The Reason Tony Hawk Just Renamed This Famous Skateboard Move

[imagesource: Sony]

Tony Hawk is probably the most famous name in skating, and he seems like a pretty decent bloke, too.

It helps when you have a series of video games named after you, which were played by countless millions across the globe.

Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 and 2, the game, is set for an upgrade soon, and that’s where the renaming of a famous skateboarding move will be seen in action.

CNN reporting below:

Hawk is formally changing the name of an iconic skateboarding move in order to honor the deaf skater who created it.

The mute grab, which involves a rider using their front hand to grab the toe side of the skateboard between the rider’s feet as they turn backside, is being changed to the “Weddle Grab” in the upcoming remaster of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 and 2.

The change is being made in honor of Chris Weddle [above], a deaf skater who Hawk said was the first to do the trick.

Perhaps the explanation is best dished out by Hawk himself, who posted this to Instagram:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

For nearly 40 years, we’ve shamelessly referred to this trick as the “mute” air/grab. Here is the backstory: around 1981, a deaf skater and Colton skatepark local named Chris Weddle was a prominent amateur on the competition circuit. The “Indy” air had just been created & named so somebody proposed that grabbing with the front hand should be known as the “Tracker” air. Others countered that Chris was the first to do, so it should be named after him. They referred to him as the “quiet, mute guy.” So it became known as the mute air, and we all went along with it in our naive youth. In recent years a few people have reached out to Chris (who still skates) about this trick and the name it was given. He has been very gracious in his response but it is obvious that a different name would have honored his legacy, as he is deaf but not lacking speech. I asked him last year as I was diving into trick origins and he said he would have rather named it the “deaf” or “Weddle” grab if given the choice. His exact quote to me was “I am deaf, not mute.” So as we embark on the upcoming @tonyhawkthegame demo release, some of you might notice a trick name change: The Weddle Grab. It’s going to be challenging to break the habit of saying the old name but I think Chris deserves the recognition. Thanks to @darrick_delao for being a great advocate to the deaf community in action sports, and for being the catalyst in this renaming process. I told Chris tecently and his reply was “I’m so stoked!” And then he shot this photo in celebration yesterday. : @yousta_storytellers_club

A post shared by Tony Hawk (@tonyhawk) on Aug 12, 2020 at 8:40am PDT

Respect.

Also, respect to anybody who can nail the Weddle Grab without a few roasties along the way.

With regards to the remade Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 and 2, the demo will be available for download later today (see here for more info), and here’s a sneak peek of what you’re in store for:

As long as you can still bash buttons blindly and pull off insane moves, it should be a hit.

The Verge says the remake “feels great”, so here’s hoping.

[source:cnn]