He eventually met up with a group of BMX riders, who turned him on to the local skatepark. He took his first spin around the park on February 4th, 1998, a date he remembers with ease. “I got dizzy riding the ramps,” he says, “but I really liked it, so I started going there every day.” Unfortunately, the park closed a few years later, and Daniel was forced to hit the streets to work on his riding skills.

Daniel has made it a long way and you can see him on Fuel TV’s “The Daily Habit” on Friday, December 19th at 9:00PM.  Daniels sponsors include DC Shoes, KHE Bikes, Red Bull, POC Helmets, and Team Blowin’ It. 

Plus, the progressive hip-hop group, Flobots, bring their authentic sound to the Habit. Also, Jessica Smith heads to Las Vegas for her own special edition of the 2008 Nora Cup Awards. And, Jordan Morris hits New Orleans for the Voodoo Music Experience with the Cold War Kids.

BMX riders Daniel Dhers and Jamie Bestwick have won just about every contest they’ve entered this season, so it’s no surprise to find the two dominating at one of the year’s final events, the LG Action Sports World Championships.

In the BMX Street finals, Daniel Dhers followed up his Dew Cup and X Games wins with another top finish, edging Rob Darden (who finished second) and Dennis Enarson (bronze winner) to capture the gold.  Both of Dhers’ run were higher than Darden and Enarson, who actually tied with a 90.00 in second.  The tie-breaker went to Darden thanks to his second score being higher.  Dhers took home $30K for the win.

“I always want to do a good first run.  But tonight I realized it’s been a long time since I’ve done two good runs, so I went out there to do it, and it worked.”  Dhers said after the contest.

Jamie Bestwick also continued his winning ways in BMX Vert, following up his Dew Cup and X Games win with a gold, followed by Chad Kagy in second and Simon Tabron in third — his usual set of podium mates.

“I just enjoy riding bikes,” Bestwick said after of his success this season.  “I gave up everything – my job, my family, my country – to come here and compete, and that’s what drives me to keep on pushing.”

For more about the event, check out the official site.  You can also keep reading for the official release from Saturday that includes inline and skate vert prelim results.

BESTWICK, DHERS, DOWNING AND MORALES WIN GOLD AT LG ACTION SPORTS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Stage is set for a Repeat in Skateboard Vert

SEATTLE, Wash. (November 1, 2008) – Day two of the LG Action Sports World Championships brought the pros of BMX Vert, BMX Street, Men’s and Women’s Inline Street Skating, as well as Skateboard Vert to the fans and made them jump to their feet in celebration as the athletes laid down some of the most spectacular runs of the season. The year’s most dominant stars in BMX Vert and BMX Street, Jamie Bestwick (Darby, England) and Daniel Dhers (Caracas, Venezuela) respectively, continued their winning ways in 2008 and captured the gold medal in their disciplines, as Jenna Downing (Barnsley, England) and Franky Morales (Miami Beach, Fla.), took the gold in Inline Skating Street.  Skateboard Vert also saw the usual suspects finish the Prelims at the top of the heap, with Pierre-Luc Gagnon (Montreal, Canada) leading the way.

The afternoon began with the Skateboard Vert Prelims and a 16-man field that needed to be whittled to eight for the Sunday afternoon Finals.  The tops stars were in play, giving their best in an attempt to advance to the Finals.  By the round’s end, Gagnon, Sandro Dias (Santo Andre, Brazil), Bucky Lasek (Baltimore, Maryland), Danny Mayer (Omaha, Nebraska), Alex Perelson (San Diego, Calif.), Andy Macdonald (San Diego, Calif.), Buster Halterman (Wellsville, Penn.) and Marcelo Bastos (Sao Paulo, Brazil) had advanced.  On what can only be characterized as a ‘steam roll’, Gagnon comes in as the event’s defending champion and is looking to cap the season with a second consecutive LG World Champion title.

Daniel Dhers has also been rolling through all of 2008 in the Gold medal position and continued to do so today, decisively winning the BMX Street contest with two runs that far exceeded the competition.  He pushed himself to the end, even bettering his first round score with his second run.

“I always want to do a good first run.  But tonight I realized it’s been a long time since I’ve done two good runs, so I went out there to do it, and it worked.”

The Silver and Bronze medals went to Rob Darden (Greenville, NC) and Dennis Enarson (San Diego, Calif.) in a tiebreaker.  Both men produced 90.00 point runs, but Darden turned in an 89.50 point first run, which bested Enarson’s additional run by one point, thereby breaking the tie and securing him second place.

