BY JONATHAN BRAZEAU – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
Tom Schaar pulled off the seemingly impossible last Monday when he landed the first ever 1080 in skateboarding, a move that has even eluded the pros.
The fact Schaar is only 12 years old turned him from a skateboarding prodigy to an Internet phenom.
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Schaar pulled off the trick on his fifth try down the MegaRamp at Woodward West action sports camp in Tehachapi, Calif., making the triple spin in fluid motion. This is something you’d expect a superstar to try, not a fearless sixth-grader who isn’t even five-feet tall yet.
Coincidentally, Schaar pulled off the trick a day after the 23rd anniversary of another legendary feat. On March 25, 1989, Mat Hoffman, “The Condor” himself, unleashed the first ever 900 on a BMX bike at a competition in Kitchener, Ont. Pioneers like Hoffman only dreamed of going higher and faster, and their competitive drive pushing the limits of both their wheels and themselves.
Back then there were no X Games or Red Bull-sponsored super ramps. There also wasn’t YouTube where such tricks become viral. Now Schaar — also know as “that 12-year-old kid who did a 1080 on a skateboard” — is the talk of watercooler discussions.
But what Schaar pulled off is more than just a viral fad. This isn’t like the cricketer taking a ball to the groin or when the bowler didn’t let go of the ball. We’ve just witnessed the evolution of a sport. Besides, Schaar is already sponsored by Element and mentored by X Games medalist Bucky Lasek; he’s not going to fade into obscurity in the skateboarding world.
We’ve seen some crazy things on quarter-pipes and half-pipes ever since Tony Alva of radical Z-Boys fame first popped out of a Southern Californian swimming pool and busted stylish aerial moves back in 1977. Vert skating launched from that point forward. In 1999, Tony Hawk, the Michael Jordan of his sport, mastered the 900 on a skateboard, but skaters have been trying — and failing — to pull off the 1080.
Even Shaun White, who continues to grind a legacy on both snow and plywood canvases, has tried to pull off the trick on a skateboard and has come up short. Many thought he would be the first, if it was ever going to happen. If he couldn’t do it, who could?
Well, all it took was a 12-year-old to open our eyes. The bar has been raised and now the thought of the 1260 or the 1440 are being wondered. Why not? Whether it’s Schaar or the superstars of the sport, the gauntlet has been thrown down.
Your move, Shaun White.
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