Gaming

Tony Hawk changes name of classic trick in Pro Skater for special reason

Jacob Hale
Tony Hawk Pro Skater mute air renamed Weddle GrabActivision

[jwplayer sdEiSVZH]Tony Hawk has revealed that he has renamed a classic trick in the new remasters of Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 & 2 to truly honor the original creator.

The Tony Hawk Pro Skater remaster is set to arrive on September 4, 2020, after the original game first came to consoles all the way back in 1999.

The games became favorites among skaters and non-skaters alike, bringing the culture to a wider audience and letting players experience the trials and tribulations of being a pro skater.

Tony Hawk Pro Skater remaster sunsetActivision
The remaster will include new skaters, tricks and features to make the original game even better

Now, though, Hawk has revealed that he’s actually renamed a trick in the game to properly honor the original creator, who might not have been given his dues when they first named it.

As avid players might remember, the Mute Air/Grab was when you would grab the toe side of the board with your front hand, and the story behind the name, as explained by Hawk, is an interesting one.

In an August 12 Instagram post, Hawk said that for nearly 40 years the trick had been “shamelessly” referred to as the “mute” air/grab thanks to its creator, Chris Weddle, who was defined as a “quiet, mute guy.”

In reality, Weddle was deaf, not mute, and Hawk decided to ask him about the trick — and he said that, as he wasn’t mute, he would much prefer it be referred to as the ‘deaf’ or ‘Weddle’ grab.

Therefore, you might notice a slight difference from the new game to the original — when grabbing the board with your front hand, the game will tell you that you’ve pulled off a Weddle Grab, instead.

 

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For nearly 40 years, we’ve shamelessly referred to this trick as the “mute” air/grab. Here is the backstory: around 1981, a deaf skater and Colton skatepark local named Chris Weddle was a prominent amateur on the competition circuit. The “Indy” air had just been created & named so somebody proposed that grabbing with the front hand should be known as the “Tracker” air. Others countered that Chris was the first to do, so it should be named after him. They referred to him as the “quiet, mute guy.” So it became known as the mute air, and we all went along with it in our naive youth. In recent years a few people have reached out to Chris (who still skates) about this trick and the name it was given. He has been very gracious in his response but it is obvious that a different name would have honored his legacy, as he is hearing impaired but not lacking speech. I asked him last year as I was diving into trick origins and he said he would have rather named it the “deaf” or “Weddle” grab if given the choice. His exact quote to me was “I am deaf, not mute.” So as we embark on the upcoming @tonyhawkthegame demo release, some of you might notice a trick name change: The Weddle Grab. It’s going to be challenging to break the habit of saying the old name but I think Chris deserves the recognition. Thanks to @darrick_delao for being a great advocate to the deaf community in action sports, and for being the catalyst in this renaming process. I told Chris tecently and his reply was “I’m so stoked!” And then he shot this photo in celebration yesterday. ?: @yousta_storytellers_club

A post shared by Tony Hawk (@tonyhawk) on

It’s fair to say that this honor has been a long time coming for Weddle, who never quite garnered the recognition of big names like Hawk, but it’s a nice touch to add to what is expected to be a great game.

You can get your hands on the demo of the Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 & 2 remaster right now, ahead of the game’s release. Check out our guide to get it downloaded.

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