900 (skateboarding) - Tony Hawk

Tony Hawk

Tony Hawk, one of the most successful vertical pro skateboarders in the world, landed "The 900" at the 1999 X-Games after ten failed attempts. It was past regulation time but, as one announcer said, "We make up the rules as we go along. Let's give him another try." None of the other skaters protested. Hawk twice landed on his board, but it flew out from under him. When he finally completed the trick, his arms windmilled and his hand barely grazed the ramp. Nonetheless, he rode away. He was awarded 1st place in the "Best Trick" event despite going over the time limit. At a later X-Games, Hawk landed the trick again, this time during regulation time. In his book, the 900 was the last on wishlist of tricks Hawk had written a decade earlier. Other tricks on the list included the ollie 540, kickflip 540, and varial 720. In a 1999 interview, Hawk said he does not have "any desire to spin further". He did, however, successfully land the trick during press interviews for the video game Tony Hawk: Ride and at the "Tony Hawk: RIDE Presents Stand Up for Skate Parks" event. Even in 2011 Hawk was still able to land his famous 900 and posted a video of the trick via his Twitter account stating "I'm 42 and I did a 900 today."