Tony Hawk Skateboards At White House

WASHINGTON — Hey, kids, don't try this at home. Professional skateboarder Tony Hawk on Friday took a brief ride at the White House as part of a Father's Day celebration.

Hawk, 41, skated in the grand foyer and the nearby Old Executive Office Building, with the permission of White House officials.

The skateboarding icon, also known for his popular brand of skateboarding video games, posted photos to his Web site and Twitter page.

One photo shows Hawk on his skateboard with his hands in the air in what appears to be a hallway.

"...and here is my exit," he wrote in a message on Twitter, which linked to a picture of him skating. "Supposed to return at noon for the First Fathers event if they let me back in."

Hawk posted other insights from his Washington visit on his Twitter page, telling fans about eating Frosted Flakes cereal inside the gates of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. In another tweet, he says "back at White House, Tweeting live from the Diplomatic Room. Unbelievable."

Hawk joined other dads, athletes and celebrities at a Father's Day forum hosted by President Barack Obama. Celebrity chef Bobby Flay helped man the barbecue grills for a White House picnic for the attendees, which included NBA players Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat and Etan Thomas of the Washington Wizards.

"The Prez addressing all of us fathers before we split up to visit DC charities," Hawk tweeted. "D Wade & Etan T make me feel short."

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On the Web:

http://www.tonyhawk.com/

http://twitter.com/tonyhawk

Comments

[tailgateshirts]

lol you people have nothing better to do than whine about Obama and some professional athletes doing stuff for fatherless children

[W i l l]

Well good bye waterboard­ing...hell­o skateboarding!

There's simply no way to be upset or put out by Hawk paying a skaters tribute to the White House.

Had to be one of the more honorable skates of his life. An American, on a American invention, on an American board...re­presenting America for all the world's skaters to look up to...a go getter, entrepreneur, honest, decent, caring man and father. The sort of role model you whiny pusses ought to be aspiring to emulate.

The skater is the epitome of America's can do spirit...f­alling down...and getting back up. Again and again until the goal is met. Then, taking that achievement and raising the bar...agai­n and again, until perfection is the norm.

And why are we still rehashing Clinton? And not instead referring the Bush years and such things as having sleep overs with con artist extortionist male-for-male escorts posing as a journalist? Hellz, for all that matter...e­very minute of the Bush White House was a complete disgrace to the spirit, strength and openness of the White House.

Now, lets see if we can get Obama to invite Hawk back to put on a inspiring skater skills display for a house full of local youths.

[martiniandabotoxchaser]

This is not cool...it is silly. Someone at the White House needs to be fired.

[Mnemanth]

Yeah. Bring back the good old days of suit and tie, sagging skin, and receding hair lines. G0d forbid there be levity in Washington.

[napasonoma]

Get a dictionary and look up the word levity. I can very well imagine your lifestyle.

[martiniandabotoxchaser]

You know what you said could be viewed as age discrimination. Acting in an appropriate manner (ie. not skateboarding) in White House has nothing to do with age or political affiliation.

[spqesq]

Let me get this straight..­.

Bowling, golf, swimming, basketball and bike riding are OK, but a skateboarder riding a skateboard, - not OK. Is that the rule you just made up that noone heard of because noone cares? Is that it?

[Mabo]

They are not bowling in the halls of the White House...or filling the halls with water for swimming..­.or setting up a basketball hoop in the halls...th­at is the difference. Now if there were a skate park in the basement or something like that, it WOULD be different.­..but it wasn't. So, your argument is bunk.

[Jezdukowski]

McCain and Co. would have had wheelchair races! Lighten up.

[vendetta]

Just seems disrespectful to our White House. Tacky.

[ruffmama]

you need to have little boys to realize how incredibly COOL that is! :)

Tony Hawk is known for being a great dad. Good for him!

Obama is impressing even his youngest constituents!

[Stephen Jones]

The white house is the seat of power, and even though I am enjoying a more relaxed insight into its workings of late through an opening in the curtains it is in danger of turning itself into a circus.

[Mainer36]

Dont you have to finish painting the rest of your house grey?

[ronnie423]

yes and you could be the clown!

[walk0nwalls]

HOW ON EARTH IS THIS A BIG DEAL?

ugh.

[RNAngel20]

There is a time and place for everything- and the WH and EOB is not the place for a 41 yr old man- no matter how great a "professional" he may be- to skateboard through.

[wdw505]

agreed

[walk0nwalls]

Always time for skateboarding.

