BMX Dirt: Ryan Nyquist’s Double Bar Spin 720
BMX Vert: Chad Kagy’s Opposite Flair Whip
Skate Park: Paul Rodriguez’s Crooked Grind Nollie Flip Out
Skate Vert: Bucky Lasek’s Boneless Frontside Rodeo 540
FMX: Blake Williams’ 360 Knack Knack
BMX Park: Daniel Dhers’ No Handed Corked Out 720

Winners get a chance for the Trick of the Year and a $5K check and a PS3 game system. And if you are a betting man, go for Nyquist.

Daniel Dhers in Baltimore ’08 – cr. AST

Steve McCann made up for a disappointing start in his other two events (Dirt and Vert) by placing fourth while BMX Dirt champ Ryan Nyquist had a strong 90.83 to place fifth ahead of Dennis Enarson. Open qualifier and virtual unknwn Seth Klinger was still a factor in 7th place.

The BMX Park finals mark the end of the 2007 Panasonic Open and stay tuned for a recap of all the results and surprises.

Here’s some video from the action — the only vid you’ll see since it wasn’t televised…

2008 Panasonic Open
BMX Park Finals
June 22, 2008 / Baltimore, MD

1st – Dhers, Daniel – 93.33
2nd – Guettler, Ryan – 92.50
3rd – Spinner, Mike – 92.33
4th – McCann, Steven – 91.83
5th – Nyquist, Ryan – 90.83
6th – Enarson, Dennis – 90.50
7th – Klinger, Seth – 89.17
8th – Tooker, Marcus – 89.00
9th – Wade, Morgan – 89.00
10th – Darden, Rob – 88.83
11th – Mast, Craig – 86.83
12th – Wallace, Ben – 85.00

Blake Williams – cr. AST

Aussie Blake “Bilko” Williams took first place Sunday at the Panasonic Open in Baltimore, edging defending champ Nate Adams in a trick-stuffed final, scoring 90.33 to 89.33. Mathieu Rebeaud rounded out the top three close behind with an 89.00.

Bilko’s two runs were actually both higher-scoring than Adams (90.33, 89.83), and with Adams having the final run, Bilko couldn’t take it easy. Bilko’s tricks included Superman backflips, a backflip cordova and a flat spin 360 heel clicker while Adams threw his signature La-Z-Boy backflip.

The influx of new talent like Thomas Pagès (4th) and Nixey Danielson (9th) seemed to have an impact on some of the returning favorites, with Mike Mason (10th) and Adam Jones (6th) both performing under expectations. Of course, both men, along with Adams, received a bye going into the contest so this was their first look at the course outside of practice.

The success of Bilko is not really that surprising given he gave Adams a run for his money at Baltimore last year before crashing at the end of a run. That crash knocked him out for the rest of the season but before that, he was considered the rider to watch in ’07. Even with the crash, Bilko finished second in Baltimore and it was only a matter of time before he would prove himself ready.

For Adams, who went four of five in AST Dew Tour events last year, the pressure is on the three-peat as Dew Cup Champ. With the AST cutting the number of FMX events this season to just three, every win counts more than ever and fans will have to wait until September in Salt Lake City before the next competition (though Best Trick contests will be held in Cleveland and Portland).

Check out some video of the FMX finals below…

2008 Panasonic Open
FMX Finals
June 22, 2008 / Baltimore, MD

1st – Williams, Blake – 90.33
2nd – Adams, Nate – 89.33
3rd – Rebeaud, Mathieu – 89.00
4th – Pagès, Thomas – 86.83
5th – McNeil, Jim – 86.67
6th – Jones, Adam – 85.77
7th – Lusk, Jeremy – 84.67
8th – Maddison, Robbie – 83.73
9th – Danielson, Nixey – 83.50
10th – Mason, Mike – 82.97

Ryan Guettler | cr. AST

With Daniel Dhers, Mike Spinner and Ryan Nyquist on the sidelines (having gotten a bye to the finals), the BMX Park prelims weren’t going to be the same as in years past.  The big surprise this year was Seth Klinger, who qualified through the Open qualifiers on Wednesday.

