Tony Hawk used to get booed during competitions because his style was so different. At one competition at his own local skate park, he faced off against Christian Hosoi, and the crowd cheered Christian and booed the hometown Tony.

Tony Hawk: It was all style and air with Christian and it was all technical and tricks with me. And people had to choose.

Christian Hosoi: There was a contest at Del Mar the fans were like Hosoi, Hosoi, Hosoi.

Tony: Whenever I would go, they would just be booing.

Christian: You know, at his home park at Del Mar I thought, you know, the crowd was pretty rough.

Neil Blender: These guys would just get mad at him because they’re seeing him do tricks. Like they want to see some older shit, a long lip slide or something like, and it’s just not going to happen. They were pissed throwing beer cans and whatever else.

Tony: I fell at one of the runs near the end. And I fell near this beer can. Like I almost slid into it. And I was just like, really? And so I grabbed it and I went to throw it back at them and I was just like, am I, I can’t, I can’t play this game. I’m going to lose no matter what, I’m never going to be seen by these guys as legitimate or cool. And I just gotta suck it up and do my own thing.

Rodney Mullen: I don’t think that people understand that when you’re skateboarding, it becomes an expression of who you are, your identity. How you are embraced as a person, is who you are. That stuff is all on the line during those contests.

Tony: All that noise, I was just like, all right, I’m just going to head down. I’m going to do the work.

Christian: And he came in and he just took it out on ‘em.

The documentary is Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off: https://www.hbo.com/movies/tony-hawk-until-the-wheels-fall-off