HELENSBURGH scooter ace Oliver Hood is off to England this weekend as he prepares to show off his skills in front of his biggest-ever audience.

Oliver, 12, an S1 pupil at Lomond School, will compete at the ScootGB national championships at Adrenaline Alley in Corby, Northamptonshire after convincingly winning the under-12 Scottish championships at the Unit 23 Skatepark in Dumbarton in August.

Not bad for someone who’s only been showing off his scooter talents for a year.

Mum Jackie told the Advertiser: “We’re all very excited about the weekend.

“Oliver is riding really well with the help of the new coach at Unit 23, Nathan Scullion, and if he can manage his nerves he should do himself proud.”

Along with all the other competitors at this weekend’s event, Oliver will get two chances, each one minute long, to show off his skills to the judges, who will then rank each competitor based on the difficulty and diversity of their tricks, the consistency of their style and the range of technical skills they’re able to show.

And while Oliver is, like everyone else at the championships, hoping to be placed as high as possible, Jackie says the chance to learn new skills from some of the best scooter tricksters in the UK, if not the world, is equally important.

“Ryan Williams, a gold medallist at the X Games, will be coming as a wild card,” Jackie continued.

“Scootering is one of the rare sports when up-and-coming competitors get to ride alongside the pros – and Ryan Williams really is one of the best.”

This weekend’s event will take place in front of a crowd of some 2,000 people – more than Oliver has ever performed in front of – and while Jackie admits the prospect is one which has her son understandably nervous, she can already see the change the sport has brought about in him.

“Scootering has really changed Oliver’s life,” Jackie continued.

“He just lives and breathes it. He is fit, confident and brave due to scootering, and he astounds me on a daily basis with his tricks.

“Competing in front of 2,000 people will be one of the most difficult things for him to deal with, but I’m sure he’ll do himself proud.”

Check out Oliver’s tricks and flips on Instagram at Oolava_hood.