Red Bull Bowl Rippers Day 3: Qualifiers & The Rainbow Rail
Day three at Red Bull Bowl Rippers started with blue skies, a serious breeze and kite surfers flying around above the beaches next to the Prado Bowl.
The bowl itself was already waking up.
The riders were still carrying a little of last night's session in their legs, but that didn't stop Danny León from being one of the first in. He was warming up with manuals and early bowl lines while photographers and the first spectators started gathering around the concrete.
Dave Duncan, the voice of Bowl Rippers and by now basically part of the event's furniture, was already in the pool section doing tricks for the photographers.
The park slowly filled up.
Then the pros arrived.
And the pace changed immediately.
Men's Qualifying
Day three was all about the men's pro qualifying.
The format meant a series of fast-paced jam sessions, with riders sharing the bowl and trying to make every run count.
Which is easier said than done.
When everyone is moving at the same time, there isn't really such a thing as having the bowl to yourself. One rider drops in, another is already carving through the deep, someone else is heading for the opposite wall, and suddenly everybody's lines are crossing.
It gets hectic quickly.
And the Prado Bowl gives you absolutely nowhere to hide.
The wind made the first part of the session a little more complicated, but once the riders found their rhythm, the level went up fast.
At one point, Oliver Holmes — the 17-year-old Dane we introduced yesterday after his amateur win — collided with another rider during the session.
Both got back up and carried on.
Apparently one day as an amateur is enough preparation for this place.
Tom Schaar Does What Tom Schaar Does
When qualifying was over, Tom Schaar was sitting at the top of the results.
At this point, it almost feels rude to act surprised.
The 26-year-old Californian has been collecting Olympic and X Games medals for years, and his skating right now is on another level.
Huge airs.
Ridiculous speed.
Perfect control.
And somehow he makes the whole thing look much easier than it probably is.
His two heavy video parts released this year have already given everyone a pretty good idea of where his skating is at right now.
Watching him in the Prado Bowl just confirms it.
Von nix kommt nix.
There's a lot of work behind that kind of skating.
The Rainbow Rail
After the men's qualifying, the pro women got some practice time.
But everyone was waiting for the main attraction of the afternoon.
A rainbow rail had been set up between the pool and bowl sections.
It looked simple enough from the side.
It wasn't.
The rail stretched across the transition in a long, curved line, meaning riders needed the right speed and timing just to get onto it properly — never mind actually landing a trick.
So they started trying.
Hampus Winberg was flying over it with the kind of speed and power you'd expect from someone who apparently doesn't believe in braking.
Liam Pace got involved.
So did Danny León and Kieran Woolley.
The rail kept getting attacked from different angles, with riders trying to figure out exactly how much speed they needed and how much they could get away with.
Then the women started going for it.
And one rider in particular refused to give up.
Grace kept rolling in.
Miss.
Try again.
Miss.
Again.
By the time the official time was basically up, the crowd had fully invested in the mission.
Everyone wanted to see her make it.
One more try.
And finally — she landed it.
The crowd absolutely lost it.
And that's one of those moments where skateboarding doesn't really need much explanation.
You don't need a medal.
You don't need a ranking.
You don't even need a perfect contest run.
Sometimes you just need to keep trying the thing until it works.
Day three done.
The rainbow rail finally got its make.
And tomorrow, the real contest begins.
