Tony Hawk Met with the #Boards4Better Challenge Winner and It Was Amazing

Tony Hawk mid-session with Mónica Acedo at his headquarters in Vista, California.

With skateboarding becoming an Olympic sport, many skaters are quick to emphasize how the sport is more a physical art form than a competition with coaches, teams and medals. Instead of art studios, skaters practice their craft on the streets and, through the assistance of groups like the Tony Hawk Foundation, skaters can also harness their skills at free public skate parks worldwide.

Adobe Students is proud to team up with the Tony Hawk Foundation, which supports community-driven skateboard parks worldwide as a catalyst for social change. Together we hosted the #boards4better challenge asking emerging creatives 13-24 years old to design an original skateboard graphic that shows how skateboarding matters to you and your community.

We received some stunning results! Ultimately, a 20-year-old illustrator from Mexico City, Mónica Acedo, won the contest and got to meet Tony Hawk for a day at his headquarters in Vista, California.

Monica with her winning design on an actual skateboard, courtesy of Tony Hawk and Birdhouse skateboards.

Mónica’s design – “You are not alone (No estás solo)” – is about a group of skaters she saw building community for each other in Mexico City. Mónica travelled with her dad from Mexico City to San Diego for a day tour of Tony Hawk’s headquarters in Vista, California.

“I got inspired by my group of friends. I am the one who normally just goes and take care of them, I watch them make tricks and try to keep them from hurting themselves. They are simple boys. Many have had trouble with their parents and even one needed help from us after a drug issue. There are many things that threaten a teenager in Mexico. (I know all teenagers around the world are threatened by something, what changes is just the threatening agent.) and I have seen us been much closer together whenever any of us has a problem. Skating is not just something we do for fun. It is some kind of therapy, a way of letting go for a moment and feel like everything is just right,” explains Mónica.

She continues, “Skating, at least for me, is a way of knowing that you are not alone. In my design I depicted my friends. They are small compared to the world that surrounds them. But the sun, (which could be rising or setting as a metaphor that no matter the time they’ll still be together) makes their shadows look big and unifies them in one.”

The day included a tour of Tony Hawk’s headquarters in Vista, California. With the entire ground floor covered with Tony’s massive vert ramp and a small street course, the top floor houses the offices of the Tony Hawk Foundation, Birdhouse Skateboards, and Tony’s own personal office.

Archival boards, toys and video games surround the space, with creativity buzzing from every corner, including the vert ramp. A quick tour of Tony’s office lead to a full-on skate session with Tony, fellow pro skater Lincoln Ueda and a handful of other locals.

Congrats Mónica and thank you to Tony Hawk and the Tony Hawk Foundation!

Check out more of Mónica’s work on Behance.