New winners, new tricks, a new level of competition...The race for the Dew Cup heats up after the third stop of the Dew Action Sports Tour, the Vans Invitational. See who came out on top, and who leads the way to San Jose here...
Portland has been a leading city in action sports since concrete was poured under the Burnside Bridge, less than a year after the Skate Park points leader, fifteen year old Ryan Sheckler was born. The community of Portland came out in droves to support the Vans Invitational, even the mayor showed up to kick off the BMX Vert Finals. There were some surprises and a few repeat offenders on the competition side and lots of fun had by all the fans and attendees.
The first event at the Vans Invitational was the Free Flow Skateboard Park Finals. The competitors were qualified to compete by winning one of the events on the fifteen city Free Flow Tour for amateur rippers. The win would not only qualify them, but also give them an expense-free trip to the Rose City, Portland, Oregon. There was a lot at stake as well, with the winner, Jeff Ward, taking home a wild card to skate in the pro Skate Park event at the Orlando stop of the Dew Action Sports Tour, the PlayStation Pro. The Free Flow BMX Tour also qualified riders into a Final here in Portland, with another spot at the Orlando PlayStation Pro up for grabs. Kevin Kiraly took this one and opportunities abound.
For the pros, Jamie Bestwick got things started in the first Final, taking home a repeat victory in BMX Vert. Kevin Robinson is still the points leader in BMX Vert, although this event will prove to be an undoubtedly tight race in points for the Dew Cup. In BMX Dirt Finals, Aussie Ryan Guettler kept his roll of victory going with a second win in BMX Dirt after winning both the Dirt and Park events at the Denver stop, the Right Guard Open. Guettler is the points leader in both BMX Dirt and Park, although fellow Aussie rider Corey Bohan is close behind in Dirt and young buck Scotty Cranmer is not far behind in Park. Ryan Nyquist took home the BMX Park win for his first win on the Tour, showing that he was just warming up during the first two stops. Nyquist now sits in a solid fourth position in the points race.
Skate Park Finals crowned a new winner, Greg Lutzka. Lutzka has got to be stoked on the win after mediocre placings at the Right Guard and Panasonic Opens. Ryan Sheckler, the winner from the first two stops, placed second and remains the leader for the overall points race. With two stops of the Tour left, Greg Lutzka and Chad Fernandez are both solid threats to take the lead from Sheckler. Skate Vert was full of drama, as the tight fight between Vert veterans continues. Bucky took his second win of the Tour and maintains the lead position in Skate Vert points standings. He is followed by Andy Mac and PLG. Will Bucky have a three-peat win in San Jose? Stay tuned to find out.
Finally, the final event of the Vans Invitational was Sunday. They definitely saved the best for last in Portland as Freestyle Motocross Finals went down inside the Rose Garden Arena in front of a packed house of Oregonians. Kenny "The Cowboy" Bartram takes his second win of the Tour and maintains the lead in points for Freestyle Motocross. Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg placed fourth and is only fifty points behind Bartram in the points race. It is truly anybody's game in Freestyle Motocross, and with two stops remaining, Freestyle Motocross will be a heated battle until the end.
After three stops of the Dew Action Sports Tour, we have seen the level of riding progress to an incredible level. The competition is heated and the battle for the Dew Cup becomes ever more intense. We have yet to see anyone three-peat on the Tour thus far.
Portland has it all whether you're looking for snow, skate, or surf. The city has had a longstanding commitment to action sports, and Vans Shoes has surely recognized this. See what Vans and the Dew Action Sports Tour are doing to further support these sports in Oregon...
The Dew Action Sports Tour kicked off the Vans® Invitational with a press conference at Portland's Rose Quarter on Thursday, July 21.
At the press conference, Wade Martin, General Manager of the Dew Action Sports Tour, publicly thanked both state and city officials for their support and celebrated Portland's longstanding commitment to the growth of action sports. Martin was joined by Mayor Tom Potter of Portland and a host of other local dignitaries. Also present was Gresham, Oregon native and Tour freestyle motocross athlete Beau Bamberg, who discussed the Tour's arrival in his home state.
Vans®, title sponsor of the Portland stop of the Dew Action Sports Tour and makers of the original skate shoe, used the press conference to announce their support for Portland's initiative to build public skateparks. Chris Overholser, Senior Communications Manager at Vans®, presented a $10,000 donation to Portland Parks and Recreation to be used for new skatepark construction.
"We're excited to work with the Portland Parks & Recreation in their efforts to give skaters more places to ride," said Chris Strain, Vans® Vice President of Marketing. "The Portland skate community, including those that made Burnside a reality, has set the standard for the rest of the world in skatepark design, development, and construction. We're pleased to assist Portland in this innovative new skatepark program."
Zari Santer, Director of Portland Parks & Recreation, accepted the donation from Vans®. "Portland has learned from the example of other cities that one skatepark does not meet the incredible demand for this action sport. We need partners such as Vans, along with the local enthusiasm of skaters, to build our vision for an extensive system of 19 skateparks," said Santer.
To further their commitment to the city of Portland, Vans® will host a professional skate clinic on August 17. All proceeds from the clinic will be donated to the Portland Parks & Recreation' skatepark development program. Details on the clinic, including registration forms, will be available at local Portland skate shops and on www.vans.com in the coming weeks.
