Support Public Skateparks With Tony Hawk

This task shouldn’t be that difficult. That difficult compared to the time when my friends and I tried to get a skatepark built for our humble, lovable, city of WALNUT. Back then, in the 90’s, it was nearly impossible for anyone to listen to us. Whenever we lobbied for a skatepark to a cop, he would tell us to go away or else he would put us in JUVI. Whenever we lobbied to a councilperson, they told us to get off the premises or else they would call the cops and we would end up in JUVI. And personally, whenever I lobbied to my parents to help us, they would tell me that I should be concentrating on PIANO anyway.

All we had were ourselves, a few parents, and maybe a teacher. We used to skate in the city every weekend and once in a while we would get someone like KATO KAELIN or an up and coming KATHY GRIFFIN to sign our petition. But then again, the city council just laughed it off.

Only if we had the support skaters have today. Tony Hawk will be having benefits in two of the grandest places in America. BEVERLY HILLS and the WYNN Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. You can’t get anymore swanky than that. RIDE: Stand Up For Skateparks will also include a few special guests. Andre Agassi, Lance Armstrong, Travis Barker, Ron Burkle, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Eisner, Jon Favreau, Lorenzo Fertitta, Frank Fertitta III, Jeff Fine, Robin Greenspun, Mia Hamm, Mat Hoffman, Kathy Ireland, Bobby Kotick, Chuck Liddell, George Maloof, Andrew Pascal, Shaun White and Elaine Wynn.

If we could have had just one of these celebrities on our side back then, we would have at least been taken seriously. Do I sound disgruntled? Yes. Is that making me sound OLD? Yes. But I don’t care. I will always have something against that COP who told me I will go to JUVI for skating. If he could only SEE ME now! Check out the press release below.

9/4/09 (Vista, CA)—The Tony Hawk: RIDE Presents Stand Up For Skateparks benefit returns to Beverly Hills on October 11 to help the Tony Hawk Foundation bring free, quality public skateparks to low-income communities across the U.S. On November 7, the star-studded event then travels to the Wynn Las Vegas for its debut in the City Of Lights.

Now in its sixth year, Tony Hawk: RIDE Presents Stand Up For Skateparks is the Tony Hawk Foundation’s annual family-centric action-sports carnival, featuring games, activities, food, auctions, A-list celebrities, special musical performances, and a Vert Demo with Tony and a crew of top-pro skaters and BMX riders on Tony’s personal ramp. An established must-see event in Beverly Hills, this will be the first time Tony Hawk: RIDE Presents Stand Up For Skateparks comes to the Las Vegas Strip.

Joining Tony on the event’s Benefit Committee are Andre Agassi, Lance Armstrong, Travis Barker, Ron Burkle, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Eisner, Jon Favreau, Lorenzo Fertitta, Frank Fertitta III, Jeff Fine, Robin Greenspun, Mia Hamm, Mat Hoffman, Kathy Ireland, Bobby Kotick, Chuck Liddell, George Maloof, Andrew Pascal, Shaun White and Elaine Wynn.

Each Tony Hawk: RIDE Presents Stand Up For Skateparks event will include a special Pledge Drive to raise funds for the construction or improvement of a local skatepark in the Los Angeles and Las Vegas areas. Past recipients of Pledge Drive funds include public skatepark projects in Compton, California, New York City, and the military community of Tierrasanta in San Diego, California.