Clearly another highlight of the evening was Jamie Bestwick’s (Darby, England) winning performance in the BMX Vert contest.  Bestwick rode to his 5th LG World Championship title in six years.  He’s captured the BMX Vert Gold at every LG World Championships he’s attended, missing out on the title in 2006, the only year he did not participate.  He soared above the ramp tonight in what was described by announcers as “BMX insanity”, winning the contest with his first run.

“It feels great,” said Bestwick, describing his success.  “This Seattle stop is a great one for the ASA [Entertainment] Action Sports World Tour.  This event is a lot of fun.  There’s a lot of nerves beforehand and everyone is on edge, but it brings out the best in us.”

Bestwick’s domination in BMX has been virtually complete in 2008 with him capturing nearly every major title this year.  When asked what he attributes it to, he commented, “I just enjoy riding bikes.  I gave up everything – my job, my family, my country – to come here and compete, and that’s what drives me to keep on pushing.”

The Silver medal in BMX Vert went to crowd-pleaser Chad Kagy (Gilroy, Calif.), and Simon Tabron (Newquay, England) received the Bronze medal.

The Inline Skating Street competitions were a definite treat for fans, thrilling the crowds with the creativity and daring of the athletes’ skill and talent.  Fallon Heffernan (Jacksonville Beach, Fla.), entered the women’s competition as the leader from Friday’s Prelims, but Jenna Downing landed every trick she attempted in the Finals and solidly rode away with the Gold medal.  Heffernan came in second; Fabiola da Silva (Sao Paulo, Brazil) came in third.

“Unbelievable” best describes the men’s Inline Skating Street competition where the athletes pushed the limits of not only themselves, but also the course boundaries.  Nineteen year-old David Sizemore (Atlanta, Georgia) back-flipped off the hitching posts and Franky Morales used the neighboring Vert ramp to jump into the Street course, while performing a 540 spin before landing smoothly to the crowds’ cheers in amazement.  Not to be outdone, Stephane Alfano (Frejus, France) also launched himself from the Vert ramp, landing a 540 spin as well after two attempts.  With just a couple of minutes left to the session, Morales once again jumped from the Vert ramp, spinning through a 900, but failed to execute a successful landing.  Nevertheless, after the judges tallied the scores in what was one of the toughest decisions of the evening, Morales came out the winner.

“I was just trying to win,” said Morales when asked how he came up with jumping from the Vert ramp.  “I was trying to do something big, and I saw the ramp – it’s what’s big in here – and I said, ‘That’s it.’”  The Silver medal went to Alfano, and Sizemore accepted the Bronze.
The LG Action Sports World Championships resumes Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. featuring a day of skateboarding contests.  Skateboard Street Prelims start at 2:00 p.m., followed by Skateboard Vert Finals and Skateboard Street Finals thereafter. Hoobastank will entertain the crowd to cap the weekend’s activities.

The LG Action Sports World Championships is an ASA Entertainment production.

Skateboard Vert Prelims Results:
1) Pierre-Luc Gagnon (Montreal, Canada)
2) Sandro Dias (Santo Andre, Brazil)
3) Bucky Lasek (Baltimore, Maryland)
4) Danny Mayer (Omaha, Nebraska)
5) Alex Perelson (San Diego, Calif.)
6) Andy Macdonald (San Diego, Calif.)
7) Buster Halterman (Wellsville, Penn.)
Marcelo Bastos (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
9) Adam Taylor (Cocoa Beach, Fla.)
10) Jean Postec (Annecy, France)
11) Anthony Furlong (Tampa, Fla.)
12) Neal Hendrix (Costa Mesa, Calif.)
13) Josh Stafford (San Diego, Calif.)
14) Elliot Sloan (New York, New York)
15) Joe Gratzer (Pocatello, Idaho)
16) Lincoln Ueda (Sao Paulo, Brazil)

BMX Vert Finals Results:
1) Jamie Bestwick (Darby, England)
2) Chad Kagy (Gilroy, Calif.)
3) Simon Tabron (Newquay, England)
4) Steven McCann (Melbourne, Australia)
5) Jimmy Walker (Gilberts, Illinois)
6) Francisco Zurita (Santiago, Chile)
7) Zack Warden (Ofallon, Illinois)
John Parker (State College, Penn.)
9) Jay Eggleston (Denver, Colo.)
10) Koji Kraft (Addison, Illinois)
11) Austin Coleman (Los Angeles, Calif.)
12) Jorge Jovel (Tela, Honduras)
13) Ben Snowden (Hornell, New York)

