For the third year running, Area 51 hosted World Streetboarding Championships. Skaters from all over the world came to Strijp-S in Eindhoven to showcase their skills.
Streetboarding is a style of skateboarding where the skateboard consists of three parts. The boards used for the sport are also called snakeboards and are a kind of mix of a snowboard, skateboard, and waveboard.
Eindhoven
The world championships consists of two events: the “bowl” and the “street.” Area 51 is the perfect location for this, with a large “bowl” and an area full of obstacles such as curbs, stairs, and railings. “This place is really fantastic. Area 51 is amazing, and we love the Netherlands”, organiser Sergi Nicolas says. The Spaniard has won the title 16 times but had to miss this year’s event because he has two children. Participant Melissa Wieslander is also a fan of the location and comes all the way from Sweden. “It’s a beautiful city. So artistic, I love it. And there’s a really good vibe here.”
Snowboarding
The sport is a unique combination of various urban sports. According to Nicolas, it’s becoming increasingly popular, but he hopes its recognition will increase even further. “We want more people to participate in the sport, of course, and for it to continue to grow. It’s like snowboarding for the skate park—snowboarding, but on wheels”, he says.
A visitor happened to be here today. “My parents said they heard everyone cheering because of a skateboarding event or something”, she explains. “So I thought, I’ll go check it out. I was actually a bit surprised. I’ve been skateboarding for a long time, but I had no idea this was here. It feels like a mix between waveboarding and skateboarding”.
Atmosphere
The cheering is what makes the atmosphere here so great. Participants clap, cheer, and shout along to their opponents’ amazing tricks. “The great thing about the sport is the adrenaline, but also the vibe and the people”, Melissa says. At that moment, a huge applause rings out behind her. “See?”
“People are making a lot of noise, and the atmosphere is great”, Sergi says. But he also has mixed feelings. After winning the world championship 16 times, he won’t be competing this year. “As much as I’d love to skate, I also really enjoy organising the event for my friends. But it’s a different feeling, because it’s hard to see them skate and not be able to do it yourself”.
Germany’s Mario Kurrle won the men’s Street category this year. Germany’s Thomas Kienle won the bowl category. Melissa finished fourth in both women’s categories.
Source: Studio040
Translated by: Bob
