Dew Tour challenge: Action sports stars to roll into Salt Lake

Bob Burnquist's introduction to skateboarding was rather unremarkable.

"I had let a friend borrow a little indoor soccer ball I had and he lost it," said Burnquist, who was 10 years old at the time. "He gave me this little fiberglass skateboard (to make up for it), and it was old at the time. I just messed around on it."

Burnquist, who grew up in Brazil with an American father and a Brazilian mother, played baseball and soccer until he could no longer resist the lure of the skateboard.

"Once skateboarding grabbed my attention, that was it," he said. "That took all my time away. I never thought about my future. I was just living in the moment, just trying to have the most fun I could have."

Burnquist will be in Salt Lake this weekend to compete in the Dew Tour's Toyota Challenge. It is the fourth of five competitions on the Dew Tour's five-city circuit. The events begin with qualifying today and wrap up Sunday.

This weekend's competition is a veritable who's who in action sports, from legend Dave Mirra to Jamie Bestwick in the BMX competition, to Greg Lutzka, Bob Burnquist, Paul Rodrigues and 14-year-old Chaz Ortiz in skateboarding.

The most well-known skateboarder to casual fans is Ryan Sheckler, who starred in the reality show "Life of Ryan." Sheckler's boyish good looks made him a fan favorite for teenage girls, but his dominance of the skate park earned him respect among his peers.

Sheckler will not be competing in the Toyota Challenge this weekend due to an injury, but he will be coming to Salt Lake City to sign autographs and hang out with fans at an appearance organized by one of his sponsors.

Despite Sheckler's absence, there will still be plenty of familiar faces, including the young Ortiz, who won the event in Salt Lake City last year.

The increase in youthful winners on the Dew Tour, and in action sports in general, is something trailblazers like 35-year-old Dave Mirra didn't foresee when they began competing.

"Seeing the way the sport has moved is interesting," said Mirra, who isn't surprised action sports continue to attract both participants and fans. "The age (of competitors) is amazing. I would never have imagined that."

Ortiz was juggling skateboarding competitions with middle-school homework when he shocked everyone last season.

Lutzka said he remembers when Sheckler started competing professionally.