August 18, 2008

Dew Tour to Do Real Street Obstacles

For more than a decade, street skaters have rightly complained that so-called “street contests” never offer the types of ledges, rails and obstacles that you find in your typical cityscape of Anywhere, U.S.A. After all, when was the last time you were clacking down the sidewalk on your way to the local store when all of a sudden you came upon a 10-foot high Masonite monolith with metal coping being sessioned hard by the homies?

Well, it looks like the AST Dew Tour has finally gotten hip to this minor factoid of urban reality. The tour just announced that the upcoming Wendy’s Invitational, set for August 21-24 in Portland, Oregon, will feature all the elements of a shredable plaza including stairs, rails, jersey barriers, cement ledges, picnic table, fire hydrants, brick stamped Skatelite, and shrubbery.

The announcement has brought rave reviews from Eric Koston, Ryan Sheckler, Paul Rodriguez and Greg Lutzka, who are all slated to rip the event. Does this herald a new direction for the contest circus, I mean circuit? Only time will tell.

In the meantime, I’m still keeping an eye-out for the perfect natural fun box and flow section hidden among the wastelands of Suburbia.

- Brian Brannon

Posted at 9:36am
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