Twenty-five years ago, Tony Hawk headlined one of the most iconic moments in action sports history when he stuck the first ever 900 at the X Games. The trick had eluded Hawk for a long time at that point and once he set his mind to it that night, the entire crowd and the field of competitors stepped aside to watch him do his thing. It was a moment for progression and it was a moment that highlighted what the best parts of action sports communities can be.
Few people can tell any story quite as well as Selema Masekela and the story of that night is no exception.
“I still believe, and nobody can tell me otherwise, that if it wasn’t for that moment none of us would be standing here in this room today,” he told a group of people before this summer’s X Games 2024. “That moment kicked down the door for the world to care about what we love.”
Flash forward to today and skateboarding is an Olympic sport alongside surfing. Snowboarding has long since wiggled its way out of the fringe. Action sports are more relevant than ever, even if some want them to stay punk rock. He goes on to remind everybody that (we) used to take pride in being the only ones who cared about our sports but now they are truly relevant in the world at large.
“We’ve got a field full of people who after this will be going to Paris. To the Olympics — to be the stars of that show — that never wanted to f*** with us before.”
Watch Masekela’s retelling of that moment and its impact on our world and our sports today. You’ll be fired up.
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