Klinger threw down aa double tailwhip 360 and a superman seatgrab 360 over the box and found himself placing second right behind Ryan Guettler, whose clean 1080 helped set him up in first.  Third place went to Dennis Enarson, who made his mark in ’07 and Morgan Wade took fourth.

While Klinger’s second-place appearance was surprising, more amazing was the inability of Dave Mirra and Garrett Reynolds to make the cut, finishing outside the running in 10th and 11th place (only the top nine advanced to the finals).

The finals will be taking place on Sunday from 4:30- 6 p.m. ET but unfortunately what normally is one of the most exciting events of the AST Dew Tour won’t be televised this time around.  But you can read here about what happened.

Here’s the lineup for Sunday’s final (in order)

12. Ben Wallace
11. Rob Darden
10. Marcus Tooker
9. Steven McCann
8. Craig Mast
7. Morgan Wade
6. Dennis Enarson
5. Seth Klinger
4. Ryan Guettler
3. Ryan Nyquist
2. Mike Spinner
1. Daniel Dhers

BMX Park Prelims – 2008 Panasonic Open
June 21, 2008 / Baltimore, MD
(top nine advance)

1st – Guettler, Ryan – 91.67
2nd – Klinger, Seth – 90.50
3rd – Enarson, Dennis – 90.17
4th – Wade, Morgan – 90.17
5th – Mast, Craig – 90.00
6th – McCann, Steven – 89.33
7th – Tooker, Marcus – 89.17
8th – Darden, Rob – 88.83
9th – Wallace, Ben – 88.50
—————————————-
10th – Reynolds, Garrett – 88.00
11th – Mirra, Dave – 87.67
12th – Cooke, Allan – 87.33
13th – Whitton, Alistair – 87.00
14th – Toohey, Jaie – 81.33
15th – Napolitan, Anthony – 86.67
16th – Coleman, Austin – 86.67
17th – Foster, James – 86.33
18th – Dosch, Brandon – 86.33
19th – Barbero, Alessandro – 86.33
20th – Harrington, Josh – 86.17
21st – Bezanson, Drew – 86.00
22nd – Mackay, Colin – 86.00
23rd – Wirch, Scott – 85.67
24th – Hunt, Brian – 85.67
25th – Young, Gary – 85.50
26th – Kiraly, Kevin – 85
27th – Canina, Diogo – 85
28th – Laird, Mike – 84.33
29th – Sieg, Dan – 80.33
30th – Sexton, Sean – 77.67
31st – Kraft, Koji – 75.67
32nd – Smith, Jeremiah – 70

Skate Park top Three (Ortiz, Sheckler, R-Rod) | cr. George Crosland (Snowboard-Revolution Blog)

The second day of the Panasonic Open in Baltimore came to a close Saturday and keeping in the spirit of Go Skateboarding Day both skate finals appropriately took place. In Skate Park, which got a rare weekend daytime broadcast on NBC, Ryan Sheckler showed no signs of slowing down after winning three straight Dew Cups by dominating the final, though Chaz Ortiz and P-Rod were welcome opponents while Lutzka and the Brazilians didn’t quite make the cut this time around.

Then it was time for Skate Vert. Without Shaun White it was a two-man race and there was no way a healthy Bucky Lasek was going to let it slip by. Pierre-Luc Gagnon gave it a very good do but Lasek squeaked out a win. Everyone else was no real surprise, but it was nice to see Adam Taylor round out the top five.

The only non-skate event of the day was the BMX Park Prelims and without Daniel Dhers, Mike Spinner and Ryan Nyquist, there was a good chance some new names would make their mark. The new name in question was Seth Klinger, who showed up in the Open qualifiers on Wednesday and made his mark by placing second. The finals are tomorrow alongside FMX, but only FMX will be aired so you can imagine how BMX Park goes and see if the results match.

Here’s the official recap from the AST (check out the AST site for other updates).

Sheckler wins Skateboard Park and Lasek wins Skateboard Vert at AST Dew Tour Panasonic Open in Baltimore

BALTIMORE -Ryan Sheckler won the Skateboard Park event Saturday, beginning his bid for a fourth-consecutive Dew Cup title and hometown hero Bucky Lasek won the Skateboard Vert event at the Panasonic Open in Baltimore.

