Did you know that for every ton of office paper, book reports, or love letters you recycle could save approximately 380 gallons of oil?  Or are you aware that about 50-100 species of plants and animals become extinct due to the destruction of their natural habitat?  Wrap your mind around this one – your urine has multiple beneficial uses.  Like peeing on your t-shirt then wrapping it around your head when you can’t escape the heat is a good way to keeping you cool.  Not just slang cool, but your temperature cool as well.   That one doesn’t really apply to saving the planet but I thought you should just know that fact.  

I’ve done my part.  Now it’s your turn to spread the wealth of knowledge.  The Element Team have definitely given their share of environmental awareness.  Their brand new “Power To The Planet” campaign gathered over 60 Element family members to share with you the viewer, why it’s important to save our planet and how essential it is to start now.  And you essentially don’t have to do that much.  Change your light bulbs to power saving bulbs.  Ride your board once a week instead of using your LIFTED CHEVY.  Maybe hang out with NUDIST.

Check out this VIDEO starring some of Element’s biggest names:  Mike Vallely, Chad Muska, Bucky Lasek.  Even some old faces like Jeremy Wray and Ray Barbee are part of the movement.  And listen to what they have to say.  Except for the go vegetarian part.  That would mean I would have to give up PIG KNUCKLES. MMmmm

It was supposed to be easy for Bucky — he was first in the points standing and needed a first or second-place finish (depending on where everyone else placed) to win his third Dew Cup.  Instead, he fell and ended up in last place, opening the contest up to Bob Burnquist, Andy Macdonald and Pierre-Luc Gagnon, who trailed him in the Dew Cup standings.

PLG took advantage by winning the contest with a huge 96.00 run — Andy Mac finished in second for the contest (and  only 13 points behind PLG in the Dew Cup race) and Danny Mayer came in third.  Burnquist ended up in sixth-place.

For PLG, the win comes three years after coming close to getting the Dew Cup in 2005 (he lost it when Lasek won it in the final contest).  PLG’s season has been a remarkable one outside the AST Dew Tour, with wins at the X Games and the Maloof Money Cup.  And while he has won at the Dew Tour before, this was his first win of the season (he had three second-place finishes).

Skate Vert Final Results – PlayStation Pro
October 18, 2008 – Orlando, FL
1. Pierre-Luc Gagnon, Canada, 96.00
2. Andy Macdonald, Boston, 87.00
3. Danny Mayer, Omaha, Neb., 86.00
4. Sandro Dias, Brazil, 85.25
5. Adam Taylor, Cocoa Beach, Fla., 81.00
6. Bob Burnquist, Brazil, 80.75
7. Anthony Furlong, Tampa, Fla., 79.50
8. Buster Halterman, Wellsville, Calif., 75.25
9. Jean Postec, France, 71.75
10. Bucky Lasek, Baltimore, 45.75

It took four years but Andy Macdonald has finally won an AST Dew Tour event, taking the Skate Vert finals at the Toyota Challenge in SLC on Sunday.

Macdonald edged Pierre-Luc Gagnon by a quarter-point to take the win, throwing a monkey wrench into the Dew Cup standings with one event left.  Each Dew Tour event has been won by a different skateboarder and only Shaun White, who competed only in the Right Guard Open, is out of the race for the Dew Cup.

Bucky Lasek (winner of the Panasonic Open) currently holds a slim 5-point lead over Bob Burnquist (who won last month’s Wendy’s Invitational).  Macdonald is in third, 15 points behind, while PLG is fourth, 17 points behind.

If Lasek wins next month’s PlayStation Pro, he is in line to win his third AST Dew Cup.  He can still take home the cup by coming in second (if PLG or Macdonald wins — depending on a tiebreaker).  Burnquist can take home the cup with a win or a significantly better finish than Macdonald and Lasek.  Even PLG has a shot, though he would have to win outright and hope for some strange results coming after him.

It is not known at this time if Shaun White will be competiting at the PlayStation Pro, though he is out of the running for the Dew Cup.  White won it last year.

Check out the full results below.

