This skateboarder’s surprise proposal to his girlfriend so great, it even has Tony Hawk’s stamp of approval.
Earlier this month at the annual Van’s Pool Party in Orange, California, skateboarder and activist Amelia Brodka was chatting about the future of women in skateboarding when interviewer Neal Hendrix subtly brought up Brodka’s boyfriend, Alec Beck, who was also in attendance.
The pair met four and a half years ago at the Van’s Skatepark, Brodka said, so it holds a special place in their hearts.
That’s when Hendrix motions to Beck to skate over and join them for the interview: With that, Beck launches himself down into the bowl, skates over and slides on his knees to pop the question.
Of course, Brodka says “yes.”
The proposal, which made the front page of Reddit on Monday, came as a happy surprise to Brodka, who runs Exposure Skate, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering women and girls through skateboarding.
“I was confused when I looked over to see Alec in his kneepads but I had no idea what was going on until he was on one knee in front of me,” the 27-year-old told HuffPost. “I fantasized about Alec proposing, but this was better than any scenario I could have ever imagined.”
The “trick” may look effortless, but it took a lot of practice, said Beck, who works as the programs manager at the Tony Hawk Foundation, an organization that creates skate parks in low-income areas.
The day before the event, Beck did dry runs at Van’s Skatepark, attempting to figure out timing and positioning with the skatepark’s production team.
“I knew I needed to focus on only two things,” the 30-year-old said. “First, don’t fall dropping in and two: When I ask, make sure [Amelia] knows it’s just about the two of us and that no one else exists.”
Brodka’s pure gold, Reddit-worthy response definitely convinced Beck he pulled it off.
“That reaction is one of the things I love most about Amelia Brodka,” he said. “She’s not afraid to show excitement or enthusiasm and is incredibly genuine.”
Beck’s boss Tony Hawk was so impressed by the proposal, he shared a video of it on Instagram:
“Congrats @alec_beck & @ameliabrodka on winning the best trick at Van’s Pool Party,’ he captioned the clip.
Brodka, who lives in North County San Diego with her fiancée, told HuffPost the pair haven’t set a date for their wedding yet, but they are busy planning the perfect ceremony. After watching that engagement, we’re really hoping it includes some skate tricks.
