In Europes Blistering Summer 😎 Skateboarding on a Unique Skatepark Over Water

In a spectacular fusion of sun-soaked fun and high-octane skateboarding, the Red Bull Pool Drop took centre stage at Munich’s iconic Olympic Lake. This unique event transformed the serene waters into a skatepark built over the water, challenging elite skateboarders with a blend of street and pool elements, all while basking under the glorious summer sun.

A Skateboarding Spectacle Like No Other

As part of the tenth anniversary of MASH, Europe’s largest action sports festival, the Red Bull Pool Drop drew a massive crowd of 20,000 fans who gathered across the grassy hills to witness the qualifiers on August 2 and 3. The line-up was nothing short of stellar, featuring top international skateboarders such as Letícia Bufoni, Jost Arens, German national skate coach Lea Schaier, two-time Red Bull Rollercoaster winner Jake Ilardi, and award-winning “Skaters of the Year” Leo Romero, Wes Kremer, and Ishod Wair. Japanese skateboarders Miyu Ito and Kairi Netsuke delivered standout performances, clinching first place in the women’s and men’s events, respectively.

Japanese Excellence on Display
After a thrilling qualifiers series, the finals saw Miyu Ito dominate with a flawless run earning her 80.66 points, securing first place ahead of Roos Zwetsloot (NED) and Lore Bruggemann (BEL). In the men’s final, Kairi Netsuke’s nearly perfect run, featuring a Heelflip Backside Lipslide on the big handrail, earned him 90.33 points, besting Angelo Caro from Peru and Dashawn Jordan from the USA.

The Vision Behind the Skatepark Over Water
The Red Bull Pool Drop’s skatepark, built over the water, was the brainchild of ramp specialists Oli Buergin and Andreas Schützenberger. This innovative course reflected the event’s radiant energy and summer vibes, attracting international talent to Munich. Buergin, a visionary in the skateboarding world, shared insights into the logistics and challenges of building this unique pool party-like skatepark.

“Because of my history with Olympiapark and Munich MASH from the Red Bull Roller Coaster skateboard event in 2018 and 2019, I was asked to develop the concept. We built on the learnings from that time, using the combined over 60 years of ramp-building experience between me and Andreas,” Buergin explained.

“The course was built on a scaffolding platform that was set up in Olympiapark for the UEFA football Euros fanpark earlier this summer. The structure consisted of scaffolding, spruce construction wood, birch plywood, and many, many thousands of screws. The longest handrail was a full 17 metres in length,” Buergin explained.

He continued: “We built the two pools with the rainbow rail-like boats and sunk them to the bottom of the lake by adding about 60 tons of steel to each. We considered floating obstacles but decided not to use them – yet – as they might not be stable enough for skateboarding. All in all, building the course took 15 days, with just 2 days for dismantling.”

“We were testing as we built, tweaking and adding features as needed,” he added. “Andreas and I have worked on multiple projects together for many years, so we share a similar vision of what a skatepark can look like, and how to make it functional for high-level skateboarding.”

A Celebration of Skateboarding and Summer
Munich’s Olympic Park proved once again to be the perfect venue for celebrating the fun and creativity of skateboarding. The Red Bull Pool Drop encapsulated the essence of a summer pool party, with thousands of enthusiastic fans enjoying the spectacle under the sun.
Madars Apse, a skateboarder and host of the Red Bull TV series Skate Tales, expressed his excitement about the event. “The pool party idea had a super cool vibe,” he remarked. “Building obstacles on the water and having such a big space for the crowd to watch was really epic. The course, and skating backyard pools, were what I typically like to skate on, so it was nice to not only incorporate that element into the park but also make it easier because a real backyard pool is extremely hard to skate.”
He continued, “I loved seeing all the amazing skaters ripping the park; the line-up was insane. Even though I got last place, it was fun. Jumping in the water is a must. If there’s a ramp going into the water, you must do it. That’s what Roman Pabich said and did too. Awesome idea for the project in general.”

Reflecting further, Apse noted, “I’ve never been to Red Bull Rollercoaster, but I imagine this version of the park allowed more people to see the action. I love how the park was built. Schützi [Andreas Schützenberger] told me it was like building a park inside the water so it doesn’t leak, so you definitely need some skill for that. It was cool that it rained just before the finals started; it didn’t stop the vibe at all. Thousands of people hid for a few minutes, then came right back to sit on the grass and catch the action!”
Skate pro TJ Rogers also shared his thoughts on the event. “I thought the Red Bull Pool Drop was such an amazing contest and idea overall. A 10/10 event!” he enthused.

“It was a little intimidating at first because of the big banks and being surrounded by water,” Rogers admitted, “but once I got the hang of the course, I was having the best time ever! Some of my favourite moments were just skating and hanging with all the homies in the event. That was such a unique lineup. I’m truly grateful to be part of it. Getting 4th place was a highlight moment for me.”

Rogers added, “I went into this event wanting to challenge myself because I knew going in this was a bit out of my element, and I feel like I did just that by stepping up my run in the finals and just missing the podium.”
Aldana Bertran, a rising star in skateboarding, highlighted the uniqueness of the event. “I thought the idea was very original. Something different from the rest, or what classic events are usually like. And more than it was like a summer mood contest,” she observed.

Another Red Bull Pool Drop participant, Christiana Means, revealed her favourite moments. “First of all, qualifying for finals – I just came back from a serious spine injury, so making it to the big day was huge for me,” she said. “Then seeing and receiving such an enormous amount of love from the people of Germany was unreal.”
The event concluded with Karl-Heinz “Lullu” Magnus, a pioneer of the German skateboarding scene, presenting the winners’ trophies. Reflecting on the event, Magnus said, “Skateboarding attracts more spectators than ever, and that makes me proud.”

Red Bull Pool Drop Results
Men:
1. Kairi Netsuke (JPN) – 90.33
2. Angelo Caro (PER) – 85.33
3. Dashawn Jordan (USA) – 83.66
4. TJ Rogers (CAN) – 73.66
5. Alex Midler (USA) – 72.66
6. Jake Ilardi (USA) – 69.66
7. Rob Pace (AUS) – 47.66
8. Jost Arens (GER) – 41.00
Women:
1. Miyu Ito (JPN) – 80.66
2. Roos Zwetsloot (NED) – 69.00
3. Lore Bruggemann (BEL) – 48.66
4. Leticia Bufoni (BRA) – 40.66
5. Zuza Bone (POL) – 40.33
6. Christiana Means (PHI) – 34.66
Re-live the fun of Red Bull Pool Drop HERE.