Few athletes are able to truly shape their sport like Tony Hawk. The latest example of his skateboarding influence is his recent announcement that the "Mute Grab" will be called the "Weddle Grab" moving forward. 🛹
He told the story of the nearly 40-year-old trick in a lengthy Instagram post alongside a couple of photos of the trick's deaf creator, Chris Weddle, pictured on the right.
According to Tony, Weddle is a SoCal skate local and former amateur competitor largely credited with landing the first Mute Grab around 1981. It evolved out of the "Indy Air" but with the skater using their front hand to grab the board instead of their back one.
Though the move was initially referred to as "Tracker Air," skaters wanted the name to pay homage to Weddle, who was often viewed as the "quiet, mute guy." Tony admitted they "all went along with it in our naive youth."
In recent years, as the 52-year-old was researching trick origins, he reached to Weddle to get his thoughts. “I am deaf, not mute,” he graciously said, and Tony wanted to properly honor his contribution.
Representation in skateboarding is a very fraught, complicated thing and so many trick names can be traced back to shitty dude jokes, but this is genuinely heartwarming to see: pic.twitter.com/TKW0KGSt55
— Cole is Skateboarding (He/Him) (@cole_is_online) August 12, 2020
So, if you're planning on buying Tony Hawk's upcoming Pro Skater remaster, you'll find the updated Weddle Grab in your repertoire. "I'm so stoked!" is how he responded. This is too dope.