Lister

By Ditte Clemen
Translated by Lea Enslev

Barely one meter above the coloured asphalt, he hovers between failure and success. The shades on the worn-out caps at Roskilde Skate point towards the rotating board under his feet, all crumpled up.

“Give it up for Danni O!” the speaker bursts out, in a way which breaks off the heavy beats, in the moment board and skater retrieve to the surface.
The audience has gotten used to the sound of a skateboard turned upside-down, sliding down the ramp. But now the sound is replaced by the largest applause of this day’s skateboard street competition.

Danni Olsen’s blue sneakers maintain full control on the board, and he rolls back towards the ramp where friends and competitors clap in respect.

Then yet a board becomes visible near the edge of the ramp at the 2500 square metres large park, which is the favourite playground for the pot-knockers as well as a precious sunbathing spot for the easy going.

The art of skating

”Oh, I would love to be able to do that,” Emma Hermann-Pedersen tells her friend. She nods in approval. But they do not dare join in with the skilled guys – and the single girl – about airtime.

A couple of older girls nearby interfere in the discussion. They have three good pieces of advice for the girls if they want to learn how to skate.

One: figure out where the skaters live at the camp site. It is too obvious if they try to pull a skater near the ramp. Two: know the chosen skater's shoe size, just in case you feel safer on a pair of roller blades than on a board. Three: be willing to pay for the private tutoring with a kiss.

The three tips apparently worked last year, but despite of the older girls’ private night tutoring they do not skate the ramps just yet. It is embarrassing when people are watching.

A rush

Danni Olsen feels completely different about the many people hanging out at the corner of the camping area in Agora B.

“Skating here is so cool, because everybody is so positive. It gives me a drive or a rush when I skate,” he says.

After having skated for more than six years, Danni Olsen had his first appearance at the festival on his board.

“I was really drunk and did not give it much thought. This year I have been in about 10 competitions, both national and international, so I don’t get that nervous. People should just go crazy,” he calls on.

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