The 18-year-old Sheckler, from San Clemente, Calif., landed a succession of technical tricks on the rails during the event to earn an average score of 94.65. Paul Rodriguez of Tarzana, Calif. was second at 89.80, followed by Chicago’s Chaz Ortiz with 89.55.

“Those are four or five of the most technical tricks I can do on a rail so, you know, for me to do that is pretty great,” Sheckler said.

“This is where my life started. This is why I skate, you know. It’s so much fun. Every time I get on a board it’s a new day.”

In the Skateboard Vert event, Lasek took the lead in his second run after he completed seven 540′s, a boneless frontside 540 and a switch rodeo to score 93.75. Canada’s Pierre-Luc Gagnon attempted to knock Lasek out of the lead, but fell during his final run and finished second at 93.50. Brazil’s Bob Burnquist was third at 84.75.

“It’s not just about the tricks, it’s about how you put your line together,” said Lasek. “I’m just glad the judges agreed.”

June 21 was declared Bucky Lasek day in his native Baltimore. He spent the afternoon leading a group of children in a skateboarding tour of the city.

“It’s my day,” Lasek said. “I helped bring this tour to Baltimore. I wanted to win it and represent my city. This is my hometown. This is where it had to happen.”

The four-day competition is the first of five stops of the AST Dew Tour that features skateboarding, BMX and freestyle motocross. Sunday’s action features Freestyle Motocross and BMX Park finals.

AST Dew Tour-Panasonic Open Results
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Baltimore

Skateboard Park Finals
1. Ryan Sheckler, San Clemente, Calif., 94.65.
2. Paul Rodriguez, Tarzana, Calif., 89.80.
3. Chaz Ortiz, Chicago, Ill., 89.55.
4. Greg Lutzka, Milwaukee, Wisc., 81.75.
5. Chad Bartie, Australia, 78.55.
6. Austen Seaholm, Anaheim, Calif., 78.50.
7. Ricardo Oliveira, Brazil, 77.00.
8. Wagner Ramos, Brazil, 77.00.
9. Carlos De Andrade, Brazil, 75.50.
10. Chris Mendes, Moreno Valley, Calif., 75.25.
11. Rodolfo Ramos, Brazil, 72.75.
12. Mitchell Simonetto, Brazil, 68.00.

Skateboard Vert Finals
1. Bucky Lasek, Baltimore, Md., 93.75.
2. Pierre-Luc Gagnon, Canada, 93.50.
3. Bob Burnquist, Brazil, 84.75.
4. Andy Macdonald, Boston, Mass., 83.75.
5. Adam Taylor, Cocoa Beach, Fla., 80.50.
6. Renton Millar, Australia, 78.75.
7. Danny Mayer, Omaha, Neb., 76.50.
8. Neal Hendrix, Lewisville, N.C., 75.75.
9. Sandro Dias, Santo Andre, Calif., 70.00.
10. Rob Loriface, Carlsbad, Calif., 69.00.

AST Dew Tour Current Standings

Skateboard Park Points
1. Ryan Sheckler, 100.
2. Paul Rodriguez, 85.
3. Chaz Ortiz, 75.
4. Greg Lutzka, 70.
5. Chad Bartie, 65.
6. Austen Seaholm, 61.
7. Ricardo Oliveira, 57.
8. Wagner Ramos, 53.
9. Carlos De Andrade, 49.
10. Chris Mendes, 45.
11. Rodolfo Ramos, 40.
12. Mitchell Simonetto, 36.

Skateboard Vert Points
1. Bucky Lasek, 100.
2. Pierre-Luc Gagnon, 85.
3. Bob Burnquist, 75.
4. Andy Macdonald, 70.
5. Adam Taylor, 65.
6. Renton Millar, 61.
7. Danny Mayer, 57.
8. Neal Hendrix, 53.
9. Sandro Dias, 49.
10. Rob Loriface, 45.

Bucky Lasek – Baltimore 2008 – cr. AST

The second time was the charm for Baltimore-native Bucky Lasek, who last year was unable to find the podium last year in his hometown at the Panasonic Open. This year, he was healthy and ready and took a thrilling final over Pierre-Luc Gagnon, winning by just .25 points. Of course, last year’s Panasonic Open champ Shaun White wasn’t on hand this time around, but Lasek’s 93.75 would have been hard to beat.

