george crosland photo blog

Vert
1 Bucky Lasek
2 PLG
3 Shaun White
4 Andy Mac
5 Anthony Furlong
6 Jean Postec
7 Adam Taylor
8 Sandro Dias
9 Bob Burnquist
10 Danny Meyer

Overall
1 Shaun White
2 Bucky Lasek
3 PLG
4 Burnquist
5 Andy Mac

Street
1 Greg Lutzka
2 Sheckler
3 Rodil Jr.
4 Fabrizio Santos
5 Carlos De Andrade
6 Chaz Ortiz
7 Austen Seaholm
8 Danny Fuenzalida
9 Jason Barr
10 Mike Peterson
11 Rodolfo Ramos
12 Thomas Parent

Overall
1 Ryan Sheckler
2 Greg Lutzka
3 Rodolfo Ramos
4 Austen Seaholm
5 Carlos DeAndrade
6 Fabrizio Santos
7 Kurtis Colamonico
8

Sure there are a lot of sick skaters on the Dew Tour but according to the young female fans in Salt Lake, there is only one, Ryan Sheckler. After placing second in last nights best trick jam Ryan lived up to his TV fame by winning Street and securing the overall points lead for the 2007 Dew Tour. Even if Ryan is a no show for the final round and the next closest skater wins, Ryan still wins the overall. So, Ryan is king of skate, the TV screen and of the ladies. At one point early on Sunday morning, it was very quiet and all the boys were practicing, some girl in the crowd starts screaming out “Look at his butt. Look at his butt” The skaters tried to ignore the moment; Ryan kind of muttered to himself “I am over it” skated off and signed autographs on the other side of the course. At that moment it became clear that skateboarding has become so big as to transcend the sport it self. There is the real skateboarding you and I do, alone with our friends and the “reality” skateboarding of big events and TV. Love it or hate it, it all brings money into the sport, more parks, and more opportunities to make money doing what you love instead of working in a crypt. I must get back to the task at hand though….

The park event was delayed, due to a thorough rain on Saturday, until Sunday morning at 10:15 am. The early start time definitely was not in tune to the skate lifestyle. Greg Lutzka said “It is hard to skate this early”. The only ones that did seem to be fazed by the early time were the Brazilians. Rodolfo Ramos and Rodil Jr. hit the practice session full speed ahead while Ryan and Lutzka kind of cruised around.

The Brazilians ability to skate early worked for them as they took 4 of the top 5 spots. Even though Ryan won, it came down to the last jam session for Ryan to wake up and take it from Rodolfo Ramos. Ryan busted out a 360 kickflip over the gap, kickflip to front board and other stunts to take it. The Ramos trick list included; switch front 180 board, backside over crooks, front 180 switch crooked grind and more kiddies.

When the dust cleared it looked like this

1) Ryan Sheckler
2) Rodolfo Ramos
3) Rodil Jr.
4) Tulio de Olivera
5) Danny De Rosario
6) Austen Seaholm
7) Fabrizio Santos
Chad Fernandez
9) Greg Lutzka
10) Mathieu Theres
11) Pete Eldridge
12) Chris Cudlipp

Chad Fernandez melon’s over the hip

Ryan Sheckler – blunt

Greg Lutzka checks the slipperiness’ of the course while waking up

Saturday nights big winner Pete Eldridge

The course – could you rip it?

Drying off after the rain

Here is the line Saturday night, in the rain, after the event was over. These no doubt were Ryan Sheckler fans, no self respecting skater would wait through this, ha.

Danny De Rosario – front blunt

Austen Seaholm tip toes through a 270

Fabrizio Santos – front flip up the euro gap

Rodil Jr. heelflips over the big transfer into third place

Lutzka – half cab to front board

Ryan Sheckler – feebs

Chris Cudlipp skates a lot of tranny. So what is he doing in a street final? Tranny skaters stay on all their tricks which really counts in a street contest. No 69 tries for one 360 flip down Wallenburg in a contest – you gotta stick everything

Rodolfo Ramos – 5-0 up and out to second place

Ryan stokes out some fans

What does Debra here have to do with skateboarding? Nothing, but this was the scene in my Hotel Room on Sunday morning – no joke, so it is related to Salt Lake City

Skateboarding is about adapting. The Cops kick you out from one spot – go find another, skaters have been adapting since the existence of the sport. It should come as no surprise then that when the skatepark finals were delayed on Saturday night due to a Salt Lake City rainstorm that a bunch of the skaters just went inside, commandeered, the BMX park course and an un-scheduled best trick jam ensued on a BMX step up or massive Euro gap from hell!