BMX Street Finals Results:
1) Daniel Dhers (Caracas, Venezuela)
2) Rob Darden (Greenville, NC)
3) Dennis Enarson (San Diego, Calif.)
4) Allan Cooke (Greenville, NC)
5) Anthony Napolitan (Youngstown, Ohio)
6) Gary Young (San Diego, Calif.)
7) Kevin Kiraly (Livermore, Calif.)
Morgan Wade (Tyler, Texas)

Inline Street Finals Results:
1) Franky Morales (Miami, Fla.)
2) Stephane Alfano (Frejus, France)
3) David Sizemore (Atlanta, Georgia)
4) Brian Aragon (Brighton, Colo.)
5) Chaz Sands (Glascow, Scotland)
6) Brian Shima (Redwood City, Calif.)

Women’s Inline Street Finals Results:
1) Jenna Downing (Barnsley, England)
2) Fallon Heffernan (Jacksonville Beach, Fla.)
3) Fabiola da Silva (Sao Paulo, Brazil)
4) Chynna Weierstall (Roseville, MI).

It’s nice to see him back — even for one contest.

All that said, be sure to check out the video below — it has highlights of all the top riders from the contest including Austin Coleman, Dhers and Nyquist.  Plus you gotta love the screenshot — see Zack Warden in the background.

Daniel Dhers had a prefect season on the AST Tour going into Friday’s BMX Park Finals in Orlando’s PlayStation Pro.  He was the only athlete still undefeated for the season and had a chance to be the first person to sweep all five events on the Tour.  So much for history.

Veteran Ryan Nyquist, long a factor on the tour and last year’s Dew Cup winner in BMX Dirt, won the third AST Park contest of his career with a huge 95.00 score, knocking Daniel Dhers into second-place.  Dhers still easily won the AST Dew Cup — his third in a row.

Austin Coleman finished third with a 92.67 — no one else scored more than 90.00.

Mike Spinner, who was running second for the season in the Dew Cup race, finished ninth in the contest but still was number two in the Dew Cup race when all was said and done.

For the Dew win, Dhers will take home $75K for the contest and will likely be named the athlete of the year thanks to his near-perfect season.

For more about the contest, check out AST.com.

Daniel Dhers | cr. AST

BMX Park Final Results – PlayStation Pro
October 17, 2008 – Orlando, FL

1st – Nyquist, Ryan – 95.00
2nd – Dhers, Daniel – 93.33
3rd – Coleman, Austin – 92.67
4th – Darden, Rob – 89.33
5th – Mirra, Dave – 89.17
6th – Reynolds, Garrett – 88.67
7th – Bezanson, Drew – 88.33
8th – Cooke, Allan – 87.83
9th – Spinner, Mike – 87.83
10th – Mast, Craig – 87.67
11th – Barbero, Alessandro – 85.33
12th – Guettler, Ryan – 84.83

Daniel Dhers kept his hopes for a perfect season on the AST Dew Tour alive by winning the Toyota Challenge BMX Park finals Sunday in Salt Lake City.

Dhers had some strong competition from his constant companions on the podium, Mike Spinner (who finished less than a half a point behind Dhers) and Garrett Reynolds.

At this point Dhers appears to be a lock to be the first athlete ever to win all five events in a season for a particular sport.

See the full results below.

Dhers in action. cr. John Swenson
BMX Park Final Results – Toyota Challenge
September 14, 2008 – Salt Lake City, UT

1st – Dhers, Daniel – 93.33
2nd – Spinner, Mike – 93.00
3rd – Reynolds, Garrett – 92.00
4th – Mast, Craig – 91.83
5th – Guettler, Ryan – 91.50
6th – Kiraly, Kevin – 91.00
7th – Darden, Rob – 90.33
8th – Young, Gary – 90.00
9th – Bezanson, Drew – 89.33
10th – Whitton, Alistair – 88.17
11th – Toohey, Jaie – 88.00
12th – Hunt, Brian – 87.33

BMX Park Prelim Results – Toyota Challenge
September 13, 2008 – Salt Lake City, UT