Following PLG was Bob Burnquist and Andy Macdonald, with young Adam Taylor rounding out the top five.

What, you weren’t there?  You didn’t see it live?  Didn’t see it on USA?  Well, here are some highlights for you…

2008 Panasonic Open
Skate Vert Finals
June 21, 2008 / Baltimore, MD

1st – Lasek, Bucky – 93.75
2nd – Gagnon, Pierre-Luc – 93.5
3rd – Burnquist, Bob – 84.75
4th – Macdonald, Andy – 83.75
5th – Taylor, Adam – 80.50
6th – Millar, Renton – 78.75
7th – Mayer, Danny – 76.50
8th – Hendrix, Neal – 75.75
9th – Dias, Sandro – 70.00
10th – Lorifice, Rob – 69.00

Three-time AST Dew Cup champ Ryan Sheckler is on his way to number four after winning the season-opener of the AST Dew Tour in Baltimore. Paul Rodriguez was a surprising second while rookie Chaz Ortiz lived up to the hype and finished third. Greg Lutzka, Sheckler’s nemesis last season, was a distant fourth with the rest of the field trailing.

For P-Rod, his first AST finals appearance in years was a return to form, though Sheckler continued to dominate the jam session as is his specialty.

In other news from the finals, the Brazilians were noticeably absent from the top five, though the bottom half was stacked with them — quite a change from last season when Sheckler and Lutzka were the only Americans to find the podium all season.

For more, check out the following video featuring highlights from the day’s action.

2008 Panasonic Open
Skate Park Finals
June 21, 2008 / Baltimore, MD

1st – Sheckler, Ryan – 94.65
2nd – Rodriguez, Paul – 89.80
3rd – Ortiz, Chaz – 89.55
4th – Lutzka, Greg – 81.75
5th – Bartie, Chad – 78.55
6th – Seaholm, Austen – 78.50
7th – Oliveira, Ricardo – 77.00
8th – Ramos, Wagner – 77.00
9th – De Andrade, Carlos – 75.50
10th – Mendes, Chris – 75.25
11th – Ramos, Rodolfo – 72.75
12th – Simonetto, Michell – 68.00

The USA broadcast at midnight showed the dramatic showdown for the top spot in dirt, with Ryan Nyquist sealing the win in the final run of the night. He threw out a new trick dubbed the “Powerball” (a cannonball double barspin) and scored a 95.50 which took him barely over James Foster (the final score is an average of the best two out of three runs).

The broadcast also featured the debut of TJ Lavin’s new single, “Soldier,” which is dedicated to and about Stephen. You can click on the player below to check it out. It contains a lot of older footage of Stephen and is great to watch. The CD comes out on July 8th and can be preordered at Best Buy. Song features vocals by Lavin, Pippa Tabron and music by Simon Tabron. Cory Nastazio also has an appearance.

Here’s a press release from the AST about the Day’s events. Also be sure to check out AST.com for more about the AST Dew Tour.

Bestwick wins BMX Vert and Nyquist wins BMX Dirt at AST Dew Tour Panasonic Open in Baltimore

BALTIMORE – Jamie Bestwick won the BMX Vert event and Ryan Nyquist came from behind on his final run to win the BMX dirt competition Friday in the AST Dew Tour Panasonic Open.

The 36-year-old Bestwick, from England, sealed his victory with an alley-oop in his first run, which earned him a 96.00 score. Chad Kagy of Gilroy, Calif. was second at 93.17, followed by England’s Simon Tabron at 92.00.

“I tried to stay smooth and high on my first run and I hit them all perfectly,” Bestwick said. “I didn’t know my first run would turn out like that. That was amazing.”

It’s good for me to take the early lead right now, but the race for the Cup is just getting started. It’s not over yet.”

Bestwick, the three-time defending Dew Cup champion, has won 12 out of 16 events in the four-year history of the Tour.

In the BMX dirt competition, Nyquist executed a flawless first run that placed him out of reach of the competition.

James Foster of Redlands, Calif. finished second with 95.09, and Australia’s Cameron White was third at 94.00.

