DIG ARCHIVES: CHASE HAWK LOW PROFILE

Who would ever have thought eh?

LOW PROFILE: CHASE HAWK - REPRINTED FROM DIG ISSUE 14 JAN/FEB 2001

For days I’ve been struggling to write something about Chase Hawk and fighting my own natural tendencies to be a dramatic cheeseball. I keep starting over and trying to find some artsy way to tell his tale, but I don’t think that fits Chase, so I’ll attempt to stick to the facts. Chase is 14 years old, lives in Austin, Texas and is an unusually good bike rider.
When I met him last winter, he could ride everything at 9th street, and according to Joe Rich, he was already ruling the trails four years ago. He also races and rides skatepark equally well with a comfortable control that seems to work in any situation. He’s fun to ride with because he loves to ride, and he’s a nice guy to top it all off.
I credit Chase’s success as a rider and person to his parents, who both seem very supportive of Chase and his riding. I’m not sure what his mother does for a living, but she is quite professional and very nice. His father plays steel guitar for country western bands, and he is also Chase’s teacher. I really enjoyed getting to know Chase, and he was always fun to ride with. I wouldn’t be surprised if he becomes a top pro in the future, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if he finds something else to do extremely well at. Whether he rules the sport or not, I would imagine he’ll always be riding. When you start that young, it’s just in your blood.
I’d like to thank Chase for the good times last winter, and hopefully I’ll get a chance to ride with him again this year. If you’re ever in Austin, Texas and you see a kid with a shaved head effortlessly flowing through the trails, that’s Chase. – Chris ‘The Dude’ Hallman

Photo by Chris Hallman

Photo by Sandy Carson

Photo by Chris Hallman