Yea, it is not the Sheckler tour it is the Panasonic Open or stop #1 of the Dew Tour. It’s just that Ryan Sheckler pretty much dominated, just like he did last year and the year before, uh and the year before. Yea Ryan has that TV show that is so weak even my girlfriend thinks he is a sissy but love him or hate him, he pretty much rules on a skateboard. Not too mention he can put so many tricks together that a 60 second run is no problem. Besides, his interview in The Skateboard Mag was pretty good, makes up for the TV show, We are not talking 30 tries for one trick, try like a dozen or whatever – all stuck. So I can not be included in the Sheckler hater group, sorry the 18 year rips and has for a long time.
Enough about Ryan, he won, you got it. First it should be said that the Dew Tour actually sold out in Baltimore, in fact people with tickets could not get in for a while. So that sucks for the fans that could not get in but the crowds were totally stoked to be there so that was good energy. It was also hot and humid but as P-rod said “we have been doing the Dew Tour for awhile and there are always stops with hot weather so no big deal”. The street course was mixed together with the bike street course and that meant there were some big features not normally seen. That was interesting but most skaters stuck to the skateboarding side. The format was two one minute runs and a little jam session at the end for 6 finalists. They mixed the two scores together somehow.
Finally, it is cool that some wildcard skaters can get into the Dew Tour through the prelims. One such wildcard was fourteen year old Chaz Ortiz from Chicago. Chaz got into the Dew Tour last year but this was his actual pro contest and he is one to watch for in the future. Now he just has to walk that line in skateboarding and not get stuck as the contest kid but then again how else does a 14 year kid get started in skateboarding when you are from Chicago?
Here is Camden yard, were Cal Ripken played and what my Grandma called the saltshaker. My Grandma actually went to college in Baltimore
Oh man, a soft pretzel with some crab stuff, cheese and old bay seasoning and a Yuengling – so good
Here is the course with the skate stuff on the right and the bike stuff on the left and the stadium were the Baltimore Ravens play
Ryan with a kickflip to back lip
Chaz Ortiz does a nollie to back lip which helped launch him into 3rd place in his first pro contest
P-rod up close and personal, Paul Rodriguez got second place
Ryan Sheckler was one of the few to utilize the bike features – big ollie transfer
Chad Bartie at 31 was the oldest guy there
The crowd had me pinned in
Austen Seaholm qualified first from the prelims – front 270
Jereme Rogers was not in the finals but he still rules
Ryan Sheckler – fakie to switch over crooks
The Sheckler family, while Ryan waits for his score
Chris Mendes was another new comer in the finals, kickflip to noseblunt for the 19 year old from Moreno Valley California
Chaz Ortiz – nollie big spin to back lip. Chaz said “My 1st run was better than my second but the jam is coming up and I like the jam format better”
Another lip slide but switch back lip form P-rod this time
Rodolfo “Goo Goo” Ramos hardflip. Goo Goo was one of the 5 Brazilians in the finals
Greg Lutzka performs a front cab 270 over the hip that according to Dave Duncan “Is a standard hip you could see at any skatepark”
Jereme Rogers – kickflip to crooks
Chaz Ortiz – stoked to be on a podium at 14 years old
The winners, Chaz Ortiz, Ryan Sheckler and Paul Rodriguez right after the results were announced
1 Ryan Sheckler 94.65
2 Paul Rodriguez 89.8
3 Chaz Ortiz 89.55
4 Greg Lutzka 81.75
5 Chad Bartie 78.55
6 Austen Seaholm 78.50
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