Skate Vert Final Results – Toyota Challenge
September 14, 2008 – Salt Lake City, UT

1st – Macdonald, Andy – 90.50
2nd – Gagnon, Pierre-Luc – 90.25
3rd – Burnquist, Bob – 88.25
4th – Taylor, Adam – 87.75
5th – Lasek, Bucky – 87.00
6th – Dias, Sandro – 82.75
7th – Bastos, Marcelo – 77.00
8th – Hendrix, Neal – 75.50
9th – Halterman, Buster – 68.75
10th – Perelson, Alex – 51.50

Skate Vert Prelim Results – Toyota Challenge
September 12, 2008 – Salt Lake City, UT

1st – Macdonald, Andy – 85.75
2nd – Dias, Sandro – 84.25
3rd – Perelson, Alex – 82.50
4th – Taylor, Adam – 79.75
5th – Bastos, Marcelo – 77.25
6th – Halterman, Buster – 75.75
7th – Hendrix, Neal – 73.25
8th – Millar, Renton – 71.00
9th – Stafford, Josh – 70.25
10th – Sloan, Elliot – 70.25
11th – Mayer, Danny – 64.75
12th – Furlong, Anthony – 64.25
13th – Ueda, Lincoln – 63.25
14th – Postec, Jean – 52.00
15th – Glifberg, Rune – 48.00
16th – Lorifice, Rob – 45.00

What does that mean exactly?  Good question.  I thought at first it meant that Ryan was the new spokesperson from Wendy’s Restaurants and that he would overtake the red headed girl as their spokesperson.  But actually the contest starts with you, the fans.  Voting, which began August 25th at the AST Dew Tour Portland Invitational.  Fans could view videos on AST.com where they would text which clip was their favorite.  Here were the other nominees…

- Ryan Guettler (BMX Dirt), pulled an impressive tailwhip Superman seat grab out of his bag of tricks during Finals. He’s currently ranked in the top 10 for season point’s standings. 

- Chad Kagy (BMX Vert), completed a flatspin 540 double tailwhip, which helped him take the win from defending Dew Cup champion Jamie Bestwick.

- Bucky Lasek (Skateboard Vert), pulled a stylish boneless rodeo frontside 540, and although Bob Burquist took the win, Lasek still holds the lead in the Race for the Cup.

- Daniel Dhers (BMX Park), marked a Dew Tour milestone when he completed the first 720 Can Can in AST competition. This trick helped him secure his third win of the season.

Sheckler wins $5,000, a PLAYSTATION®3 and a library of games to reward his skills.  Online polls open on the Monday following each event.

Pierre-Luc Gagnon found some redemption Saturday at the Wendy’s Invitational in Portland OR, after a tough showing last month in Cleveland’s Right Guard Open but it was veteran Bob Burnquist who ended up taking the top spot.  AST Dew Cup points leader Bucky Lasek had a tough day, coming in third while Sandro Dias, the top qualifier, finished fouth.

PLG won at the X Games earlier this month and also took the top prize at the Maloof Money Cup last month, but he’s been unable to secure a win at the Dew Tour.  He currently ranks third in the Dew Cup standings, within reach of leader Lasek and second-place skater Burnquist.  Shaun White, last month’s first-place winner at the Right Guard Open, did not participate in the contest and is out of the running for the Dew Cup championship, which he won last year.  Lasek won it in 2005 and 2006.

Due to NBC’s Olympic coverage, the event was not broadcast live and instead will be shown in one week on August 30th starting at 4 p.m. ET.

Here are the final results and keep reading for an official release from today’s action.

Skate Vert Final Results – Wendy’s Invitational
August 23, 2008 – Portland, OR

1st – Burnquist, Bob – 91.25
2nd – Gagnon, Pierre-Luc – 89.75
3rd – Lasek, Bucky – 86.50
4th – Dias, Sandro – 86.25
5th – Macdonald, Andy – 86.25
6th – Halterman, Buster – 85.25
7th – Taylor, Adam – 78.25
8th – Perelson, Alex – 77.00
9th – Lorifice, Rob – 73.00
10th – Stafford, Josh – 73.00

Veteran Vert Skaters Fighting Assault Of Young Guns In Race For Dew Cup

NEW YORK – Aug. 23, 2008 – Rising stars Adam Taylor, Alex Perelson, Rob Lorifice and Josh Stafford, all under the age of 20, may be the future of Vert, but the past and present kingpins are proving in the race for the 2008 Dew Cup that they aren’t quite ready to pass the torch yet. After Saturday’s Vert Finals at Portland’s Wendy’s Invitational, experienced veterans Bucky Lasek and Bob Burnquist are still holding down the top two spots in the vert standings.

