Tony Hawk’s 900 will always be one of the most iconic moments in skateboarding history. There’s really no argument there. When he landed it at the 1999 X Games, it felt like time stopped. That one single trick—a game-changing trick, but just a single trick nonetheless—became a symbol of progression and determination.
I mean, sure, other skaters have landed the 900 since—some with wild variations (Gui Kury, I’m looking at you), some in contests (three times in a row, courtesy of Ema Kawakami) with Hawk watching from the stands—but that original moment is still burned into our memory.
Fast-forward to today, and the 900 is still inspiring this new generation of talented skateboarders. Like Ema Kawakami—the youngest skateboarder to ever land one. And when Tony asked this hungry up-and-comer how long it took to go from 720 to 900, well, the answer left him speechless. Take a look:
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And hey, since we’re on the subject, it only makes sense to mention that Tony Hawk is actually auctioning off his iconic “900” board—yes, the actual board he landed the 900 on during the Summer 1999 X Games—along with a few other items from that groundbreaking day. Learn more about that below.
Related: Tony Hawk Is Auctioning Off His Iconic “900” Board—Here’s What We Know
Are we surprised at the answer? I’d say it’s a proper balance between yes and no. This new generation of skateboarders simply oozes talent. Tony had to break so many glass ceilings in his day and left a blueprint of sorts for the younger generation to strive for.
At the same time, doing a 900 on your skateboard is absolutely insane. So anyone who has ever done it deserves some dap. Where does that leave us?
The answer is simple—exactly where we are! Skateboarding is only going to get gnarlier, and we have multiple generations of innovators to thank for that.
From Tony to Ema, skateboarding is in good hands. That’s all there is to it.
