Park skateboarding differs from the street event mainly in the shape of its arena. Instead of a mostly flat surface with obstacles, the arena is bowl-shaped with smaller hills and ramps inside.
The preliminaries of the park event will also have 20 skaters, sorted into four heats of five skaters each. Each skater has the opportunity to perform three 45-second runs, which are scored on a scale of 0 to 100, by a panel of five judges.The highest of the three run scores will be the skater’s final score and determine their ranking.
The top eight skaters overall advance to the finals, where each run will be scored on a scale of 0 to 100 points by five judges. The highest and lowest scores of each run are dropped and the remaining three are averaged. From there, they’ll compete the same way in hopes of earning a gold, silver, or bronze medal.
To learn more about all the Olympic hopefuls, visit TeamUSA.org. Watch the Paris Olympics this summer on Peacock.
Amanda Prahl is a freelance writer, playwright/lyricist, dramaturg, teacher, and copywriter/editor. Amanda has also contributed to Slate, Bustle, Mic, The Mary Sue, and others.
Jade Esmeralda, MS, CSCS, is a Staff Writer, Health & Fitness. A life-long martial artist and dancer, Jade has a strong passion for strength & conditioning, sports science, and human performance. She graduated with a Master of Science degree in Exercise Science and Strength and Conditioning from George Washington University.