Tony Hawk 'Can't Imagine' Completely Retiring from Skateboarding: 'I Have to Keep Skating' (Exclusive)
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In an interview with PEOPLE, the skater wonders, "if it's something that brought you so much joy and success, how could you just completely hang it up?"
Tony Hawk doesn't like the idea of retiring.
The legendary skateboarder, 54, has been recovering from a tough injury to his femur sustained last year, and now he's preparing to compete in next month's X Games.
Hawk's history with the tournament goes back to the beginning — he medaled in the first-ever X Games in 1995. To continue competing at such a high level nearly 30 years later is a feat most athletes won't have the chance to do, which isn't lost on Hawk.
"I don't think there's any other sport like that, where there are literally teenagers and 50-year-olds competing at the same level," Hawk tells PEOPLE.
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Yet, Hawk says he'd still be skating every day even if he weren't competing for medals. "I had this conversation with a few of my friends who are kind of in the same generation where you hear about professional athletes that retire, and I mean, truly retire, truly leaving the activity behind."
"And that baffles me," Hawk says. "If it's something that brought you so much joy and success, how could you just completely hang it up?"
Hawk suspects a handful of retired athletes continue playing their sport in less public settings, but he "can't imagine that at all – I have to keep skating," he says.
Having recovered from multiple injuries over the years, Hawk says he'll continue skating even if his body limits his capabilities on the board. "Even if I'm doing it on the most basic level, even if I'm doing it alone and not for any other reason than exercise, I won't want to give it up," he says.
Related:Tony Hawk 'Finally' Releases His 'Epic' Line of Fingerboard Skate Toys with Hot Wheels
In preparation for next month's X Games, Hawk has been working with a physical therapist who's helped "accelerate" his recovery from an injury he sustained last year.
"It's a challenge because I'm still overcoming this injury, but I'm excited because I have been testing the waters on some new techniques and new moves, and I feel like I'm getting closer to creating maybe one or two new tricks."
Hawk, a self-proclaimed "gadget geek," says adding a digital watch to his routine has helped him maintain performance-ready health.
Using Citizen's CZ Smart, and their new proprietary wellness app YouQ with IBM Watson, Hawk says it gives him "a wealth of knowledge" that helps him stay competitive. "Especially at my age."
"I wear it when I skate, and it made me realize that my optimal peak performance time is sort of midday 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM. I'm a midday dynamo as the watch has told me," Hawk chuckles.
Technology has always intrigued Hawk, he says. "Even before I could afford it, I would obsess over the latest technology. I was always reading about and pining for new gear," Hawk says.
"And now, I mean, what a golden era of technology that we live in. I feel so thankful to be able to utilize all these tools. And even down to modern medicine, I got a second chance with my leg that probably if that had happened in early in my career, I don't know if I'd been able to make a full recovery like this."
Fans of the skater will want to be watching when he takes the stage in Tokyo next month. "As we approach this event in Tokyo, my skating has been solely focused on creating new tricks," he teases. "Now I'm just honing in on what we call NBD's — Never Been Done."
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