Steve Hawk, former editor of SURFER Magazine, gives guest lecture at SDSU

Steve Hawk, former editor of SURFER Magazine and vice chair of The Skateboard Project (formerly the Tony Hawk Foundation), visited San Diego State University in March to give a guest lecture in Professor Michael Roberts’ sociology course, Modern Surfing and Globalized Society.

The energy worked both ways. The students treated Hawk like a rock star, and Hawk said his audience was “a life-giving force.”

Hawk was joined by Kimball Taylor, lecturer in the Department of Rhetoric and Writing Studies, who has written several articles for SURFER Magazine. The two discussed their experiences in journalism, including their experiences traveling to other countries and learning about the cultures of other people while on assignment for the magazine. 

“I talked about what it’s like to be a traveling surfer and a journalist,” Hawk said. “I talked about how to tell a good story when you’re in a foreign country. The best stories are not in the surf. The best stories are often on land. They’re about the interactions between people.”

Hawk also led a group discussion with students about the future of surf culture.

“I’m stoked that Steve agreed to come to my class and talk to my students about his experiences in the surf world,” said Roberts. “He’s really good at engaging our students and revealing to us how surf journalists make meaningful contributions to our efforts to promote cross-cultural relationships based on mutual respect and understanding.”

The students were particularly interested in the question of cultural diversity in surfing. 

One student asked Hawk to provide advice about how individual surfers without a media platform can help promote diversity and inclusion in surfing. Hawk mentioned we still need to improve inclusion and diversity in surfing, especially when comparing surfing to skateboarding (which is significantly more diverse). But he insisted there are ways that individuals can do things on the micro level.

“My advice was to be chatty in the lineup. Don’t sit there and be mum in the water,” Hawk said. “The best thing you can do to release tension in the lineup is to compliment other surfers for their last ride. You can win a friend if you say, ‘Hey that was a great wave.’”

“This is my third time at SDSU,” Hawk said. “I’m always impressed about how attentive and engaged the students are and how willing they are to ask tough questions. I love that. I want to be challenged in a setting like that because it forces me to think through something that I hadn’t.”

Hawk mentioned he is still surfing and enjoys staying involved in both surfing and skateboarding. “I love being in both sports because of the youthful energy,” he said. “I get that same feeling when I come to SDSU. Being around smart young people who are curious and ask good questions? That’s a life-giving force.”

Professor Roberts’ course is one of two courses focused on the history and culture of surfing offered here at SDSU.

“My two sociology courses are part of a larger curriculum on surfing and skateboarding now offered at San Diego State University,” Roberts said. “Students can also take courses on the science of surfing, the culture and history of skateboarding, a surfing-focused course in rhetoric and writing studies, among others.”

As a founding member of the Surf and Skate Studies Collaborative here at SDSU, Roberts said he plans to continue organizing events like this in the future, so SDSU can continue building fruitful relationships with key figures in the surf and skate industries — many of whom are located right here in San Diego.

Hawk’s first visit to SDSU was as a co-keynote speaker with his well-known brother Tony Hawk at the April 2023 The Stoke Sessions conference.

“We are in planning stages of the next four-day conference at SDSU — The Stoke Sessions 2.0, which takes place Oct. 9-12 this fall,” Roberts added. “So, get ready for more fantastic academic discussions on board culture here at SDSU.”