Deaf skater in Red Bull competition

Red Bull, the energy drink, hosted a skaters contest last week from March 18 to 21. One of the contestants is a deaf skater named Brian Estrada, 20, from Minnesota.

[video credit: @RED BULL DIY ]

That Red Bull contest focuses only on the skaters in the Midwest. Red Bull hand-picked the skaters to be part of the contest. They picked Brian. This is his name sign. He is one of the 11 skaters.

[video: @_estrada_brian_ ]

We had the opportunity to chat with Brian. The first question we asked was how old was Brian when he first started skateboarding?

Brian: I was about 6 years old when I started. It’s been like….14 years. Wow! Can’t believe it!
 

Renca: The second question we asked, why does Brian like skateboarding?

Brian: Really, it’s the tricks. I love doing the tricks. It makes me feel energetic. Really, my first time was when my grandpa gave me a skateboard from Target. It was an old version and “fake” kind of skateboard. I had to wait through winter time because it was cold and because of the snow. I waited until spring time. I took the opportunity to learn how to skateboard, how to push, stop, do an ollie trick, etc.

Renca: The third question we asked, what is his favorite skateboarding trick?

Brian: Hell flip- you kick your front foot out and your heel on the nose of your board- it will flip. Let me show you. You know the kickflip trick? You drag your foot over the grip towards the nose, but not hell flip. It’s the opposite by pushing your front foot out. That’s called hell flip.

Renca: The 4th question we asked, what is a challenging skateboarding trick to do?

Brian: Hmm, good question. Hmm… well I’d say the switch trick. This means switching my natural way of riding a skateboard in the opposite way. It’s tough for me!

Renca: The last question we asked is what does Brian hope to see in the future with skateboarding?

Brian: There are some young deaf people out there that are interested in becoming skaters. On social media, texts, some have reached out to me asking me questions. So, I want to help them, give advice, and give tips about how to do tricks. I teach and give advice. I want to see deaf skaters grow in number and become like a team. That’s my goal- to see the growth. Definitely need to keep looking forward. Would love to see us teaching each other.

Renca: Yes, definitely want to see the numbers of deaf skaters grow! We wish Brian the best of luck and we hope you will win this week!