by IBM Watson.

These wearable devices can predict the user's circadian rhythm (their internal biological sleep-wake schedule) and therefore their cognitive and physical energy throughout the day. Hawk's best time for peak performance is midday, which is no surprise: skating hours are from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.

“It changed my perspective on what I think I should do or think and how to best prepare for longevity,” Hoke said.

While Hawke says this technology will have a huge impact on skateboarding in the future, essentially helping athletes recover better and compete at a higher level for longer, he emphasizes that advanced fitness technology is not limited. Reserved for professionals. . Athlete in use. .

“It benefits everyone, in all walks of life,” Haque said.

Supplementing his recovery with the British health app, which is in beta testing, allowed Hawke to return to competition at the Chiba X Games May 12-14 after abandoning skating during several demonstrations earlier this year. Before his injury, Hawke was scheduled to compete in the 2022 X Games in the high jump.

“I'm working on some new techniques that I hope I can invent or discover there,” Hoke said. "All of this technology definitely helps me with my approach and the best time to skate. When you're training for the best technique for an event, the approach is different [than a big race]. There was a lot of movement in a short period of time.

With the Hawk, imagine a more advanced cabin than that of the 900.

“I stopped trying to replicate grand rounds,” says Hawke. "I focus on very technical tricks that I think only hardcore skaters can appreciate. I add my own flavor; I'm not saying that what I do is so hard that other skaters can't do it, but I add my signature to the best trap events.”

Gui Khoury, 12, took over from Hawke in 2021

The next two years were difficult for Hawke, but with titanium rods in his legs and a smart watch on his wrists, he prepared to compete in the X Games for the second time in 20 years after retiring.

“It’s my comeback,” Hawke said. I'm glad I can skate well enough to think of new tricks.

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