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Coming attraction: Tony Hawk tour to soar on LI

BY PAT BURSON | pat.burson@newsday.com

August 6, 2008

Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk rolls his national multicity Boom Boom HuckJam tour to the Nassau Coliseum parking lot in Uniondale tomorrow.

His stop on Long Island comes at the midway point of the national tour that began on July 18 and will travel to outdoor venues at state fairs, sports arenas, amphitheaters and stadiums in 24 cities. Hawk will perform with a lineup of some of the biggest names in action sports, including BMX bike-riding pros Kevin Robinson, Dennis McCoy and John Parker; freestyle motocross stars Drake McElroy, Greg Garrison and Sean Nielsen; and skateboarders Sergie Ventura, Kevin Staab, Jesse Fritsch and Neal Hendrix.

WHAT YOU'LL SEE

"You'll see the best of our sports live, but you'll also see them in a format that you probably never realized was possible," Hawk said during a phone interview after rehearsing for the first show in San Antonio. "It lends itself to much more exciting visuals and sort of stimulation overload. They're so many things happening at once that it's hard to grasp all of it."

For instance, skateboarders will be performing some of their best tricks on the HuckJam demo ramp, which stands 14 feet tall, about 36 feet wide and 40 feet from front to back, as motocross riders sail about 20 feet in the air overhead. DJ Mike Relm will pump up the volume with his special video-music mix, and fans will see the whole thing on an a giant jumbotron.

"The name [of the tour] comes from the term hucking, which means to launch ourselves into the air," said Hawk, 40. "So you'll see a lot of complicated choreography where there are five guys on a ramp at once, all flying over and under each other, and motorcycles flying overhead and also freestyle elements with each of us individually doing what we do best."

OTHER ATTRACTIONS

An area also will be set up for kids and adults to meet the tour's sponsors, participate in activities and compete for prizes.

Hawk said he's expecting this year's show to be one of the best and biggest HuckJams ever - and hopes the anticipated 5,000 to 10,000 spectators will agree.

"We've learned a lot in terms of what works and what we're capable of, and we keep expanding on that," he said. "I feel like this year, the stuff that we've created is much more intricate and much more complicated than what we've done in the past."

Tony Hawk's Boom Boom HuckJam Tour

WHERE Nassau Coliseum parking lot, 1255 Hempstead Tpke., Uniondale

WHEN 6 p.m. tomorrow

COST $35 or $99 per carload (six-person max)

PHONE 631-888-9000

WEB boomboomhuckjam.com for more

Skating benefit

WHAT Stand Up For Skateparks benefit

WHEN 3-7 p.m. Sunday

WHERE The Ross Lower School, 739 Butter Lane, Bridgehampton

WEB tonyhawkfoundation.org

COST $150-$350

The Tony Hawk Foundation is hosting an East Coast benefit to raise money for free public skate parks to be built in low-income communities. The carnival-style event will include hands-on action games for kids, food and demonstrations by Hawk and his professional crew.