Hawk to compete at Pro-tec Pool Party

Getty ImagesTony Hawk will compete in the Pro-tec Pool Party Masters event on May 21, 2011.

Tony Hawk, who has been retired from competitive skateboarding for more than a decade, will compete in the Vans Pro-Tec Pool Party Masters event for the first time on Saturday in Orange, Calif.

Hawk posted a photo of the park's legendary Combi Pool [the staging area for the event] with the comment, "The answer is yes," on Twitter Wednesday night. Soon after, Vans, a title sponsor of the event, confirmed his intention to enter the contest.

The Masters division in the Pro-tec Pool Party is reserved for legendary professional skaters that have paid their dues for decades. Steve Caballero, Hawk's one-time teammate on Powell Peralta, won last year's event, breaking the streak of Chris Miller, who had won the comp the previous five consecutive years.

Hawk retired from competition soon after landing the first-ever 900 on a skateboard at X Games V in 1999. Despite stepping away from competition, Hawk has continued to skate, progress and serve as the skateboard community's ambassador to the world at large through his various efforts, including the Tony Hawk Foundation.