This contest was not on the schedule but when Dave Duncan saw the skaters throwing hammers on the gap he was like fuck the rain, let’s throw a contest right here, right now. Total spontaneity, like skateboarding itself. From the getty Austen Seaholm, Chris Cudlipp, Chad Fernandez, Pete Eldridge and Ryan Sheckler were looking very strong. Sheckler did a kickflip indy 180 up the gap. About halfway into the jam Greg Lutzka showed up and slammed down a frontside kickflip 3 to handle 3rd place. Sheckler followed with a massive gap kickflip off a twelve foot high platform. Some website say it 17 feet high, I would say twelve but fuck it, it was huge. Sheckler actually did it before the “contest” started, just for fun. The gap was so big that every time he bailed people wondered how he got back up. All that, and Ryan got 2nd place. Pete Eldridge locked down first with a nollie 360 up the gap. A little controversy followed; many thought Ryan should have won. Either way is fun, you decide the winner; a huge kickflip or a nollie three, brawn or grace?

Every cloud has a silver lining. The rain that shut down the street finals led to the best trick jam

Greg Lutzka – Front kickflip 360 with mad freakin style

Here is Shecklers massive kickflip in the finals

Here is Shecklers massive fickflip in practice, yea you get to see it twice

Pete Eldridge warms up for his wining trick with this front 3

Chris Cudlipp – big spin lien grab, I believe

Austen Seaholm – varial tailgrab, by the looks of the monster gap, just getting up it took massive cajones

Warm up with a kick flip 180 indy grab

Lutzka, Sheckler and Duncan

Shane – collecting his loot for a dare to streak (in his underwear, ho hum) around the arena

Like the Beatles were there – Shecklers insane fans

Event winner Pete Eldridge

Podium, l-r, Austen Seaholm (4th), Ryan Sheckler (2nd), and Greg Lutzka (3rd)

1 Pete Eldridge – nollie 360 up
2 Ryan Sheckler – gap kickflip down
3 Greg Lutzka – front kickflip 3

Made a 400 mile detour from a trip today to go cover the Vans Invitational event in Portland Oregon. I had covered it two years ago and it seems like there were more fans, more crowds and more enthusiasm in 2007. It was super cool to see some friends there but kind of a drag that I can only cover street today and have to keep moving South tomorrow. Like I said, I am on another trip and just wanted to cover what I could for the Revolution. The skating was sick too. I drove from Boise, Idaho, left there at 7 am, stopped at the hotel to drop my things off and got to the venue just in time for finals. The finals consisted of 12 skaters that got 2 runs each. After the 2 runs were completed, the top 6 moved on to compete in 2 five minute jams on two different sections of the course. It was a good time to watch. Everyone wanted more action as opposed to many contests that drag on for a while

Paul Rodriguez Kickflips to front board. P-Rod’s runs were plagued by multiple falls and he was stuck with 12th place

Danny de Rosario flips to back lip. Out of the 12 finalists, 5 were from Brazil, what gives? What is in the water down there, Cocaine?

Jereme Rogers getting his stretch on before hitting the course

For all the Ryan Sheckler stalkers, here is what he was wearing. The girls in the crowd were going nuts for this kid. I was thinking “No one even notices haow sick Fabrizio is skating, they just care about Shecks”

Sheckler with a back over crooks

Jereme Rogers flips backside over the hip transfer

Paul Rodriguez flips a big one up the euro gap

Rodolfo Ramos gets tech and big with this backside 180 heelflip over the hip

Carlos De Andrade - BIG Front Flip up the euro gap

Peace Bro

Danny Fuenzalida Back Crooks - Miami Style? What is Miami Styles? Like topless models on the beach? Cocaine in a fast boat, Burger King?

Danny de Rasario - nollie back crooks

Wagner Ramos

Just because Greg Lutzka wears a brixton hat does not mean you can. Greg Lutzka wins the the Dew Tour, he can wear whatever he wants

Chad Fernandez skates Glendale from time to time and he made the finals. Chad is fun to watch, he always puts 100 percent into it

Breakin’ - the new skateboard half time show?

Sheckler with a big ol’ frontside air - mixing some tranny tricks into his routine

Jake Brown, maybe the most famous athlete of the 07 X Games was up and about

Fabrizio Santos - front heel into third place

Doubles with Shecks and Lutzka, talk about a heavy group, we are talking 1 and 2

Ryan was pretty much winning until the last 5 minute jam, were he seemed to injure his elbow. It really seemed to bug him and he got knocked down to second place by Greg Lutzka

Greg Lutzka stoking out a fan with his victory board

l-r, Fabrizio Santos, Greg Lutzka and Ryan Sheckler. Sheckler seemed unhappy with his performance in the last 5 minutes

Street Results
1 Greg Lutzka
2 Ryan Sheckler
3 Fabrizio Santos
4 Austen Seaholm
5 Carlos De Andrade
6 Chad Fernandez
7 Danilo de Rosario
8 Danny Fuenzalida
9 Jereme Rogers
10 Rodolfo Ramos
11 Wagner Ramos
12 Paul Rodriguez

The Course