“Definitely a lot of pressure,” Nyquist said. “It was pretty intense up there for me.”

“I can’t even count the number of times I’ve blown the chance to lock it in before I had to take the third run.”

Nyquist performed a trick that he named the powerball, which is a cannonball double barspin. He is the only athlete that has ever completed this trick.

The level of competition was fierce throughout the event. In his final run, Foster completed back-to-back technical tricks, a triple tailwhip and a windshield wiper, but it was not enough to take the win.

The four-day competition is the first of five stops of the AST Dew Tour that features skateboarding, BMX and freestyle motocross. Saturday’s action features Skateboard Park and Skateboard Vert finals, while the Sunday schedule includes the Freestyle Motocross and BMX Park finals.

AST Dew Tour-Panasonic Open Results
Friday, June 20, 2008
Baltimore

BMX Vert Finals
1. Jamie Bestwick, Great Britain, 96.00.
2. Chad Kagy, Gilroy, Calif., 93.17.
3. Simon Tabron, Great Britian, 92.00.
4. Kevin Robinson, East Providence, R.I., 91.17.
5. Austin Coleman, Los Angeles, Calif., 90.17.
6. Steven McCann, Australia, 89.83.
7. Dennis McCoy, Kansas City, Mo., 89.17.
8. John Parker, State College, Penn., 89.00.
9. Jimmy Walker, Chicago, Ill., 87.50.
10. Jay Eggleston, Denver, Colo., D.N.S.(Did Not Start).

BMX Dirt Finals
1. Ryan Nyquist, Greenville, N.C., 95.42.
2. James Foster, Redlands, Calif., 95.09.
3. Cameron White, Australia, 94.00.
4. Diogo Canina, Brazil, 93.25.
5. Corey Bohan, Australia, 93.17.
6. Luke Parslow, Australia, 92.42.
7. Dennis Enarson, La Mesa, Calif., 92.09.
8. Chris Gerber, Ft. Wayne, Ind., 90.00.
9. Cory Nastazio, West Palm Beach, Fla., 89.59.
10. Colin Mackay, Australia, 89.42.

AST Dew Tour Current Standings

BMX Vert Points
1. Jamie Bestwick, 100.
2. Chad Kagy, 85.
3. Simon Tabron, 75.
4. Kevin Robinson, 70.
5. Austin Coleman, 65.
6. Steven McCann, 61.
7. Dennis McCoy, 57.
8. John Parker, 53.
9. Jimmy Walker, 49.
10. Jay Eggleston, 45

BMX Dirt Points
1. Ryan Nyquist, 100.
2. James Foster, 85.
3. Cameron White, 75.
4. Diogo Canina, 70.
5. Corey Bohan, 65.
6. Luke Parslow, 61.
7. Dennis Enarson, 57.
8. Chris Gerber, 53.
9. Cory Nastazio, 49.
10. Colin Mackay, 45.

Check out some video of highlights from the action.

Jamie Bestwick continued to add on to his totals as the AST Dew Tour’s winningest athlete by taking the BMX Vert finals in Baltimore’s Panasonic Open on Friday. The win gives Bestwick 12 total AST Dew Tour wins which have resulted in three consecutive Dew Cup victories.

Simon Tabron and Chad Kagy battled for the right to take second place in a final that featured eight riders scoring 89.00 or above. Kagy edged Tabron 93.17 to 92.00 for his seventh all-time second-place finish on the tour (six of which he was second to Bestwick). Austin Coleman continued his impressive performance by placing fifth while last year’s season-ending No. 3-ranked rider, Steve McCann, placed sixth.

Action now shifts to the dirt course where Ryan Nyquist seeks to repeat last year’s opening win (and overall Dew Cup win).

BMX Vert Finals – 2008 Panasonic Open
June 20, 2008 / Baltimore, MD

1st — Bestwick, Jamie — 96.00
2nd — Kagy, Chad — 93.17
3rd — Tabron, Simon — 92.00
4th — Robinson, Kevin — 91.17
5th — Coleman, Austin — 90.17
6th — McCann, Steven — 89.83
7th — McCoy, Dennis — 89.17
8th — Parker, John — 89.00
9th — Walker, Jimmy — 87.50
10th — Eggleston, Jay — n/a