[Mainer36]

Lighten up

[spqesq]

***gasp*** I heard someone thew a paper airplane in the west wing! Alert the pseudo-authorities.

[OldFreddie]

This "a day without a photo op from the White House is like a day without sunshine" mentality from the administration and the MSM is really becoming nauseating. Two days spent watching a grown man swat a fly, for heaven's sake. Are they afraid that without all the sideshows the American people might have to concentrate on the mundane, like the mounting debt, record unemployment, the scary actions of North Korea? You know, all that mundane stuff that will only affect our lives for decades to come. Wake up.

[dct1999]

When did you develop this photo op phobia?

[napasonoma]

Hate to admit it but oldfreddie is right.

[Mainer36]

Bush had many opportunities for this type of stuff, unfortunately he was busy using the constitution for toilet paper.

[BritishColumbian]

It was much more fun watching a man duck shoes...

[Newsi]

Never let details get in the way of a story, right? Read the story again...no­w...did this guy skateboard in the White House? No. It was, as the article (but not the headline) states, in the Old Executive Office Building, which is a different building across the street from the White House.

This building:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Executive_Office_Building

[RNAngel20]

Maybe you should read the article again- it says the grand foyer of the WH first.

[loki]

Ok, I like Hawks, but really, its the white house and or a building used by the white house. Basically, its not very respectful of an adult to do this. No matter who it is. Whats next, allowing the Packers to play football in the rose garden or Micheal Jordan to dribble in the oval office? Oh wait, Clinton already dribbled there and Bush just drooled while he napped there. But still, this is not something that I would expect to be acceptable in such a place. Maybe Im still to old fashioned. Maybe we should just turn it into a frat house and have wet tshirt nights and skate boarders with a keg or two strategically placed too.

[tesuji68]

didn't garfield host a few keggers? Prudism has certainly made a comeback, hasn't it?

[limber]

Right, okay people. Here's the thing.

If you become Yo-Yo Ma, you can come to the White House and play. If you win a basketball championship, you can maybe hang out on the White House court with the President, shoot some hoops. If you are a poet, you read. If you're the top gardener, you might get to spend some time in the garden.

Tony Hawk's a skateboarder. He asked permission, they said sure. I think the floors can take it. It's not like any punk with a skateboard can swing by, and as far as I know Tony didn't skate through a foreign delegation or economic conference.

How is it bad that kids will see that, if you work really hard and excel at your profession, the White House might grant you permission to have a little bit of fun? I think it's a cool message! You can have a non-mainstream job and if you happen to be incredibly good at it, the top politician in the land just might let you do something neat and special. It's a message that even unconventional accomplishments have their merits, and deserve the occasional award.

[kshawNCvoter]

dun du dun dun.....LO­L panties are in a knot as we read. I love this.

[DeeDeeDaGumby]

co-signed.­.

[joceeco]

What's the big effing deal? So the guy skatboarded a few feet through the halls of the Whitehouse, he didn't take a dump on the floor. I wish that all I had to worry about was this guy skateboarding through the halls of the Whitehouse, but the economy won't allow it. Get a life people!!!

[ThursdaysChild]

Have a cocktail and chill the F out, dude.

[Alexander-Y]

I found this comment hilarious for some reason.

[Mnemanth]

Second!

[TheBrizz]

As soon as I saw this, I said "the right wingers are going to have a field day with this" and I see that I was right. I have to say that had I been in charge, I probably wouldn't have approved this, but I also feel like the last administration disrespected the White House, the Oval Office and the Office of the Presidency of the United States to such an extent that the only way to top it would be to take a dump on the Resolute desk.

[lunarsnare]

My first thought too.
They will feel compelled to bring honor back to the White House as they did with Bush after Clinton.

[Mnemanth]

Looks like both the "right" and "left" are in agreement here. Which is exceptionally funny to me. Both groups are so caught up with themselves­...

[Eli Bishop]

As a fan of Tony Hawk and Obama...an­d as a friend to many current and former skaters...­this is a little inappropriate.

[smchp]

As some guy on a message board that makes me quite concerned you feel that way is it carrys such weight.

See, I have absolutely NO problem with it. A) Do you think he just snuck in the skateboard in a backpack and kind of did that under the radar.....­....in the WH! LOL! Nothing goes in or out without being checked and there are security guards on every corner so you can't just go in there and wander around and do whatever you want.

It was all approved..­....GUARAN­TEED!

[sf girl]

Inappropriate how? I guess fun isn't allowed in the White House?

[ThursdaysChild]

Nonsense. You're just a chump on a message board.