How Did I Get Here (15 page)

September 9–18, 2005

Secret Skatepark Tour, OR, MT, IN, Cayman Islands, GA

I presented the idea to Activision to do another secret skatepark tour, this time in conjunction with the release of
Tony Hawk’s American Wasteland
(
THAW
), and they were down to support it. The only stipulation was to include as many riders from the video game as possible, and to have playable demos of
THAW
at each stop. I handpicked each park based on quality, location, and whether we donated money to the project through the Tony Hawk Foundation.

The lineup changed along the way, but at one point we had the following group: Bam, Bob Burnquist, Mike Vallely, Daewon Song, Ryan Sheckler, Steve Nesser, Shaun Stulz, and Rick Thorne. People freaked when we showed up to parks in places like Grants Pass, Oregon, and Fort Wayne, Indiana. We got the surprise factor that I’d hoped to achieve with our original secret tour (but never seemed to catch on video). Some highlights:

• Showing up to Great Falls, Montana, an hour before dark and watching the crowd grow like wildfire once word spread that we were there. It was such a scene that the cops started issuing tickets to people (including our tour manager) not wearing helmets. Mike V. and I confronted one overzealous officer about humiliating kids by putting them in the back of the cop car while writing their tickets. Not surprisingly, this exchange did not go well and ended with Mike and me leaving the park in protest while hundreds of kids booed the cops. Within minutes, four more patrol cars showed up, and a no-helmet ticketing frenzy ensued. Why provide a facility to keep kids from skating on the streets if you’re just going to hassle them at that very place? Fish in a barrel, I suppose.
  
• Bam coming along on a skate-only trip. He’s been so overwhelmed with his MTV show and various movie projects that he hasn’t had time to focus on his skating much. He was ripping by the end.
  
• Watching everyone’s reactions when they first encountered stingrays in Cayman. It transformed a group of scarred and tattooed skaters into shrieking kids, jumping out of waist-deep water in fits of fright and delight.
  
• Going to a middle school in Helena, Montana, and announcing that we would be at the skatepark down the street after school, then skating through the gym to the surprise of the P.E. students. The park was
  packed
  once the bell rang.
  
• Turning our demo in Athens, Georgia, into a last-minute fundraiser for Katrina victims. There was no entry fee, but spectators were encouraged to make a $10 donation, and all concession proceeds went to the fund. Marriott agreed to match any money raised. Total take: about $30,000.
  

Mike V. and me.

August–November 2007

France, Germany, NYC, NC, LA, SF

I spent my last summer days hanging out with the kids and killing myself for
The Beginning,
our new Birdhouse video. The alley-oop backside ollie over a 20-foot channel was my favorite trick that happened spontaneously. The premiere happened less than a week after I got my last few tricks. The most exciting aspect of the video for me is that Riley has his own legitimate part and his stuff is
good.
It’s been nine years since we released a video. Here’s what else happened:

• Over the course of 10 days, I traveled to NYC twice to do a mélange of TV shows and appearances:
  TRL
  , MSNBC,
  Fox & Friends
  , ESPN, Yahoo!, Fuse,
  The Naked Brothers Band
  , a Laureus dinner, and an appearance for Steiner Sports. At least there’s plenty of good food in Manhattan to enjoy between obligations.
  
• Had Thanksgiving at my brother’s house in Half Moon Bay, just south of San Francisco. We hired a boat to check out Maverick’s, the big-wave spot, which was breaking thanks to a rare swell. Our skipper put us a little too close to the action, and we barely made it over the shoulder of one of the biggest waves of the day. It felt like we dropped 40 feet on the way down the back. My mom was on the tip of the bow. She thought it was fun.
  

December 2007–February 2008

Compton, Vegas, Woodward, Hawaii, Whistler, LA

Every time I feel like things are starting to slow down, they blow up again. The holidays were no exception. My wife and I found out we’re having a baby, which will be my first girl! This was not spontaneous or romantic, but the fruit of a full year of fertility treatments, dozens of shots in her stomach and hips, hope, worry, and tireless disappointment. Modern medicine is amazing . . . and expensive. But it works! We can’t wait for our June baby. Meanwhile, I’ve been skating nonstop. So has Riley; he’s turned into an amazing street skater, better than I ever imagined. I hope he’ll teach me switch flips soon. Here is what else I’ve been up to:

• Presented the City of Compton with the check for their skatepark during a city council meeting. I still can’t believe we raised $60,000 in a matter of minutes at our last fundraiser.
  
• Attended the 2007 Spike Video Game Awards. I flew in, handed out an award, and flew home. I was in Vegas for only a few hours—a most uneventful trip to Sin City.
  
• Spent the New Year in Kauai with my family and the Underhills. It had been Ray’s dream to take a helicopter tour in Hawaii and we made it happen. It rained most of the time, but it didn’t stop our kids from surfing Hanalei every day. Kilauea is incredible even when it’s pouring.
  
• Went to Whistler, BC, for one day at the request of Benji Weatherley for his film project. Rode powder all day with Todd Richards, Shane Dorian, Jake Burton, and Tosh Townend, then flew home the next morning.
  
• Mia Hamm Celebrity Soccer Challenge. Mia asked if I could join her cause to register potential bone marrow donors by playing in a soccer match with other celebrities and some soccer pros. I’ve never played a real game of soccer in my life, so it was intimidating to be out in front of thousands of people my first time on the pitch. It was more fun and way more work than I had assumed. Rivers Cuomo (of Weezer) was one of many on my team who took it seriously, but it seems that he takes
  everything
  seriously. The most rewarding aspect was seeing the donors and recipients meet (for the first time ever) during halftime.
  

March–June 2008

Russia, Japan, Vegas, Hospital!

It’s been hard to keep a journal with things in a state of flux recently. It seems like we have been awaiting the arrival of our daughter for nearly two years (well, we have in some ways), and all plans were tentative until her arrival. Here is what happened during those last months of her incubation:

• Went to St. Petersburg, Russia, for the Laureus Awards. Lhotse and I were lucky to have Miki Vuckovich (head of the TH Foundation) as our tour guide. He lived in St. Pete during the oppressive years and was able to give us insight about many of the landmarks and customs. The most exciting part for me was buying an Ushanka hat (with earflaps) and being offered cans of caviar by a street hustler. I wish we had time to skate, but we were there for only two nights.
  
• Took a family trip to Japan. It was something I always wanted to share with my mom, brother, and sisters since my first visit. It was fun to see their faces upon first seeing sushi and dried octopus at 7-Elevens, and to share barbequed squid-on-a-stick from a street vendor.
  
• The only downside was missing the Kids’ Choice Awards and finding out too late that I’d won the award for favorite male athlete. But nothing will replace the memories of Kyoto and searching all day for the skatepark with Riley. It’s not the destination, it’s the journey that matters.
  
• Turned 40 in style with a
  Big Lebowski
  bowling bash in Las Vegas. Careful, man, there’s a beverage here.
  
• On June 30, 2008, we welcomed Kadence into the world. My first daughter. She looks just like her beautiful mommy. Her brothers are very excited. Life will never be the same. I can’t wait.