The premiere episode of DRIVE features Mike exploring the topic of professionalism in skateboarding. Mike visits with his childhood hero and skateboarding legend Lance Mountain, Ryan Sheckler, and Tony Hawk to get their views on the challenges of being a professional in this ever-evolving sport. The result is a moving collection of individual approaches and perspectives, combined with skate action in a diversity of settings that capture the essence of skateboarding and what it means to be a true professional.
Mike has always believed in traveling to places off the beaten path to share his philosophies on skateboarding. In this episode Mike travels to South Africa to visit the Zulu village of Isithumba and participate in the Indigo Skate Camp, which was established to promote cultural exchange between Western and Zulu youth. Mike tours the Zulu village and skates a mini ramp built by the camp and native kids in the Valley of 1000 Hills.
Mike’s visit to Zululand continues as he takes the Zulu skaters with him to explore South Africa’s skate terrain, skating an Olympic swimming pool and a cement drainage ditch. Mike meets a group of orphaned and abandoned children and teaches them to skate at a local Durban skatepark. This episode reminds us all of the importance of sharing and learning from other cultures.
Mike reflects on the people he has met through skateboarding and visits three individuals who inspire him to keep going, Jon Comer, a professional skateboarder who lost his leg in a childhood accident, Mike Rogers, who overcame cancer and has dedicated his life to being a role model in Southern Florida's skate scene, and Ryon Rommel, who was first featured in the film DRIVE and continues his battle with Leukemia.
Not every town has a skate park. Mike addresses the issue of public skate parks by visiting a group of skaters who have successfully gotten parks built in their community, and Miki Vuchovich, executive director of the Tony Hawk Foundation, to discuss the bureaucratic process, and the logistics of planning, financing, and constructing a skatepark.
The premiere episode of the second season of DRIVE finds Mike entering his 20th year as a professional skater, only to suffer a serious ankle injury while skating a demo in West Chester, Pennsylvania. Mike visits with his orthopedic surgeon, and undergoes surgery receiving eight screws and a plate to repair his broken ankle. After two months in a cast Mike begins a rigorous physical therapy routine to rehabilitate his ankle and make his way back to skating at the level he did prior to the accident. The episode culminates with Mike skating his first demo since the accident in Freehold, New Jersey before thousands of fans.
Mike travels to the Cayman Islands to visit the Black Pearl skate park on the island of Grand Cayman. Mike holds a clinic at the park and explores the skate scene on the island skating a backyard mini ramp. The episode culminates with Mike sharing some thoughts with the local kids on how to nurture their skate scene.
Mike travels throughout the southern United States and visits the city of New Orleans; one year after the city was ravaged by Hurricane Katrina. Mike meets up with local skateboarder Todd Taylor who takes him on a tour of the city. They skate through the downtown area checking out a few of the skate spots that have been affected and/or created in the aftermath of the hurricane. Todd also takes Mike on a tour of the more heavily damaged areas of the city, including the extensive destruction of the Ninth Ward.
Mike continues his travels through the southern United States visiting a series of small towns along the way. In White Hall, Arkansas Mike meets up with 18-year-old Todd Givens who created his own skate scene by building ramps in his driveway, so local skaters would have a place to ride. In Hammond, Louisiana Mike meets up with skaters Kerry Simpson and Neal Boyd to discuss the impact Louisiana’s first public cement park has had on their skate scene. Finally, Mike stops in Oxford, Mississippi to skate the cities public park with a group of local kids.
Mike continues his travels through Israel. In the town of Eilat, Mike and Dallas Rockvam skate a demo and go to skate a cement bank at a local elementary school. In Tel Aviv, Mike talks with local Boaz Aquino about the skate scene there and what its like growing up in Israel. The show closes with an inspired demo at the Tel Aviv skatepark.