Tony Hawk's Gigantic Skatepark Tour Returns to U.S. World-class skateboarder, friends and ESPN launch second year of touring.

After the success of Tony Hawk's Gigantic Skatepark Tour last year, ESPN and Hawk have teamed up again this summer. The Tour, which started in Europe in late April, gets underway in the United States May 22, 2001. The locations of the 11-city skatepark tour were confirmed today, and will highlight professional skateboarders and bmx riders in street and vert demos.

Hawk and his crew will launch The Tour in Plano, TX May 22, 2001. The skaters and BMX riders will travel the U.S. in a tour bus exploring not just the parks that they attend for demonstrations, but other points of interest and skateboarding scenes as well. The Tour will start by heading west from Texas and then north along the west coast into Canada. On the second leg of The Tour, the crew will head east from New Jersey and then south through Pennsylvania along the eastern seaboard to Florida.

ESPN and ESPN2 are teaming up with Hawk to produce eight hours of original programming that will focus on The Tour and the athletes as well as lifestyle elements on the bus. After the success of the television coverage of last years' Tour, ESPN will once again broadcast a skateboarding tour from start to finish enabling the network to convey the lifestyle and culture of these sports and the athletes that live them.

Tony Hawk's Gigantic Skatepark Tour is being documented by 900 Films and will showcase the talents of professional skaters Tony Hawk, Bucky Lasek, Steve Berra, Bam Margera, Kris Markovich, Rune Glifberg, Lincoln Ueda, Brian Sumner, Willy Santos, Colin McKay, Mike Vallely, Alex Chalmers and bmx riders Mat Hoffman and Rick Thorne and will be hosted by ESPN on-camera personalities Robert Earl, Salema Masekela and Jason Ellis. Television coverage starts July 28 at 10:30 am est on ESPN2. Continued coverage will occur through the fall.

Click here for tour dates.

   Send to a friend  | Submit your photo or video  | Top Rated Photos