Extreme sports tour has hit big time

It just might be a parent's nightmare. The long-haired, baggy-pants kids have hit the big time.

But what those parents might not realize is exactly how big, and how successful those long-haired, baggy-pants kid are. In fact, when the AST Dew Tour rolls into town next weekend it will come with multi-million dollar prize purses, live national television coverage, a bevy of rock star caliber athletes and the eyes and hearts of tens of thousands of local fans — many of them wishing they could be the next Tony Hawk, Shaun White or Dave Mirra.

"This is something I never imagined I'd be doing for a job," Tim "Fuzzy" Hall said. "I grew up just peddling around town as a kid and now I'm going all over the world riding my bike and competing."

Hall, who will turn 37 a week after the Dew Tour's Salt Lake City stop, is one of the oldest competitors. He's also a Brigham City native who has joined the tour as its BMX dirt park designer. He's helping to coordinate a massive overhaul of a chunk of downtown, turning a parking lot into a venue soon to be filled with thousands of screaming fans.

"I've been pushing for the Dew Tour to stop in Salt Lake for years," Hall said. "I'm so excited to be doing this here for all the people I've grown up with."

The Dew Tour is one of the biggest events of its kind in the country. With EnergySolutions Arena and the entire block northeast of the arena being transformed to an extreme sports paradise, there will be enough high-flying, death-defying action to keep energy drink producers in business for months.

While vert ramps, half pipes and tons of dirt will be brought in and installed over the next couple of days, the real action begins on Wednesday with several hours of practice runs designed to allow athletes to map out the courses and begin planning their crowd-thrilling aerial displays. The freestyle motocross (FMX) riders are the first allowed onto their practice runs and will be revving their engines at 10 a.m.

The popular skateboard vert and BMX vert practices start inside EnergySolutions Arena at 1 p.m.

Things get serious on Thursday with prelims in all specialties beginning with the BMX dirt racers outdoors at 3 p.m. The indoor fun tips off across the street 30 minutes later with the skateboard and BMX tricks taking off. FMX caps the night's festivities at 7:30 with the skateboard park riders going off at nearly the same time in a different corner of the block.