AST Dew Tour
by Jason Walsh
Online Exclusive / Posted July 17, 2008 More Exclusives
Blood, sweat, dirt, gasoline and smoke are coming to Energy Solutions Arena in September. The best athletes in skateboarding, motocross, and BMX will be converging on Salt Lake City for the first stop of the 2008 AST Dew Tour. The tour kicked off in Baltimore in June and native Bucky Lasek, who took first in the skateboarding vert event, was stoked to be kicking off the tour in his old stomping grounds.
"I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing anywhere else than in my hometown," Lasek said. "It's a great feeling. Last year I was plagued with a knee injury that I had to get surgery on after the contest, but I still held it together. This year, I already had knee surgery on the same knee because I had a little piece floating in there again that I didn't want to take a chance with. It was couple of months ago, so now I'm back to par and I'm looking forward to it."
Lasek has been competing as a pro skateboarder since he was a kid in the early days, when contest purses were minimal and exposure was limited to old school magazines like Thrasher and Transworld Skateboarding.
"It's definitely different because when I first started, it would just be a skateboard contest and once it was over, it was over," he said. "Nowadays it's like a full blown activity center. When you're not skating, you can go watch some crazy moto guys or crazy bmx guys doing the most insane things that you would never think you'd see in your lifetime."
Now, skating has found a larger, far-reaching audience, but he says his experience has helped him bring it all together.
"I pretty much skateboard every day of my life and when it comes time to compete, I think I got it down to an art form to where I can pretty much get in there and know that I'm going to do pretty good," he said. "I just have fun and try not to stress out and skate these contests and test myself and bring home some money at the end of the day."
The Toyota Challenge is the fourth of five events on the Dew Tour which will see the world's greatest competitors vying for the largest prize purse in action sports history: $2.5 million, plus a $1 million bonus pool. Now in its fourth year, it is the most watched and attended action sports event and the first tour of its kind. Mike Spinner was last year's 2nd place finalist in the BMX park event and praises the tour's significance.
"I would say right now it is the most important contest of the year," Spinner said. "It's a series which means it's not just a one-time deal. I can't even explain it, the ramps are the best, the crowds are the best, the TV production is the best. I have the most fun."
Last year was Spinner's first as a pro after coming in as a Wild Card rider in 2006, where he surprised everyone by qualifying 1st in the BMX park prelims. Placing second in the Dew Tour standings his rookie year as a pro was an amazing accomplishment for Spinner, but not nearly as amazing as being the first to land a 1080 in a competition, a trick where he spins his bike three complete rotations in mid-air. This achievement not only earned him the PlayStation Trick of the Week, but also the PlayStation Trick of the Year at the season's conclusion in Orlando. At the series open In Baltimore, Spinner placed third in the BMX park event, behind Daniel Dhers and Ryan Guettier. A humble guy from Florida, Spinner is still in awe of how the Dew Tour has changed his life.
"I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing anywhere else than in my hometown," Lasek said. "It's a great feeling. Last year I was plagued with a knee injury that I had to get surgery on after the contest, but I still held it together. This year, I already had knee surgery on the same knee because I had a little piece floating in there again that I didn't want to take a chance with. It was couple of months ago, so now I'm back to par and I'm looking forward to it."
Lasek has been competing as a pro skateboarder since he was a kid in the early days, when contest purses were minimal and exposure was limited to old school magazines like Thrasher and Transworld Skateboarding.
"It's definitely different because when I first started, it would just be a skateboard contest and once it was over, it was over," he said. "Nowadays it's like a full blown activity center. When you're not skating, you can go watch some crazy moto guys or crazy bmx guys doing the most insane things that you would never think you'd see in your lifetime."
Now, skating has found a larger, far-reaching audience, but he says his experience has helped him bring it all together.
"I pretty much skateboard every day of my life and when it comes time to compete, I think I got it down to an art form to where I can pretty much get in there and know that I'm going to do pretty good," he said. "I just have fun and try not to stress out and skate these contests and test myself and bring home some money at the end of the day."
The Toyota Challenge is the fourth of five events on the Dew Tour which will see the world's greatest competitors vying for the largest prize purse in action sports history: $2.5 million, plus a $1 million bonus pool. Now in its fourth year, it is the most watched and attended action sports event and the first tour of its kind. Mike Spinner was last year's 2nd place finalist in the BMX park event and praises the tour's significance.
"I would say right now it is the most important contest of the year," Spinner said. "It's a series which means it's not just a one-time deal. I can't even explain it, the ramps are the best, the crowds are the best, the TV production is the best. I have the most fun."
Last year was Spinner's first as a pro after coming in as a Wild Card rider in 2006, where he surprised everyone by qualifying 1st in the BMX park prelims. Placing second in the Dew Tour standings his rookie year as a pro was an amazing accomplishment for Spinner, but not nearly as amazing as being the first to land a 1080 in a competition, a trick where he spins his bike three complete rotations in mid-air. This achievement not only earned him the PlayStation Trick of the Week, but also the PlayStation Trick of the Year at the season's conclusion in Orlando. At the series open In Baltimore, Spinner placed third in the BMX park event, behind Daniel Dhers and Ryan Guettier. A humble guy from Florida, Spinner is still in awe of how the Dew Tour has changed his life.
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