Editor's Note: We decided it would be a good idea to send our roving SoCal contributor down to the last stop of the Tony Hawk Gigantic Skatepark Tour. His mission was to bug a bunch of heads about the upcoming X Games VIII. After a painstaking transcription of what came out of his mini-recorder we decided it would be nice to make a little compilation of quotes from that day. Below is a record of what happens when a reporter goes to one event to ask unrelated questions about a different event.


Tony Hawk Retired from competition not long ago but is slated for an appearance in this year's vert doubles, Hawk and Andy Mac are the pair to beat in Philly.

Tony and the family after the final stop of his tour.

EXPN: What's your favorite thing about going to Philly?

Hawk: Besides, obviously that the X Games happen there and its in a big arena, I like all the restaurants. I'm a food fanatic, so, there's a lot of good restaurants in Philly.

EXPN: How do you like big arena comps, like the X Games, compared to a more personal event like the Hawk Tour?

Hawk: I like both for different reasons. I feel like the arena is going to be the wave of the future for crowd capacity. Skateparks, for doing demos and exhibitions, the crowd has kind of outgrown them.


Bob Burnquist Has an amazing ramp in Vista, CA, he is a vert genius. He won the X Games Vert comp last year, is a proud Brazilian and just did the loop with an 8 foot top panel taken out. Bob is definitely one of the top contenders again this year.

Kickflip Indy on the Hawk Tour, to Bob this is a setup trick.

EXPN: What is your favorite skate spot?

Bob: My backyard.

EXPN: What music have you been listening to?

Bob: I listen to a lot of Brazilian beats

EXPN: Any new tricks for the X Games?

Bob: Yeah, I have a few but I won't say anything

EXPN: Predictions?

Bob: The easiest prediction to make is that we will have a lot of fun. Hopefully the ramp is good but you can never predict that. If the ramp is good then we are going to have a great time. Bucky Lasek is always a good prediction.

EXPN: Anything you want to see on the ramp?

Bob: I would love to see a lot more (obstacles) that they did not have any of the other years. I think this year will be a standard vert ramp. Hopefully in the years to come they can change it around, maybe even take the bike ramp and the skate ramp; make one big huge vert ramp that's crazy with all types of different things. Anything with bars that you can ride, big channels, extensions, just play around with different stuff instead of the regular stock vert ramp.

EXPN: What's your favorite thing about Philly?

Bob: Well, it's a beautiful town to visit but I am not too happy with how they are treating skateboarding. They're letting the X Games come in but at the same time they're taking away Love Park from the skaters. It is kind of hypocritical on the city's side. But, it's a beautiful town and it's great to skateboard in so I tell all of the skateboarders to go out to Philly and skate, even if they kick you out.

EXPN: What's your favorite contest?

Bob: The Grand Prix of Skateboarding in Switzerland has been my favorite contest for a while. Its beautiful and they do it right; they build the street course and the vert ramp right.

EXPN: Are the X Games an important event to you?

Bob: It is not an important event to me, but it is important to get skateboarding out there, the exposure is really good.


Jesse Fritsch Proudly calls PA his home and will compete in X Games Vert.

Arrgh, Jesses Fritsch is a PA boy and X Games competitor in skateboard vert.

EXPN: What's you're favorite skate spot?

Fritsch: Philadelphia

EXPN: What tunes are you rockin?

Fritsch: Metal

EXPN: Predictions?

Fritsch: I want Bucky to win.

EXPN: Any thing you would like to see added to the vert ramp?

Fritsch: I just want to make sure Matt Dove is there again.

EXPN: What's the best thing about Philly?

Fritsch: That it's in Pennsylvania.

EXPN: Throughout the year, what contest do you like best?

Fritsch: I don't have a favorite contest. I don't like any of them cause I get too nervous. Whatever one I do good in, that's my favorite one.

EXPN: Are the X Games important?

Fritsch: I think they are. They aren't everything but they're important.

EXPN: Is the Hawk tour a good warm up?

Fritsch: yep, five weeks strong.


Bam Margera Although he's not competing he calls PA his home, is a great skater, parties like a rockstar, and is the star of MTV's Jackass.

Philly is Bam Margera's town, hear what the Hawk Tour and Jackass star has to say about the X Games and other things.

EXPN: Do you dig it when the X Games are in town?

Bam: I like it because all my friends come in, like Tony and Burnquist. They all fly in so we can throw a good party. Last time I was in the middle of filming a movie, Haggard, Tony and Jason Ellis were in it, which was convenient.

EXPN: What's the best thing about Philly?

Bam: The FDR Park, it's concrete and built by skateboarders. FDR is such a random place, it's so much different than anywhere else. I go there everyday.

EXPN: In addition to CKY, what bands you like?

Bam: A band called HIM; they're coming to America and changing their name to HER because there is a band called HIM in Chicago. They're called HIM in Europe and HER in the U.S.

EXPN: What's your take on the love Park situation?

Bam: I never really skated there but it was cool to meet up with everybody there. That was a place where everybody chilled. I'm going to miss that, but skate-wise I'm not very good at ledges so…

EXPN: Predictions about a Love replacement?

Bam: Apparently they are going to build an exact replica of Love Park under the I-95 Bridge where the FDR park is.

EXPN: Who's gonna take Gold at X?

Bam: I'm going to have to say Kerry Getz. I think he got second last year, this is his hometown and he skating like crazy so…


Kris Markovich Is not a contestant but is going to check things out.

EXPN: So, Kris, what tunes are you rockin?

Kris: Pretty much rock and roll. I am really into this band, Cheerleader, right now, they're from Toronto. They were touring around Southern California in the month of June, amazing band and super nice guys.

EXPN: Are you going to Philly?

Kris: Yeah, I want to go out and stay with Bam, speaking of music, I am pretty much into CKY as well.

EXPN: What is your favorite thing to do in Philly?

Kris: Well, I was skating Love but now that's gone, probably FDR, that parks amazing.

EXPN: How is the City Hall contest?

Kris: I think that's amazing. I am going just to watch. I would love to skate it. Not during the contest but be able to skate there while they're skating it, hopefully I can do that.

EXPN: Predictions?

Kris: Getz, Koston, Kevin Taylor, I want to see Ricky Oyola skate, he is always a highlight to see skate, Ricky is from Philly and he has got that place wired.