Dew Tour 2022 opened on Thursday night with an informal Cash For Tricks jam session on the Street course, focused on three different features on the course: judges handed over anywhere from $20 to $100 for standout landed tricks on the Teck Deck ledge feature, the Air Force gap jump, and the 9-stair handrails that will be the scene of some of the biggest tricks in this week’s Finals.
The overall $500 cash prizes and trophy Nixon watches went to 14-year-old Rayssa Leal, the Brazilian skater who has become one of the highest-profile people in skateboarding over the last year, and Chris Joslin, a skater beloved for his video parts but not as well known for his contest skating.
Leal landed a backside tailslide to frontside shove-it on the Teck Deck ledge, a heeflip over the Air Force gap, and a kickflip back lip down the 9-stair rail.
“I’m pretty stoked to be here again, with some different obstacles this year, and tonight got me super excited: I can’t wait to see all the other girls rip it in the contest,” Leal said.
Leal’s silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics, a win at X Games Chiba in April, and multiple Street League wins (including a win two weeks ago in Jacksonville, Florida) have helped raise her profile.
“It’s super fun to gave these back-to-back-to-back-to-back contests every weekend this summer,” Leal said. “I like that pressure from everybody skating at such a high level.
Leal finished 2nd at Dew Tour in 2021, behind three-time champion Pamela Rosa, who has been a friend and mentor to Leal since she first popped on the scene at age 7.
“Pamela is my friend, and she skates so fast and crazy good that it’s inspiring,” Leal said. “I’m happy when she wins something and when we’re together on the podium. We push each other and grow together, so I’m always looking forward to skating with her and the other girls.”
Joslin took home the overall prize on the men’s side, thanks to a backside noseblunt on the Teck Deck bump-to-ledge feature, a nollie backside 360 heelflip over the U.S. Air Force gap jump, and switch frontside kickflip over 9-stair handrail.
“It’s great to be back at Dew Tour: it’s a great skatepark, a lot of cool obstacles, very well built,” Joslin said. “It’s amazing to start things off with a high-energy jam contest like this because it gets the vibes going and gets everybody juiced up to skate the things that they’re going to have to skate in the Final, in a way that is going to prepare us really well. Now that we’ve all seen amazing tricks go down and seen some of what everybody has planned, it has the wheels turning: what else is possible out there?”
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