An ollie. (Respectful murmurs pass through the masses.) Then a kickflip backside tailslide. (The crowd jumps up.) And finally a 360 flip. (The audience breaks into wild cheers.) How it feels to present their style in front of a large crowd for once and at the same time to compete with international scene pros, every skater could describe in detail. Because they’ve played the scene over and over in their heads while tricking in the skate park behind the house (but would probably deny it if asked). Amateurs on the pro ramp On the other hand, at the Red Bull Local Hero Tour it’s less the power of the imagination than the actual talent itself that’s put to the test. Pro ramps and pro rivals exact pro performances from the participants. This comparative sizing up with a few heroes from the scene has already taken place in Brazil and Turkey; in Germany and Hong Kong. Recently ambitious amateurs in Ireland rode the original Red Bull vert ramp – thanks to the unwieldy measurements of a ten-meter high, 14.2-meter-long plaything, which also advanced riders only approach with respect. And what raises the pulse of hobby riders a little more is that this piece of equipment has already been used at the X Games and the World Skateboarding Championships. Five ‘local heroes’ crowned The locations of the most recent Red Bull Local Hero Tour were Waterford, Ennis, Letterkenny, Belfast and Blanchardstown, which each crowned a Red Bull local hero. Egged on by the Red Bull team consisting of pros Mack McKelton, Philipp Schuster and Jürgen Horrwarth, the titles went to Ricardo Conesa, Dave Hurley, Joe Hill, Marc Beggan and Anto Thornberry. The five winners will shortly undergo the next trial of strength with skate pros. They all received wildcards for the Red Bull Vert Camp. Taking place as part of the Oxegen Music Festival from July 11 to 13 at the Punchestown Racecourse near Dublin, there’ll be under a somewhat brighter spotlight. It’s quite possible that between sound check and show, one or the other member of R.E.M., Rage Against the Machine or The Prodigy will be looking over the youngsters’ shoulders. (Source: Event’s PR)