The Board.

A few weeks ago, Sandler had the pleasure of meeting skateboarding legend, Tony Hawk, at the grand opening of Guac Amigos in Newport Beach, CA. Not only did they meet, but if you remember, Sandler generously gifted the “Bird Man” a pair of Whoopee cushions. Shortly after the interaction, Sandler had approached him and asked if he could have his skateboard when he was done showcasing his world class talents in the demo. Much to our surprise, Tony obliged on one condition: He said, “You can have my board, but I have to fly out of town tomorrow and skate it in another demo. I can get this board to you after that trip.” We were all shocked by Tony’s response. Granted, I figured Tony would meet hundreds of more fans in that time frame, and most likely forget his conversation with Sandler—let alone shipping him one of his random, used skateboards. Let me just say we found out that Mr. Hawk is man of his word; the story is nothing short of a miracle.

Prior to the Guac Amigos ordeal, I got in touch with the Executive Director of the Tony Hawk Foundation, Miki, through a mutual friend. I set up a call hoping that they would be of some help getting Sandler’s story off the ground. Sandler’s coach ended up handling the meeting, and essentially came to the conclusion that the Tony Hawk Foundation is not able to fund projects outside of building skateparks. At first, we were a little bit discouraged, but kept our chins up.

A few weeks later, Miki invited us to an event they were hosting down the street from us. He said we should attend and meet everyone. Tony Hawk was not even on the forefront of our minds—we were thinking more along the lines of the employees from the foundation. So we went. There was a giant vert ramp set up in the parking lot, and they had quite the turnout. While walking around looking for Miki, Sandler spotted an old friend in the crowd. Only Sandler would have “an old friend” in a sea of people… Turns out, it was his favorite teacher, Miss Brandy! We had not seen her in ages. They ran toward each other and greeted one another with a big hug. After some catching up, Miss Brandy whispered to Sandler, “Do you want to meet Tony Hawk?”

I was quite confused as to how Miss Brandy had the credentials to make such a suggestion. But, followed as she took Sandler by the hand and navigated through the crowd. We arrived at a VIP tent with the man himself padding up just before the demo. She was not kidding. We were really standing in front of Tony Hawk—and Sandler really gave him Whoopee cushions! But, if you have kept up with the previous blogs, you know that part of the story…

More than his skateboarding skills, something about Tony really struck a chord with Sandler. Though he did not seem too concerned about receiving the board, he continued to be very inquisitive about his new friend. We pass Guac Amigos (the restaurant where the demo took place) every morning to grab my cup of caffeine. Each day Sandler studies the parking lot—where the ginormous vert ramp had been set up—and takes note that it is not there. Then he states the obvious, “Mommy, I don’t think Tony and Miki are working today.” Every time I get a big smile on my face thinking how funny it is that he is certain they work at the Mexican restaurant performing skateboarding tricks in the parking lot as their day job.

Fast forwarding to days after the event. I came to find out that Miss Brandy’s husband is Tony Hawk’s manager. What?! Who would have thought that Sandler’s favorite teacher would have been directly connected to the single handedly most iconic person in skateboarding (which happens to be Sandler’s favorite activity on the planet, if you have not noticed). It all sounded too good to be true. However, we still had not received word on if Tony’s promise to Sandler had any weight to it.

As I enjoyed Sandler’s aloofness toward meeting one of the greatest skaters of all time, the possibility of hanging Tony Hawk’s skateboard in our living room was becoming a distant and fond memory. However, Sandler had asked for Miss Brandy’s phone number at the event. Unbeknownst to me, he had been checking in on her and inquiring about the board for days. Once again I had underestimated Sandler and his diligence.

He had not forgotten about the promise at all. It did not matter to him that the exchange was with one of the most recognized athletes in the world. To Sandler, he had made a new pal. Like anyone who Sandler considers a friend, they have an ever lasting bond and both sides make good on what they agreed to do. 

A few days ago, I overheard Sandler on the phone and could tell right away he was talking to his favorite teacher. He is quite smitten, and his demeanor shifts every time he talks to or about her. After some small talk about school that day, the conversation shifted and he confidently invited her to come watch him preform at the skatepark. She obliged and said she would meet him there in the next few days.

That day arrived and she had confirmed she would be there to spectate. The entire ride to the park Sandler kept saying, “I feel it in my bones this is going to be a ‘weally’ great day!” That it was. A few minutes after warming up, she and her family arrived. Sandler lit up like a Christmas tree. He tried to do a couple show-off moves to impress them with his finesse. After a few flows around the park, Miss Brandy disappeared for a minute to grab something from her car. Upon her returned, our jaws were floored. She held in hand Tony’s board he had promised from the event. Not only was it the board from the event Sandler attended, it had since been to China—amongst other destinations—and signed by the man himself addressed to Sandler. It was as if time had stopped and he had been gifted a million dollars. His favorite teacher had delivered the promised board from his new friend with two additional skateboard decks as an apology for the delay. Wow!

Sandler was bathing in his glory. His bones had been absolutely right—it was “weally” great day. In fact, it was a day most kids only dream about. The fact that such an exemplary sports figure took the time to not only remember one kid out the hundreds of thousands he must meet on the regular, but also follow through with such a promise, restores so much faith in humanity. Tony Hawk will forever be the one friend of Sandler’s who can come over any time and put his feet on the furniture, or wherever else he wants to.

- Nikki