Tony Hawk recently cracked open the vault and shared an absolute gem from the 1995 X Games “Street” finals in Newport, Rhode Island. And if you weren’t around during this golden era—when the X Games would just pop up on TV like some random gift—let’s just say “street” had a much looser definition back then...at least as far as the X Games courses were concerned. Call it part of the charm.
Regardless, tap play below and take a trip back to 1995 when The Birdman and Chris Senn battled it out for the top spot. Well, not really battled, but they were both ripping. Take a look:
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Hawk captioned the clip with some classic Birdman humor: “1995 @xgames street finals: when X meant Extreme and ‘street’ meant quarter-pipes with coping. But @chrissenn found a way to keep it real. I was just stoked to make the front lip in my vert (mini?) line.”
You'll see the front lip he's talking about—too sick.
As rad as it is seeing Tony skate "street" back in the day, I'm a huge Chris Senn fan, so those clips hit super hard, personally. Look at their outfits. Look at their setups. This is pure nostalgia, and I can remember dressing like that (and riding a small board with huge wheels) just like we see Chris riding here.
But the icing on the cake? Seeing that early creativity on full display from both of these dudes. That "street" course was debatable, sure, but that doesn't mean it didn't provide plenty of opportunities for skateboarders to get rad. In fact, I'd love to see a modern day street course designed like this. Can you imagine? Nonetheless, the design might be dated, but the skating is absolutely timeless.
It's almost hard to believe this was 30 years ago, but at the same time, nah—this looks like it was 30 years ago. Ha! But it's rad to look back on, that's for sure. And for many of us, it takes us back to simpler times. Seriously, though, anyone else want to see a modern day contest with a course like this? Yes, please.
