Dew Tour Ocean City 2014 Complete Event Wrap Up
The 2014 Dew Tour Beach Championships went off in Ocean City this weekend. Returning to Maryland for the fourth consecutive year, Dew Tour came back better than ever with a lineup of world-class athletes and music acts. Celebrating the 10-year anniversary, Dew Tour history was made as athletes young and old came to prove themselves.
The week was filled with memorable moments, but the hometown crowd was most excited to see Maryland native Bucky Lasek take home a Dew Cup. After a disappointing showing during vert, Lasek stepped it up and took home his first Beach Championships’ Skate Bowl title, which made the local crowd go wild with Maryland pride.
The biggest buzz of the weekend, however, may have been Jamie Bestwick’s win in BMX Vert. The reigning champion made Dew Tour history when he won his tenth consecutive Dew Cup, proving him to be unstoppable despite the threat of the youth.
Topping off the week of BMX, Surf and Skate madness, Cage the Elephant and GRiZ headlined two amazing back-to-back nights of music on the beach, making it a weekend to never forget!
Skaters, Friday concert
Look below for a taste of the action and be sure to click through to the full recaps for videos, photos and all the info on how everything unfolded.
Kicking off the contests, the Skate Street Session had fans lining up in the sand to catch all of the action. The crowd was in a frenzy cheering on favorites like Kelvin Hoefler, Jordan Hoffart, Theotis Beasley and Dave Bachinsky.
Last year’s runner-up, Kelvin Hoefler was the man to watch. He landed an insane amount of technical tricks – front blunt on the hubba ledge, nollie front blunt on the rail, kickflip front lipslide on the rail, kickflip back lipslide on the rail and a switch backside lipslide. Making him the overall winner and the Best Trick winner for his 360 flip lipslide.
1. Kelvin Hoefler
Best Trick – Kelvin Hoefler
Click to see Skate Street Session article, photo gallery and highlight video.
BMX Park returned to Ocean City for its fourth showing. This year the list of riders was stacked with talent. Covering over 74,000 combined miles, athletes from all over the world traveled to Ocean City to prove their dominance.
In the final run of the event, it all came together for top qualifier Andy Buckworth. Buckworth dethroned current leader and defending champion, Ryan Nyquist and took the top spot.
If his no-handed double backflip, front flip, and handplant flip weren’t enough, Buckworth went ahead and threw the first-ever double flair attempt at a BMX Park event, as an after thought for the crowd. Although, he wasn’t able to land the trick, Buckworth had already put down a solid run and taken his first-ever Dew Tour victory.
Brett Banasiewicz celebrating with Andy Buckworth
1. Andy Buckworth
2. Ryan Nyquist
Click to see BMX Park article, photo gallery and highlight video.
The BMX Street Session was stacked with heavy hitters. The session was filled with intensity as the riders and friends pushed each other and delivered some of the most technical bangers out there.
The most impressive moment came from last year’s champion, Dan Lacey. Lacey put down a 360 over the rail to ice pick – rightfully winning him the Best Trick title.
The true champion of the session was young gun Stevie Churchill. The 19-year old put down bangers like a suicide no-hander, 540 the stairs, truckdriver over the rail, 180 barspin over the rail and an insane suicide to ice pick on the rail.
1. Stevie Churchill
Best Trick – Dan Lacey
Click to see BMX Street Session article, photo gallery and highlight video.
The Skate Vert final had many people wondering who was going to take the Cup before it even began. The final was stacked with the likes of Sandro Dias, Pierre-Luc Ronchetti, Jimmy Wilkins, Marcelo Bastos and more.
It was hometown hero Bucky Lasek that the crowds came to see, but in very uncharacteristic fashion Lasek was not able to put together any of his four runs. This left the door open for Pierre-Luc Gagnon to swoop the win. PLG put down an alley-oopkickflip mute, switch heelflip 360, nollie heelflip McTwist, and a nollie bigspin heelflip right at the buzzer. PLG is no stranger to the Cup, this win marks his fifth Dew Cup, an outstanding half of the ten Cups in existence.
1. Pierre-Luc Gagnon
2. Jimmy Wilkins
3. Sandro Dias
Click to see Skate Vert article, photo gallery and highlight video.
As the Dew Tour Beach Championships started to a close, there was one event that hometown crowds were dying to see – the skate bowl final. After a disappointing show in vert, Bucky Lasek was hungry for a chance to prove himself. In the absence of three-time champion Pedro Barros, the competition seemed wide open.
The superfinal was heated, Lasek had seemed to snake the lead in his second run, there was no reassurance as his fellow competitors still had tricks to pull. Tom Schaar hit a 720 just outside the buzzer two runs in a row, the pressure was on as he went in to his last run hoping to knock the hometown hero out. But it wouldn’t be enough to hold off Bucky.
With three flawless runs, the Maryland native pulled his final run and to the hometown crowd rejoiced as he nabbed the victory. Lasek now boasts back-to-back Beach Championship wins, making him a Maryland legend.
1. Bucky Lasek
2. Tom Schaar
3. Cory Juneau
Click to see Skate Bowl article, photo gallery and highlight video.
As the Dew Tour Beach Championships wrapped up, there was one event all of the fans were dying to see: BMX Vert. As Dew Tour celebrates its 10-year anniversary, so does BMX Vert. Reigning champion Jamie Bestwick was out to do the impossible, win ten consecutive Dew Cups in ten years. If it was possible for anyone, it was Bestwick, but it wouldn’t come without a fight.
Australian Vince Byron set the bar high with his first run, but the 90 flat wouldn’t be enough to hold off Jamie Bestwick.
Bestwick’s second run included his signature alley-oop 540, a downside whip, flair tailwhip and a dialed frontflip flair. It was just enough to bump the champion 0.75 ahead of Byron and do the impossible: win ten consecutive Dew Cups.
1. Jamie Bestwick
2. Vince Byron
3. Simon Tabron
Click to see BMX Vert article, photo gallery and highlight video.
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