Airwalk

Good Lord.

I had a, I had a pair of green Airwalks from TJ Maxx.

Not even Airwalks from, like, the skate store.

Uh-huh.

TJ Maxx.

But yeah, this first time having 480s, which are like a lot like Nike Dunks.

These are actually, this is the model shoe that Jordan was originally doing the Airman, the Airwalk or whatever Airman in.

He was wearing New Balance 480s.

I almost walked into the New Balance store on South Congress in Austin.

And I had no idea whatsoever where I was going.

All I knew is that they were doing skateboard in America and all I wanted is a pair of Airwalk shoes.

And I knew in San Francisco there was probably a skate shop that would have those airwalks.

So we landed in New York and had three weeks to cross.

...

but it wasn't, like, on, like, the Airwalk sponsorship wasn't there yet-

[laughs] Okay

... 'cause we were just building it.

So it is, if you look probably, it says facsimile and the spelling is all kind of janky.

Okay.

But I remember that flier when I did it, and we're like, "I guess we're gonna do the contest on our own." Right? Like, like, I think we got Airwalk on board for $1,000 purse at the time.

I think it was Airwalk, and Rob Dodson worked there at the time.

It is Friday night.

sneakers.

Oh,

didn't either.

I had the Airwalk brand from Payless.

Yes, I think I had.

I got them in grade

I think I was 16.

And there I met Ben Bruce, who was, um, the Airwalk team manager, and he told me like, "Hey, if you wanna go to the States and you wear Airwalk clothes, I'll pay for your ticket." So then he bought me a ticket.

The problem was that my flight ticket was Willy, not m- spelled the same way as my name is spelled, and my last name was Thornton.

[laughs]

[laughs]

[laughs] I like it, too.

He's like, "Here, just wear this Airwalk stuff," and, and just got you a one-way ticket.

And his name's Willy Thornton.

It was probably just a test to see if he'd even follow through, right? I

totally screwed up too because I took my resume that I gave to Will for Airwalk Flow and I whited out for Pete.

And Pete was like, what's this? And he totally let it go.

But it was so funny because it was like such a kid thing to do.

It would be like take the same thing for Airwalk and give it to Burton.

And I was like, I didn't know.

Yeah, you're just trying to get –

And, you know, I, I had the invincibility of youth on my side, and then all of a sudden it went down re- I mean, uh, l- I guess for ...

If I had to give you an example, I was making about $1,500 a month from my shoe sponsor, Airwalk.

They, they would call me every month or so and say, "Oh, you know, we really gotta cut you down a little bit." So then that went to 1,000, and then two months later that went to 500, and eventually ended at, up at 300 within the same year time span.

[laughs] And as that's happening, w- are you worried?

With the soles of his shoes showing in the photograph.

It was Airwalk.

And I was turning to the

side kissing her.