Pedro Barros Is New To The Dew Tour
At the ripe old age of 14, Brazilian skater Pedro Barros burst onto the skate scene at the 2009 Pro-Tec Pool Party. “Who IS that kid?” was the talk poolside as he made it to the finals and had a stellar fourth-place finish. This year Pedro continued his bowl riding terror winning the first four events he entered including both the Bowl-A-Rama’s in New Zealand and Australia as well as the two Florida Bowlriders events. With so much early success Pedro turned Pro for Pocket Pistols skateboards in March and scored another fourth-place finish at this year’s Pro-Tec Pool Party. He skates fast and furious and has an arsenal of 540 variations beyond his age. He now has his sights on the Dew Tour and will be competing in the Vert qualifiers in Boston this weekend. We caught up with the Brazilian wonder kid and here is what he had to say about making a run for the Dew Tour.
Why do you to want to do the Dew Tour?
A lot of people talk about it so I wanted to try too. It’s very quiet where I live, so if I have a chance to go to an event where the crowds are, I go. Everyone is going to be there. It’s going to be such a good experience for me.
What are your goals and expectations going into the Dew Tour season? Are you looking to make top-10, top-20 or just qualify?
For me, any results will be sick. I have the chance to go so I’m happy with that.
Any stops that you’re really psyched on being at?
I’m really psyched to be at the first one. I’ve never been to Boston and all my friends are going to be there. It will be a very competitive contest because everyone wants to qualify.
Ever skated on live TV before?
A few times. Last time it was in Brazil for the Mega Ramp contest. There were more than 20 million people watching!!!! Can you believe it! In Sao Paulo, for every 10 TV’s, eight of them were tuned in to that contest.
If you make it on the Tour you’ll be one of the youngest athletes. Does it make you nervous competing against the veterans?
No, I feel very comfortable. I know they are much better then me so I’m just there to learn.
Pedro spins 540’s in his sleep, here’s a massive one at the Vans Combi Pool
There’s a crew of young guys too, what other young vert guys on the Dew Tour are you stoked on?
Man, Alex Perelson is the one! He is my favorite at the moment.
Have you followed the Dew Tour in years past and what stands out about the Tour?
I think the Dew Tour is the most competitive Tour. Skaters go there and they go hard!
There’s quite a few Brazilians that have had success on the Dew Tour (Bob Burnquist, Sandro Dias, Lincoln Ueda), are any of those guys your heroes?
Lincoln is one of my favorite skaters of all time. His style is unique. He skates vert like it should be, with height and style. He flies!
What other U.S. contests are you looking to do this year?
X Games, Maloof and Mega Ramp are the vert ones. I love bowl skating, so whenever there’s a bowl contest somewhere good, I always try to go.
What did you think of the mini mega in China?
Fun. Lots of fun.
Style beyond his years, Indy Nose Bone to fakie at Bondi Bowl
Have you skated Bob’s MegaRamp yet?
Bob put me on that thing! I was 12 years old and he said that I was ready to do it, so I did.
Have you competed in a lot of contests in Brazil, and if so, what were some of your biggest wins?
Yes in Brazil we have a lot of vert contests. My biggest win in Brazil was at the Gas Festival as an Am.
What Brazilian skaters inspire you the most?
Bob, Lincoln and Marcelo Kosake. Kosake is a monster!
Do you consider yourself more of a bowl skater or a vert skater, and why?
Bowl skater for sure. I spent my entire life skating bowl.
Which do you like best, vert or bowl?
Both.
How long have you had the bowl in your backyard?
Forever.
What other things do you like to do besides skating?
Surf and soccer!
Going big is in his nature, frontside stalefish around the corner at Bondi
The Skate Open includes the International Skateboarding Federation’s (ISF) Skateboarding World Championships at Boston’s TD Garden, June 25-26, and features both men’s and women’s skate park and vert competitions.
For all the details, visit the Dew Tour’s Boston event page here.
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