With only two stops to go in the ‘08 season, the race for the cup is tight with the top four spots dominated by seasoned skaters separated by just 50 points.  With a third-place finish on Saturday, Lasek is still holding on to the top spot with 260 points.  But with his first victory of the season, Burnquist is stalking Lasek and trailing but by just 15 points.  Pierre-Luc Gagnon (PLG) trails Burnquist by only 22 points and perennial contender Andy Macdonald sits just 13 points behind PLG.

The 35-year-old Lasek, of Baltimore, Md., is not comfortable with his slim lead over the competition and knows he needs to skate his best in Salt Lake City and Orlando if he wants to win back the Dew Cup that he earned in ‘05 and ’06.

“I can’t believe how good I was skating in practice but how bad I skated when it counted,” Lasek said.  “I guess this gives me that extra little motivation to skate better on the next two stops if I want to win this thing.  I’m stoked for Bob, but it’s going to be a good race from here on out.”

The victory was what Burnquist, 31, of Brazil, needed to stay in the running with Lasek, Gangon and the rest of the field.  The experienced vert legend, who had put together a string of solid runs this week during practice, finally got it to click in his third and final chance in Portland.

“I knew I had to put together a great third run,” Burnquist said.  “I don’t really know what happened, but I pulled everything off and I’m stoked.

“I can’t believe I’m up on the podium with Bucky and PLG.  These guys are heavy hitters.  It was a great competition and I’m thrilled with the victory.”

The youngest rider in the top four spots but still a seasoned veteran, Gagnon, 28, of Montreal, Canada, came into Saturday’s finals ranked second in the race for the cup but was bumped to third with his second place finish behind Burnquist.

“I kind of played it safe in the second run and tried to break it out in the third,” Gagnon said.  “Bob just came out swinging and I’m superpsyched for him.”

Gagnon captured first last year in Salt Lake City and a victory this year in Utah could possibly catapult him to first place in the standings.  For that to happen, Lasek and Burnquist would have to fail to make the podium, a rare occurrence that doesn’t seem likely the way the legendary skaters are competing this season.

Macdonald, 35, of Boston, Mass., was disappointed with his showing in the finals but is still in the race sitting just 50 points behind the leader.

“I have to skate better than I did today if I want to be in the race for the Cup,” Macdonald said.  “I’d like to be in the top three and I need to skate more consistently than I did in this stop.”

With only two competitions remaining in the ’08 season, the Toyota Challenge in Salt Lake and the PlayStation Pro in Orlando, the race for the cup is heating up and the veterans are proving that experience truly is a key to success in vert.

Currently in its fourth year, the AST Dew Tour is the most watched and attended action sports property in the world.  Attendance for the 2007 AST Dew Tour totaled 280,000 and an average of 41 million viewers tuned in via NBC and USA each year. The top athletes in the world will take part in this year’s Tour, all competing for the highly coveted Dew Cup that will be awarded in Orlando at season’s end to champions in each of the six disciplines. The 2007 Dew Cup winners include Nate Adams (Freestyle Motocross), Jamie Bestwick (BMX Vert), Ryan Nyquist (BMX Dirt), Daniel Dhers (BMX Park), Shaun White (Skateboard Vert) and Ryan Sheckler (Skateboard Park).

The complete 2008 AST Dew Tour schedule is as follows:

Event                           Date                             Location
Panasonic Open            June 19-22                    Baltimore, Md.—Camden Yards Sports Complex
Right Guard Open          July 17-20                     Cleveland, OH—North Coast Harbor
Wendy’s Invitational       Aug. 21-24                    Portland, Ore.—Rose Quarter
Toyota Challenge           Sept. 11-14                   Salt Lake City, UT—EnergySolutions Arena
PlayStation® Pro            Oct. 16-19                     Orlando, Fla.—Amway Arena

As far as I’m concerned, the only race in the world that matters is the Pomona Fairgrounds Piglet Races that take place every year.  I just love watching those delicious, succulent, delectable, miracle animals running around a track suited to their stature.  I know that what I’m saying may sound morbid, but its true.  What comes from Pigs?  Bacon, Pork Chops, Crispy Pata, Pig Snout, Pork Rinds.  The list goes on and on.

Anyway, there’s another pretty spectacular race about to take place.  It’s the Gumball 3000 and if you are a fan of Jackass or cars, then you probably already know what it is.  It’s a large race that takes place across a continent that spans over about a week.  The Jackass crew documented their journey across Europe and it looked damn fun.  Except for Steve O.  He looked miserable.

