'Stand Up for Skateparks': benefit event raises $775K, Tony Hawk lands 900 again

October 13, 6:26 PMLA Skateboarding ExaminerLuiz Calado

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Tony Hawk holding his daughter Kadence, next to his wife Lhotse Merriam at the
2009 Stand Up For Skateparks benefit event, in Beverly Hills, CA.
(Photo by Luiz Calado ©2009)

The Tony Hawk Foundation (THF, for short) fundraising event Stand Up for Skateparks went down this past Sunday, October 11. 

I was definitely looking forward to cover it for the first time. After seeing pictures of Tony doing doubles and triples on the ramp with other skaters in previous years, and knowing that Bucky Lasek, Pierre Luc Gagnon, Andy Macdonald and Kevin Staab were going be there as well, I was super pumped to shoot some mind-blowing skateboarding action.   

Councilwoman Janice Hahn (left)
and the kids from the L.A. district of Watts.

Boy, I was in for a surprise.

• Check the slideshow below for more photo highlights of the event

As soon as I got to political and investment tycoon Ron Burkle’s Green Acres Estate in Beverly Hills, I was promptly advised by the staff that I would have no access whatsoever to the actual event. Even having been issued a proper press credential in the weeks prior, all I was allowed to do was to photograph arriving guests on the red carpet. 

I was absolutely disheartened.  

In a short period of time, I went through those classic traumatic phases: first, shock; then denial, followed by anger, depression and ultimately, acceptance.

Down and gloomed, I gave in, pulled my camera out and lined up inside the media-assigned area along the celebrity walkway, next to other photographers and cameramen.

I am aware that, in the frontline of the photojournalism feud, paparazzis battle for pictures that, ultimately, sustain a multimillion-dollar industry. Yet, of all varieties of photography, red carpet is the least appealing to me because, among other reasons, all photographers end up with virtually the exact same images.

The media greeted the guests and their families with flash bursts, as they made their way in. A bit further ahead, a Fuel TV crew stood by. It was rather baffling when I heard their reporter moving on onto the celebrities and shamelessly inquire, “Hi! Can you get me in?”

That was when I finally got it. 

Press does not get inside the event – it never did.

Suddenly, I was struck by the epiphany that all of those photos of past events I’ve seen before derived not from coverage of independent skateboarding media but actually from THF’s public relations.

Another one of those phases settled in: guilt. I was duped – and it was all my fault; fooled by my own ignorance.  

UFC fighter Chuck Liddell (bottom) helps Fuel TV
reporter Chris Fairbanks to mock up an illegal entry into the event.
(Photo: Luiz Calado)

The Fuel TV reporter turned out to be standup comedian Chris Fairbanks and, having attended previous events, his whole skit was to satirize the media access denial. He even got UFC fighter Chuck Liddell to prop him on top of the mansion wall, pretending to sneak him inside the off-limits side of the property.

Amused by the parody, I eventually let out of those characteristic feelings and focused on doing the best with what I had. 

During the press conference, Tony and the guests conveyed the importance of THF efforts in building free, quality, public skateparks in low-income neighborhoods across the US and how these facilities play an decisive role in the lives of at-risk youth.

Terry Kennedy’s speech was especially moving and, followed up by the introduction of a group of skater kids from the L.A. district of Watts, led by Councilmember Janice Hahn, there was no doubt that Stand Up for Skateparks will make a decisive impact in achieving the goal of building a landmark facility in that inner-city community.  

Yeah, I was bummed I didn’t get to shoot any skateboarding –  specially after I learned that fellow Brazilian skater Lincoln Ueda was present and that Tony even landed a 900! (see video below).  

But I cannot not finish this article without expressing a genuine appreciation to the THF team for their exceptional commitment to the cause and, above all, to Emily Miller from Media Relations; from my initial contact all the way to the day of the event, her assistance was outstanding and critical in the bringing of this reporting out to you, the reader.