American Legend Tony Hawk Finds Place in One of a Kind Skateboarding Museum

Skateboarding first became popular in the early 50s, but it was unable to shake off its image as a counter-culture activity. That changed in 2021 with its debut in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Now skateboarders are gaining recognition and respect as athletes, and the world is taking notice of the rich history of the sport. Now people want to learn more about the evolution of skateboarding, and as a result, a famous museum in London has prepared a unique exhibit.

The Design Museum added a new exhibit this autumn called ‘Skateboard’. The museum has painstakingly curated some of the rare timepieces in skateboarding history, which includes Tony Hawk’s first professional board. There could be no better tribute to the pioneers of skateboarding than showcasing their equipment.

Exploring skateboarding legacy

The exhibit will consist of 90 precious and rare boards alongside other glorious artifacts. Skateboarding fans can see trucks and wheels, safety gear, DVDs, magazines, VHS tapes, and other collectibles. Many of these items are on loan to the Design Museum from the Skateboarding Hall of Fame Museum in California. California, known as the birthplace of skateboarding, has played a pivotal role in shaping the sport.

Initially, skaters congregated in the bowls or pools in the city. As a fringe activity, skaters did not have any manufacturer making the boards for them. They had to rely on their own wits and make their own skateboards using whatever materials they could find. Much later, the sport gained popularity and attracted the attention of craftsmen and manufacturers. Thus began the industrial boom in skateboard production, leading to major changes in design.

The exhibit in London will show this transition from the makeshift boards to the highly-advanced professional boards of the present. The museum announced the opening of the exhibit on the day the countdown for the Paris Olympics began. The purpose behind the show was best explained by Tim Marlow, the Design Museum’s chief executive.

Marlow spoke to a reporter of The Guardian, saying, “Skateboards, often misunderstood as being just toys, are now technically sophisticated products… This is a story of design, performance and communities evolving together”. To honor all communities involved, curators of the show like Tory Turk have collected statement pieces from California and Britain.

Iconic skateboards from California and Britain

The Design Museum hopes to draw in a large crowd with an array of iconic skateboards from the sport’s history. Among them, the most cherished piece of history is the 1967 Bilbo board. This skateboard from the Newquay-based company is probably the first commercial board produced and sold in the country. The show will also feature the skateboard Tony Hawk first used in a competition. This board from 1982 is special because it showcases a design that was suitable for ramps and not the terrain.

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The exhibit will also show the Logan Earth Ski Pro model from 1970. This was used by Laura Thornhill and was specifically designed for women skaters. Other pro models, such as the ones used by Rodney Mullen, Mark Gonzales, Mike Vallely, PJ Ladd, etc., have also found a place in the show. The Sky Brown x Skateistan Almost deck used by 13-year-old skateboarding legend Sky Brown during his 2020 Olympic medal run is also a part of the exhibit. This exhibit gives a chance to the fans to admire the most important relics of the sport, and they certainly should not miss it.

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