Competition at the second stop of the Tour, the Right Guard Open in Denver in early July, witnessed some of the most well known veterans in action sports battling it out against a bevy of talented newcomers for the top spots in the Tour’s standings. Highlights from the Right Guard Open include:
- Australia’s Ryan Guettler proved himself as one of the top athletes to watch when he became the first two-discipline winner on the Dew Action Sports Tour with victories in both BMX Park and Dirt. Guettler’s winning score in BMX Park was 93.75, besting Allan Cooke of Greenville, N.C., who stood at 89.75 and Rob Darden of Greenville, N.C., who earned a score of 88.75. Guettler came back in the BMX Dirt competition, the final event of the Right Guard Open, to score 94.88 points for the double victory. Fellow Aussie Cameron White was second at 90.50 and Chris Doyle of Pittsburgh, Pa. was third at 89.25.
- Great Britain’s Jamie Bestwick recorded one of the highest scores in BMX Vert history while knocking heads with another Greenville, N.C. star, Dave Mirra. Mirra scored a 94.25 in his first run and Bestwick responded with a winning score of 96.00. Chad Kagy of Gilroy, Calif. was third at 92.75.
- Bucky Lasek of Baltimore, Md., triumphed over Canada’s Pierre-Luc Gagnon for the win in the Skateboard Vert finals. Lasek’s winning run featured a number of technical tricks, highlighted by a front side heelflip gay twist. Lasek narrowly edged Gagnon with a score of 92.50 to 91.75.
- Freestyle Motocross saw Kenny Bartram of Stillwater, Okla., and Jeremy Stenberg of Winchester, Calif., battle it out. Bartram came out on top, 94.60-94.30. Norway’s Ailo Gaup was third at 93.00.
- Ryan Sheckler, 15-year-old skateboard phenom from San Clemente, Calif., dominated the Skateboard Park finals with a score of 91.50. Jereme Rogers of Wood Hills, Calif. was second at 87.0 and Chad Fernandez of Los Angeles was third at 86.0.
Portland will also host the finals of the Dew Action Sports Tour’s amateur series, the Free Flow Tour. Skateboard and BMX winners from Free Flow Tour events held around the country from May through August, will be flown to the Vans® Invitational to compete in the Free Flow Tour Finals. One overall champion will be crowned in each sport and will receive a wild-card entry into the final stop of the Dew Action Sports Tour, the PlayStation® Pro in Orlando, where they will compete against the pros.
From opening until 9 p.m. every day, fans can explore the Dew Action Sports Tour’s Festival Village, showcasing lifestyle elements, video gaming and interactive courses. Three cutting edge bands will headline Festival Village’s music stage: on Thursday, Aug. 18, Cold with Smile Empty Soul will perform, and on Saturday, Aug. 20, Switchfoot will take to the stage. In addition to competitions in skateboarding, BMX, and freestyle motocross, the Vans® Invitational will also feature a Snowboard Rail Jam in the Lower Festival Village on Aug. 19, featuring 10 top male snowboarding athletes.
Daily tickets to the Vans® Invitational are $12 or $35 for a four-day pass and are available at Ticketmaster locations, ticketmaster.com and the Rose Quarter box office. Included in the price of admission are all competitions, the Festival Village, the music concerts, and the Snowboard Rail Jam.
