On May 14 and 15, Detroit’s Hart Plaza will once again be transformed into a two-lane skateboarding course for Red Bull Hart Lines. Developed and hosted by Ryan Sheckler, Hart Lines boasts a unique course layout and format.
“I’m super stoked to be heading back to Detroit for Red Bull Hart Lines,” said host and competitor Ryan Sheckler. “Last year was awesome and this year is going to be even better with a bigger, improved course and room for more community involvement around the Hart Lines venue. Detroit hustles harder!”
Last year was the first ever Hart Lines event. Red Bull Hart Lines was created by Sheckler as a way for the skateboarding world to have some unique, competitive fun. “I wanted to do something different, I wanted something unique. That’s what skateboarding is all about, being creative, having fun and loving what you’re doing.”
“If I had to explain the contest and skateboarding in one word, it would be ‘fun’ and that’s what I am going for,” said Sheckler.
Why pick Detroit as the location for this new event?
“Detroit is an amazing city with a rich history. Skateboarding has passion and I want to use that to impact the Midwest and skate scene as a whole,” said Sheckler.
Along with Sheckler, this year’s roster includes street skateboarding all-stars like Felipe Gustavo, Ryan Decenzo, and 2015 Red Bull Hart Lines winner Curren Caples.
The venue for the event will be open to the public, free of charge, at 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The event is scheduled to take place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday is qualifying. Sunday is the finals.
This year’s event has been updated based on athlete feedback. Each athlete will take a total of four runs – two on each lane. The average score from each lane will again be averaged to make up the skater’s initial score.
Unlike last year, there will be a timed element for the 2016 Hart Lines competition to encourage overall flow and fluidity through the course. The skater who finishes the course with the fastest time will not have points deducted from his original score. The skater who finishes with the second fastest time will have one point deducted from his original score. The third fastest skater will have two points deducted, and so on up to a maximum deduction of 10 points.
After the timed element, the final scores and rankings will be determined reflecting an overall mix of difficulty, style, and speed. The winner of Red Bull Hart Lines will receive a cash prize and possibly a car.
The Red Bull Hart Lines event is free to attend, but if you can’t catch it in person, you can watch the finals live on Red Bull TV on May 15. You can also watch a two-hour highlight program on NBC on June 26 at 1 p.m. Eastern.
