See What the Athletes Think of the Courses, Competitions

With a full slate of prelims ahead for Thursday, we caught up with a few Dew Tour pros to get their take on the courses here in Portland.

Part of the beauty of the Dew Tour is that the course is different for every stop, which both the skaters and the BMXers appreciate.

“I like the change, that it’s not the same ramp every stop and they change it up and keep it fresh,” said Bucky Lasek, who’s set to compete in skate vert prelims from 3:30-5pm. “It’s more exciting. I dig the hole, I dig the gap. I love it. Everyone’s getting it dialed in today for prelims.”

         

Bob Burnquist                                                      Rob Lorifice

Skate vert prelims kick off the day’s competitions, followed by skate park from 5:30-7:30pm and then BMX dirt prelims to round it all out from 7-9pm. And it seems like across the board, the courses have the approval of the Dew Tour athletes.

“I like the course a lot. It’s a bit different with a lot more transition, so I think it could be a bit of a challenge,” said Tyler Hendley of the skate park course located outdoors. “You’ll see some of the normal skaters have to skate a little differently; you aren’t going to see the same tricks. My favorite thing is where the picnic bench is, I like that gap because it’s big and wide.”

“Fuzzy and his crew did an awesome job on the course,” added Ryan Nyquist, who won the BMX dirt competition in Portland last year. “It’s big and it’s smooth, which is perfect. The fact that we’re indoors is real good, and it seems like they got really creative with the course. It will make for a lot of good riding. I think with the course and its layout, it’s going to be a really good contest.”

Colton Satterfield

As for predictions, it seems like it could be anyone’s game all weekend long.

“For dirt, Brett Banasiewicz,” said Andy Buckworth. “He’s amazing. He’s absolutely killing it. I think he has a really good chance of winning again. I’m going to go ahead and call it out – top three, top five at the worst. But I think everyone out here could pull out a win.”

“Brett had a really good event in Chicago, in his first ever dirt competition,” agreed Nyquist. “All eyes are on him to see what he can do. I always say this, but there are so many guys that can win this contest that it really just comes down to who has the best day.”

“Bob is killing it, Shaun and Pedro are both skating good, and Pierre’s always a good bet,” Lasek added.

Jordan Hoffart

“This could be anybody’s game, because it’s not the same course as in Boston,” Hendley said. “It’s a bit tighter, and the real street skaters could have their time to shine. I think SoCal is on the come-up at this stop because you get the elements of real skateboarding.”

Guess you’ll just have to come down to the Rose Quarter to see how it all pans out.

Speaking of which, click here for tickets, and here for the full schedule of events.