1st – Reynolds, Garrett – 91.83
2nd – Mast, Craig – 91.67
3rd – Kiraly, Kevin – 91.33
4th – Bezanson, Drew – 90.83
5th – Young, Gary – 90.83
6th – Guettler, Ryan – 90.83
7th – Whitton, Alistair – 89.17
8th – Hunt, Brian – 89.17
9th – Toohey, Jaie – 88.83
10th – Nyquist, Ryan – 88.67
11th – Klinger, Seth – 88.67
12th – Foster, James – 88.50
13th – Tooker, Marcus – 88.33
14th – McCann, Steven – 88.33
15th – Dosch, Brandon – 88.00
16th – Wirch, Scott – 88.00
17th – Mirra, Dave – 87.83
18th – Napolitan, Anthony – 87.83
19th – Mackay, Colin – 87.33
20th – Enarson, Dennis – 86.33
21st – Wade, Morgan – 86.33
22nd – Harrington, Josh – 86.17
23rd – Barbero, Alessandro – 85.00
24th – Perry, Joshua – 85.00
25th – Sieg, Dan – 84.83
26th – Cooke, Allan – 82.83
27th – Thompson, William – 81.50
28th – Coleman, Austin – 71.33
29th – Canina, Diogo – 70.17
30th – Smith, Jeremiah – 70 .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.

Daniel Dhers came into Sunday trying to be the only athlete left who had a perfect record this season on the Dew Tour (FMX notwithstanding) and Mike Spinner did his best to change that.  But in the end, it wasn’t only Dhers on top again, but for the second month in a row, he was followed by Spinner then Rob Darden, who edged Steve McCann for third place.

With Dhers securing his third-straight win, he keeps his hopes alive for winning all five AST Dew Tour stops this season.  Last year he lost in Portland and Salt Lake City before closing out the season with a win in Orlando and winning his second-straight Dew Cup title.

Here are the final results…

BMX Park Final Results – Wendy’s Invitational
August 24, 2008 – Portland, OR

1st – Dhers, Daniel – 93.83
2nd – Spinner, Mike – 92.67
3rd – Darden, Rob – 91.33
4th – McCann, Steven – 90.33
5th – Enarson, Dennis – 89.33
6th – Nyquist, Ryan – 89.17
7th – Napolitan, Anthony – 89.00
8th – Canina, Diogo – 88.00
9th – Mast, Craig – 87.67
10th – Reynolds, Garrett – 86.33
11th – Dosch, Brandon – 84.00
12th – Klinger, Seth – 83.33

Dhers remains perfect in AST competition with BMX park win at Wendy’s Invitational

PORTLAND, Ore., – Daniel Dhers continued his bid for a fourth consecutive Dew Cup and defeated defending event champion Mike Spinner Sunday in the Wendy’s Invitational.

Dhers took the lead from Spinner in his flawless first run which included a 720 into a flair, a can can 720, and a 360 tailwhip transfer, to finish with a 93.83 score. Spinner attempted to knock Dhers out of the lead on his second run, but his feet slipped off the pedals when landing a triple tailwhip. He finished second at 92.67 and Rob Darden, of Greenville, N.C. was third at 91.33.

“I like to win contests but I thought winning in Portland would be redemption,” Dhers said, who battled injuries at this event in the previous two years. “Spinner has been up in the mix for a while. So, after he did his first run I was like, ‘OK, I’m up for the challenge.’”

Spinner’s first run included a triple tailwhip on the quarterpipe, a 1080, a 540 tailwhip and a quad whip.

Dhers has won eight of the 10 contests he has entered this year, including every stop of the AST Dew Tour. He said his goal is to win all five stops of the tour.

AST Dew Tour: Dew Cup Current Standings
BMX Park Points

1. Daniel Dhers, 300
2. Mike Spinner, 245
3. Rob Darden, 195
4. Steven McCann, 193
5. Ryan Nyquist, 191
6. Dennis Enarson, 155
7. Garrett Reynolds, 146
8. Craig Mast, 146
9. Marcus Tooker, 129
10. Ryan Guettler, 124

Dhers | cr. BRIAN BRANTLEY/SHAZAMM/ESPN IMAGES

There’s no doubting Daniel Dhers’ domination of the park scene over the last three years — something he proved last years by securing his first Park gold at X Games 13.  But this year the park course was replaced by the tight “Superpark” format and that threw many established park riders for a loop.  Dhers, who is known for his ability to adapt, did it again and managed to qualify in first.

Saturday he showed it wasn’t a fluke by dominating the finals, which was scored in a new format that gave each rider three 30-second runs which then were totaled up.  Dhers had the highest-scoring run each time and easily edged Diogo Canina, who won the BMX Big Air Triples event last week in Orange County.  Rob Darden continued his hot streak with a third-place finish with Ryan Guettler coming in fourth.

Dhers was among the riders criticizing the new course before the qualifiers took place but his success in adapting to the tight confines softened his opinion.

