He says he's had people question whether he's a real person, but skateboarder Tony Hawk denies that he's just a videogame character in a New York Times profile by Patricia R. Olsen (2/7/10). He also says there's "a lot of pressure associated with the title of professional skateboarder. No matter where I go," says Tony, "people expect amazing feats. If I go to a public skate park, kids will sit down and expect me to entertain them." But he says he has no regrets, even though his career path did not include going to college.

"I experienced so many things that I otherwise wouldn't have, and I was exposed to so much culture," he explains, adding: "I'm not saying everyone should skip college, but I learned so much that I feel I'm educated. When my high school classmates were trying to figure out what they were going to study, I already had a career and a house." He says he was drawn to skateboarding because he didn't "have to listen to a coach or rely on a team." Unlike baseball or basketball, he says he got better every time he skated.

Today, he has a company, Tony Hawk, Inc., with "five divisions: merchandising, endorsements, events, film and digital media." And he takes issue with "the attitude that skating professionally is a bad influence on kids or not a viable career option. I do my best to prove the naysayers wrong," he says, adding: "Several years ago I started a foundation to build free skate parks in low income areas. Kids use them from sunup to sundown. Our endorsements can help cut through the red tape in communities. So far we've had a hand in creating 450 parks."