Among the members of skateboarding’s hall of fame, there are none who have had as much impact on the world of competitive skateboarding as Don Bostick.
WCS 30th Anniversary – Don Bostick Interview
November 7, 2024 / By yann
If the name doesn’t sound familiar, it’s because he’s been working out of the spotlight for over 30 years, organizing action sports events as the co-founder of World Cup Skateboarding. He was there for Tony Hawk‘s 900, Sandro Dias‘s 900 in Brazil, and highlights from Chad Muska, Greg Lutzka and many others.
Don, alongside his wife Danielle Bostick, who is also a co-founder of WCS, and their collaborators, established what would later evolve into the X Games and a global network of skateboard competitions. The Bosticks’ pioneering work predates the Olympics, offering valuable insights into the impact of this evolving landscape. In our conversation with Don, spanning the past 30 years, we delved into his perspectives on the future trajectory of skateboarding competitions.
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A Passion for Skateboarding
Don likes to watch new content from skaters all over the world on YouTube and assiduously follows the publications on the THRASHER MAGAZINE website because the passion for skateboarding still burns as brightly as it did in the early days.
He is 73 years old and has spent his career and a good part of his life in the world of action sports. He saw the likes of Greg Lutzka and Bastien Salabanzi grow up, as well as Tony Hawk and Bob Burnquist before them.
From Local Competitions to an International Network
At the end of 1988, the National Skateboard Association, started by Frank Hawk (father of Tony), took a poll of the skaters, asking what was the best competition of the year. The event organized by Bostick, called the Capitol Burn Out in Sacramento, CA was the #1 choice of the skateboarders, even though it was’t sanctioned by the NSA. Interesting detail; it was won by Tony Hawk. The NSA Board eventually decided to hire Don and his wife Danielle as a team and they immediately started working with Frank Hawk and Nancy Hawk on the NSA Amateur and Pro Tours. After a few years the sport’s popularity plummeted and the NSA was forced to cease operations. However, after going to Europe representing the NSA at the World Championships in Munster, Germany, the Bosticks discovered an international energy that was ready to be tapped into. Working with German Skateboard Distributor, Titus Dittman, they created World Cup Skateboarding, borrowing the notoriety of the name used in soccer, slowly building a network.
In 1994, this network would start by including Vancouver’s Slam City Jam, Back to the City in San Francisco and the World Championships in Munster, German. Soon the Mystic Sk8 Cup in Prague and other European events were added. Every summer for a couple of years the best pro skaters in the world would find themselves competing on the WCS European Tour.
Back home in the US, Vans Triple Crown events had started happening, the ESPN X Games took off and the ESPN X Trials events soon followed becoming part of WCS. Not long after we added events in Brazil, Argentina, Asia, Korea and Australia. World Cup Skateboarding (WCS) then established a Rule Book and a world ranking system thus becoming the world’s largest competition network.
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Highlights with Tony Hawk, Sandro Dias and Chad Muska
Don Bostick, his wife, and collaborators have seen almost everything, so when asked to choose a highlight, there’s plenty to choose from. Yet, without a second thought, Don answers: “Tony Hawk‘s 900!”
He explains that everything lined up that day to produce one of the defining moments in US sports culture. Despite all that has already been said about the event, an important detail for Don is not always highlighted: “Tony had been trying to pull it off for several events, but this time he seemed determined to do it, so we went ahead with the TV broadcast even though we’d gone over our time slot. It was live on ESPN and a much-anticipated soccer game was on, so hundreds of thousands of people watched Tony Hawk pull off his 900 live.” He believes this is one of the reasons for Tony’s popularity.
A less televised but equally intense moment was when Sandro Dias also landed the elite maneuver that is a 900 on vert ramp. Diaz did it in front of a cheering crowd in Rio de Janeiro, in front of his compatriots, and in a competition that was highly televised on national channels. For Don, the second 900 is also one of the defining moments in skateboarding history.
And who else comes to mind? Chad Muska. The charismatic street skater was a veritable international rock star, and in 2000 at Slam City Jam in Vancouver, BC, Canada he attempted a crooked grind on a huge rail and fell spectacularly. The tenacious skater that is Muska hit his head hard on the floor but climbed back up to the top of the obstacle and pulled off his trick. A story of determination and passion, just the way Don likes it.
There’s More to Life Than the Olympics
When asked what he sees for the future of skateboarding competitions, Don has the same words as his wife Danielle: There’s more to skateboard culture than the Olympics. This competition only happens once every four years, while skateboarding happens every day and needs to be celebrated.
It’s not well known, but WCS played a huge part in the path of skateboarding becoming an Olympic sport. We helped organize and invite all the members to the first international meeting of countries in Dortmund, Germany back in 2003. Years later with the IOC making the rules, World Skate is in charge of the Olympics. Don says we’re not a part of the Olympics however, look at how many former judges from WCS have important positions at World Skate. I can’t help but smile knowing there’s some WCS history involved.
For 2024, WCS has strong links with many competitions around the world. Don explains that he loves to see an event like JACKALOPE that is organized by skaters and for skaters with the same passion that has propelled WCS for 30 years.
The Dean of Skateboard Contests
After all these years, Don’s name may not be familiar to the general public, but among the intelligentsia of the sport, everyone knows him, and he’ll always be a wisdom provider for the community of competitive skateboarding. It’s an honor to hear his kind words about JACKALOPE and a privilege to learn more about his story. Thank you, Don!
*For more stories from Don, we highly recommend this podcast:
