#THTH – thoughts from a ‘hider’
Do you Twitter?
Tony Hawk - more than just an X-Gamer...
If not, you’re missing out on some cool events, giveaways and information tweeted out by some big names in the world of sports. One such event was recently hosted by Tony Hawk on his @tonyhawk Twitter account, his Tony Hawk Twitter Hunt – hence the #THTH hashtag (Twitter talk – told you that you should be tweeting!).
Why am I writing about the #THTH, you ask? Well, because I was one of the lucky ‘hiders’ of Tony Hawk gear that was stashed around the world. Here’s the skinny on the #THTH…
In September, Tony Hawk tweeted about needing volunteers around the world for a big ‘Twitter-centric’ event. This piqued my interest and prompted me to send Tony an @reply (Twitter lingo) about my willingness to assist in the Oklahoma City area. Much to my surprise, I got a response – asking for my email address and contact information.
At this point, email conversations between myself (and tons of others, I presume) and Jerome – a representative for Tony – ensued. This is where the hiders found out about what was happening when and how to let Tony know when and where the package was hidden. Tony’s camp set up another Twitter account – @HidingIt - to send DMs (direct messages – more Twitter-ese) to with the clues that Tony should tweet out to the masses.
Through emails I was also informed that I was going to be the recipient of a special package – just one of five – that contained an additional item that would be distributed in just one package each day of the five-day hunt.
I waited patiently – but definitely with some excitement – as I checked my doorstep for a #THTH package, wondering how big the box would be and what would be inside. When it arrived, I immediately opened up the box. Oops! Should I have done that? It wasn’t in the rules…oh well. Too late! What I found was a backpack full of goodies – I decided not to rummage through the bag, just take a peek – and an autographed skateboard deck. Neato! Too bad I was the hider and not the hunter!
Where to hide the package became the next task at hand. I wanted it to be somewhere safe and fairly easy to get to, somewhere that related to Tony’s craft – skateboarding, and somewhere that would not be swarming with people that might find the prize and didn’t know it. My decision: Mat Hoffman Skate Park. The skateboarding connection was obvious – but so also was the link between Oklahomans and Tony. You see, Hoffman is a fellow X-Gamer (known for BMXing) who is from the local area. Also, Hoffman has been seen in some of Tony Hawk’s previous video games, so I thought this was the ‘must hide’ spot.
Once I scoped out the area and found out which day was my hiding day – October 15th, the day after my birthday – it was time to make the drop. I decided upon a lunch-time drop at the park. One, because it was not raining at that time and two, because in the case that no one found it fast, it would be light for a while – that neighborhood isn’t exactly conducive or safe for wandering around in the dark.
It was time to send my clue…
- HidingIt Search by the banks of the Oklahoma @ the park named after OKC native & fellow X-Gamer http://twitpic.com/lmrjz
And here is what followed (as seen in the Twitterstream):
- tonyhawk Search by the banks of the Oklahoma @ the park named after OKC native & fellow X-Gamer http://twitpic.com/lmrjz #THTH 12:55 PM Oct 15th
- steven_gill RT @tonyhawk: Search by the banks of the Oklahoma @ the park named after OKC native & fellow X-Gamer #THTH 1:00 PM Oct 15th
- BruceOKC RT @tonyhawk: Search by the banks of the Oklahoma @ the park named after OKC native & fellow X-Gamer http://twitpic.com/lmrjz #THTH 1:00 PM Oct 15th
- Platterbabbles Hey OKLAHOMA RT @tonyhawk Search by the banks of the Oklahoma@the park named after OKC native&fellow X-Gamer http://twitpic.com/lmrjz #THTH 1:17 PM Oct 15th
- Platterbabbles Someone needs to get to the Mat Hoffman skate park!!!! #THTH 1:17 PM Oct 15th
- myfavoritealias Hey OKC friends…. Find it! RT @tonyhawk: Search by the banks of the Oklahoma @ the park named after OKC native & fellow X-Gamer #THTH 1:20 PM Oct 15th
- DisarmingRain RT @tonyhawk Search by the banks of the Oklahoma @ the park named after OKC native & fellow X-Gamer http://twitpic.com/lmrjz #THTH 1:21 PM Oct 15th
- CFrooney @tonyhawk okc package found pic to follow#thth1:29 PM Oct 15th
- j_lantz (that’s me!) This was the OKC prize in the #THTH – Cool! RT @Cfrooney Thanks @tonyhawk http://twitpic.com/lmz0z1:52 PM Oct 15th
Wow – who would have known that it would only take 34 minutes to find my package! I had no idea it would be found so fast and so many people would tweet out clues.
Since I knew who had nabbed the package – thanks to trusty hashtags - I contacted the finder to get his thoughts. The lucky man, Caley, heard of the #THTH the same way I did. As a lifelong fan of Tony’s, Caley has been one of his Twitter followers since joining the social media network and continues to be a follower because, “[Tony] is on Twitter doing something”. Agreed. When he talks of Tony Hawk, he says, “[I have been a fan] since I was about 10. Why? Cause the man is a legend.”
Apparently, Caley and his friends took the time to think of all the area skate parks and the “clue was sealed” once he saw native to Oklahoma City and X-Gamer. Some of the swag that he grabbed included a the signed Birdhouse teckdeck and Quicksilver bag, a Hawk hat, Quicksilver shirts, shred or die dot com shirt and a USB drive with a video clue. His special prize? The ‘Golden Ticket’ – a copy of the new Tony Hawk video game, THRide.
I am so glad one of Tony’s biggest fans in the Oklahoma City area was the recipient of such a great prize. Also, I’m happy that I was able to participate in a cool activity such as the #THTH. And more than that, I am glad to see Tony Hawk and others using social media such as Twitter for good. Thanks to Tony for using progressive thinking for worldwide fun!
(I took a plethora of detailed photos of the prize and the hiding location, but have since managed to lose the memory card in my car – I think the seat ‘ate’ it. So…if it is ever found, I’ll post pictures…)
2 Comments on “#THTH – thoughts from a ‘hider’”
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Good read.
Very cool!
I followed Tony shortly before he started the THTH, so I couldn’t help.
I did look for one package since it was never “claimed” but it was already gone and I knew where another was but didn’t go because I didn’t want to be a creeper (it was at a daycare).