Turnout impresses Dew Tour

If the attendance figures are any indication of whether or not a conservative Utah would embrace the wild-and-crazy AST Dew Tour, any notion it would be a failure can be put to rest.

A record crowd of 61,910 attended the X Games-type sporting event over four days that saw a good portion of downtown Salt Lake City turned upside down as many of the biggest names in action sports descended on the Beehive State and put on a show that very well may result in the Dew Tour putting Salt Lake City on its calendar for years to come.

"I really don't think we could have asked for anything more," Jeff Robbins, president of the Utah Sports Commission, said after the final event — the skateboard vert — wrapped up inside EnergySolutions Arena. "This has been a great weekend not just for the fans and athletes, but it's been a great showcase for the state."

Sunday's three-event circus saw MTV reality show Ryan Sheckler win the rain-delayed Skateboard Park finals in front of an adoring crowd with a dominating performance in both jam sessions.

Scotty Cranmer made history in the BMX Park finals when he became the first rider to ever hit a front-flip tail-whip. His scintillating performance was barely enough to outpace an awe-inspiring effort from Ryan Guettler whose run including a 1080 jump followed by a double backflip in addition to a massive uphill frontflip intro.

The Skateboard Vert, the final event of the four-day tour stop, saw Olympic snowboarding gold medalist and multi-media darling Shaun White send waves of excitement into the crowd. His third-place finish was enough to lock up the series Dew Cup, but France's Pierre-Luc Gagnon threw together a flawlessly executed, high-risk, high-reward run as the last competitor to take to the half pipe. His 93.00 outdistanced Bucky Lasek's 91.00 and White's 89.00.

White, who held the lead after the first of three rounds, whipped out near the end of his final two rounds and was unable to put together the run he felt he had inside him.

His third run may have been enough to secure the event win, as well as the Dew Cup, but he lost his board with only a few seconds remaining and slid to the bottom of the ramp.

"It would have done some damage for sure," White said. "I think I would have ended up with that 93."

The Dew Tour, which wraps up next month in Orlando, recently announced it would start a winter sports tour in December 2008. Utah, Robbins said, is lobbying hard to be one of the three tour stops.