Anyway the race this year will take place in China, starting in North Korea of all places.  And of course there will be skaters involved.  Rob Dyrdek, Sal Barbier, Bam Margera, Willy Santos, and Bucky Lasek will all be partaking in the 10th Annual Gumball 3000.  I’m now taking bets.  All my money is on Willy Monaloto Santos because I loved him in that movie “The Skateboard Kid II”, starring Dom Deluise as the voice of the skateboard.  Start your engines, and read the press release below for all the exciting info.

GUMBALL 3000 CELEBRATES ITS “10th ANNIVERSARY RALLY”

San Francisco to the Beijing Olympics, August 9-16, 2008

LONDON, ENGLAND (June 16, 2008) — Superstars and supercars converge on San Francisco, Saturday, August 9 for the “10th Anniversary” Gumball 3000 Rally. 120 of the most amazing cars, driven by film stars, musicians, sports stars, billionaires, and the cast of “Jackass,” will set on an incredible eight-day drive to the Beijing Olympics – incorporating one night in North Korea. This ladies and gentlemen is Gumball 3000 – and is certain to be nothing short of spectacular.

From San Francisco, the 3000 mile route incorporates overnight stops in Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas, with VIP parties each night.  Upon reaching Las Vegas, all participants will be flown directly to Pyongyang, North Korea, to spend an unprecedented night in this undiscovered city to watch the incredible ‘Mass Games’ (their spectacular annual display of arts and sport) as part of a global “friendship” initiative. (And you thought Gumball was just another Cannonball Run – this one’s more likely to get the Nobel Peace Prize than Burt Reynold’s version – that’s for sure!)

Following the Mass Games and the “first ever” western music performance in Pyongyang promoting peace and friendship, all participants will be flown on to Hangzhou, China to be reunited with their vehicles. From there the Rally then heads north to Shanghai and Xuzhou, before crossing the finish line in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on Saturday, August 16, just in time for the Gumballers to watch a week of Olympic finals.

Entrants already include David Hasselhoff driving the legendary K.I.T.T car from Knight Rider, famous drummer Travis Barker, MTV’s Rob Dyrdek (Rob & Big) in a fully customized ’69 Camaro as well as Johnny Knoxville and the rest of the “Jackass” guys…driving everything from Ferrari Enzos to Bugatti Veyrons, Rolls Royces, old Cadillacs, low riders and even a few electric cars. This rally is nothing short of stunning – closing city streets and boulevards throughout the entire route to make it Gumball’s most spectacular event to date.

For more information go to www.gumball3000.com bringing you the latest news, reviews, videos, products and celebrity blogs – the social network for the Gumball generation; incorporating art, apparel, music, films, events, street culture and everything automotive.

About Gumball 3000
The first Gumball 3000 took place in April 1999, when British creator Maximillion Cooper invited 50 of his friends to take part in a 3000-mile party around Europe to bring together the music, film, fashion and sport industries. Ten years later, and things have certainly grown, with crowds of more than a million people attending the start last year in London, and a televised and online audience that reached more than 60 million in more than 150 countries around the world.

Gumball 3000 consistently hits the headlines as “Cool Britannia’s” most unique addition to pop culture, described by Vanity Fair Magazine as “the most rock ‘n’ roll car rally ever staged” and famed for its exploits and celebrity participation. The event annually attracts stars including Oscar-winning star of the “Pianist” Adrien Brody, “Jackass’s” Johnny Knoxville, Hugh Hefner, supermodels Jodie Kidd and Caprice, “Kill Bill’s” Daryl Hannah, action sports legends Tony Hawk, Matt Hoffman, Carey Hart, and rock stars including Snoop Dogg, Blink 182, 50 Cent, The Fun Lovin’ Criminals, The Happy Mondays, Placebo, Jamiroquai and even Ms. Minogue.

Incorporating a new 3000-mile route each year, the attraction of the Gumball transcends social barriers, appealing to the adventurer in everyone, regardless of status or wealth; combining grease, glamour and guts in equal measures, stretching the experiences of travel and entertainment – just that bit further.  Over the past nine years, Gumball 3000 has been hosted by kings and presidents, partied with Snoop Dogg, appeared on the “Jay Leno Show,” raised awareness for testicular cancer, chartered the world’s three largest aircrafts, created untold amount of “Jackass’s” fueled mayhem, hung out at Hugh Hefner’s mansion, and most recently has been invited to work with the United Nations, all through the language of the motor car.

