Tony Hawk

I was born on May 12, 1968 in Carlsbad, California, to Nancy and Frank Peter Rupert Hawk, and was raised in San Diego, California. When I was young, I was described as being "hyperactive," and my mother says that I was "so hard on me and expected me to do so many things." One time, I struck out in baseball and I was so distraught that I hid in a ravine and had to be "physically coaxed out" by his father. His frustration with himself was so harsh that his parents had him psychologically evaluated at school. The results were that I was "gifted," he tested with an I.Q. of 144, and school advisors recommended placing me in advanced classes. My parents supported my skateboarding because it served as an outlet for his excessive energy, and as my skills developed, I became a professional skateboarder at age fourteen. I was the National Skateboard Association world champion for twelve consecutive years. I attended Jean Farb Middle School from 1980 to 1981, and eventually returned for the show, Homecoming with Rick Reilly, where I set up a ramp and did a demonstration.

Source: Wikipedia