“I didn’t swim this far to sink at the shore,”  he said.

Keep reading for more about the finals and for full results.

Venezuelan Rider Daniel Dhers Is Untouchable
Dhers Wins Second X Games Gold Medal in First Ever BMX SuperPark Competition

LOS ANGELES- The action is swelling on the third day of X Games 14 as the BMX Freestyle SuperPark Finalists took to the distinctive course. The field started with 10 riders and was narrowed down to the top five in round one.

The top five moved on to the final, but it was apparent from the get-go that Dhers was going to be the man to beat. Dhers showed up to the SuperPark this year already with an X Games gold medal in his pocket from last year’s BMX Freestyle Park competition.

Each rider was given three 30 second runs, each one judged separately. The rider at the end of the competition with the most points was the winner. After an overwhelmingly technical and exciting performance out of Dhers, including a 540 bar spin, it was clear that he had swept the competition.

“I get to go to sleep happy tonight,” Dhers said with a smile. “I’ve been wanting this gold medal for the past year and now I have it. It’s as rewarding as winning the gold last year. It’s always awesome to win a competition like the X Games.”

The astonishing medalist from the BMX Freestyle SuperPark final today was second place finisher Diogo Canina, who until last week was not even sure if he was going to make the trip out to the X Games from his home country of Brazil.

“I didn’t even think I was ready for this competition. Winning silver is like gold to me with a competition like the X Games,” Canina proclaimed excitedly. “This past week here was the greatest week of my BMX career.”

Perhaps having the most fun on the SuperPark course was third place finisher Rob Darden. Darden utilized the entire course completing multiple transfers from the quarterpipe to the box set and rallying through the bowl corners at mock speed.

“I always liked to go fast as a kid,” Darden grinned. “I felt like a kid in there. It was awesome.”

BMX FEESTYLE SUPERPARK 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. Daniel Dhers / Caracas, Venezuela / 101
2. Diogo Canina / Amparo, Brazil / 90
3. Rob Darden / Greenville, N.C. / 85
4. Ryan Guettler / Beenleigh, Australia / 82
5. Gary Young / San Diego, Calif. / 61
6. Chase Hawk / Austin, Texas / 81
7. Alistair Whitton / Chester, Great Britain / 79
8. Dennis Enarson / San Diego, Calif. / 75
9. Corey Bohan / Brisbane, Austrailia / 60
10. Morgan Wade / Tyler, Texas / 59

Daniel Dhers | cr. CHRISTIAN PONDELLA/Shazamm/ESPN Images

But a very familiar face led the contest as Daniel Dhers had no problem holding on to the top spot going into Saturday’s finals.

Dave Mirra, Ryan Nyquist, Mike Spinner and Jamie Bestwick were among the riders to miss the cut.

Following Dhers on the podium were Gary Young and Diogo Canina, who just won the BMX Big-Air Triples event in Orange County on Thursday night.  Morgan Wade, Corey Bohan and Dennis Enarson also made the cut.

Check out the full results below.

BMX FREESTYLE SUPERPARK ELIMINATION
Results from ESPN X GAMES 14 at Home Depot Center in Carson, Calf. on Friday, August 1, 2008. (Final Standings)

Rank  – Name  – Run 1  – Run 2  – Run 3: Score
1. Daniel Dhers – 35 – 33 – 31: 99
2. Gary Young – 31 – 31 – 31: 93
3. Diogo Canina – 33 – 31 – 28: 92
4. Ryan Guettler – 32 – 30 – 30: 92
5. Alistair Whitton – 33 – 30 – 27: 90
6. Chase Hawk – 31 – 29 – 25: 85
7. Rob Darden – 29 – 28 – 27: 84
8. Corey Bohan – 32 – 27 – 18: 77
9. Dennis Enarson – 28 – 25 – 24: 77
10. Morgan Wade – 29 – 25 – 21: 75
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -
11. Ryan Nyquist – 25 – 23 – 20: 68
12. Mike Spinner – 24 – 22 – 22: 68
13. Brian Foster – 22 – 22 – 22: 66
14. Chris Doyle – 23 – 23 – 15: 61
15. Jamie Bestwick – 19 – 19 – 18: 56
16. Dave Mirra – 20 – 19 – 12: 51
17. Chad Kagy – 19 – 19 – 11: 49
18. Steve McCann – 25 – 16 – 6: 47
19. Dave Dillewaard – 23 – 3 – 0: 26
20. Josh Harrington – 3 – 0 – 0: 3