PLG | cr. BRIAN BRANTLEY/SHAZAMM/ESPN IMAGES

Pierre-Luc Gagnon loves the jam format.  With the X Games using a new scoring system this year, PLG absolutely dominated the finals, scoring a 120 thanks to three powerful runs.  The new format gives each skater an intro run of 30 seconds, followed by a 10-minute jam session during which each skater gets 30 seconds to do their best or go down and out.

Bucky Lasek survived an early fall to come back and win second while Shaun White, despite throwing down a new trick called the Armadillo (a 540 variation), ended up in third.  White won last year’s contest.

While there were plenty of complaints about the ramp from the skaters, at the end of the day the contest delivered thanks to the new format.

Keep reading for the full results and more info about the day’s action.

“I pulled one of the best tricks ever,” White said of his frontside heelflip body varial 540. “I just learned it last week. I was having nightmares about landing it, but I nailed it, so it was a home run.”

SKATEBOARD VERT MEN’S FINAL RESULTS
Results from ESPN X GAMES 14 at The Home Center in Carson, Calf. on Saturday, August 2, 2008. (Final Standings)

Name / Hometown  / Score

1. Pierre-Luc Gagnon / Carlsbard, Calif. / 120
2. Buckey Lasek / Baltimore, Md. / 104
3. Shaun White / Carlsbad, Calif. / 101
4. Andy Macdonald / San Diego, Calif / 93
5. Sandro Dias / Santo Andre, Brazil / 41
6. Bob Burnquist / Sao Paolo, Brazil / 88
7. Alex Perelson / San Diego, Calif. / 84
8. Rob Lorifice / Encinitas, Calif. / 81
9. Danny Mayer / San Diego, Calif. / 62
10. Rune Glifberg / Copenhagen, Denmark / 25

It looks like I am not the only one questioning how much the X Games is really supporting Vert after the about face it did earlier this year.  The LA Times has a story where Rune Glifberg doesn’t hold back about his feelings about the vert ramp and the Superpark course (and the concrete master knows what he’s talking about.).  He describes the two as a “half-assed superpark and a half-assed vert ramp.”

The Superpark was designed primarily for BMX (though some riders have their own issues) and the vert ramp was designed without much input from the athletes themselves — unlike previous years.

“It all comes down to the mighty dollar,” Bucky Lasek said. “I think what we wanted to build was too much money and they saw how bad the contest went last year because of the format and they felt like they didn’t want to blow their wad on something like that.”

You can read more here, but it should be interesting to see how the contest goes today for the vert riders.  Don’t expect too much air.

Glifberg in happier times on a bigger vert ramp.

 Shaun White | cr. AST

Shaun White followed up a strong second-place finish at last week’s Maloof Money Cup with a win today at the 2008 Right Guard Open in Cleveland, the second stop of the AST Dew Tour.

White fell on his first run but scored a 90.25 on his second run, which would have still been enough for a win, before scoring a 92.00 on his third and final run.  White was skating fourth from last so three skateboarders (Bob Burnquist, Pierre-Luc Gagnon and Bucky Lasek) all had chances to catch up but all had their share of bad luck.

Lasek’s second-place 88.25 was his first run’s score and falls on his last two runs kept him from reaching White.  Meanwhile, PLG was uncharacteristically sloppy and fell on all three of his runs, dealing his hopes for his first-ever Dew Cup a blow by landing in eighth-place.  Burnquist had one solid run to give himself an 83.00 which was good for fourth.

Andy Macdonald found himself in third with a strong 87.25.

White missed the opening stop of the AST and is expected to miss next month’s stop so at this point Bucky Lasek is in the driver’s seat for his third Dew Cup championship if he can remain consistent.

Skate Vert Finals – 2008 Right Guard Open
July 19, 2008, Cleveland OH

1st – White, Shaun – 92.00
2nd – Lasek, Bucky – 88.25
3rd – Macdonald, Andy – 87.25
4th – Burnquist, Bob – 83.00
5th – Taylor, Adam – 78.25
6th – Millar, Renton – 75.75
7th – Stafford, Josh – 74.75
8th – Gagnon, Pierre-Luc – 62.75
9th – Menezes, Rodrigo – 51.50
10th – Halterman, Buster – 50.75

Check out the full set of photos below.