Check out the top highlights from the Saturday night contest in the video below.

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

“The rookies and the young guys have come on so strong it’s made us push as hard as we can,” Dias said after the contest. “They came out here this year and forced us to progress and skate. These kids, they progress so fast. It’s hard now! Everyone is so good… I have to thank those guys for pushing me to be better.”

One of those kids, 19-year old Adam Taylor, qualified fourth on Saturday.  Two others, Alex Perelson (17) and Josh Stafford (16) missed the cut but have been influencial all season.

Last month’s amateur winner of the Free Flow Tour, Paul-luc Ronchetti, received a wild-card entry to the contest and finished 10th.

The Skate Vert finals will take place on Saturday from 7:30-9 p.m. and will also be broadcast on USA Network from 12 midnight-1 a.m.

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

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

10. Jean Postec
9. Danny Mayer
8. Anthony Furlong
7. Adam Taylor
6. Buster Halterman
5. Pierre-Luc Gagnon
4. Sandro Dias
3. Andy Macdonald
2. Bob Burnquist
1. Bucky Lasek

Skate Vert Prelim Results – PlayStation Pro
October 16, 2008 – Top Seven Advance

1st – Dias, Sandro – 85.25
2nd – Gagnon, Pierre-Luc – 82.25
3rd – Halterman, Buster – 80.50
4th – Taylor, Adam – 80.25
5th – Furlong, Anthony – 80.00
6th – Mayer, Danny – 79.75
7th – Postec, Jean – 78.50
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -
8th – Hendrix, Neal – 77.50
9th – Glifberg, Rune – 76.50
10th – Ronchetti (A), Paul-luc – 72.75
11th – Millar, Renton – 68.00
12th – Bastos, Marcelo – 68.00
13th – Stafford, Josh – 66.50
14th – Perelson, Alex – 63.50
15th – Sloan, Elliot – 55.75
16th – Lorifice, Rob – 51.50
17th – Ueda, Lincoln – 46.00

See some video highlights below.

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

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

Pierre-Luc Gagnon had an awful showing last month at the Right Guard Open but after winning X Games gold earlier this month he came back strong at the Wendy’s Invitational in Portland.  PLG tied with Sandro Dias as the top qualifier in Skateboard Vert, with Alex Perelson a distant third.  Thanks to a tiebreaker Dias received the top rank with PLG in second.  Fellow young guns Josh Stafford and Adam Taylor also made the cut.  Not competing in Portland was last month’s winner Shaun White.

“I want to get the 900 in one of my runs on Saturday,” Dias said after taking the qualifiers. “I’m feeling great after my runs in Prelims; I always love skating in Portland and with the new three-run format this year we have more time and space to do different tricks. I want to skate in Finals like I skated today, stay on my board, and try different tricks for sure. Maybe the 9.”

Already prequalified for the final on Saturday are AST Dew Cup points leader Bucky Lasek, alogn with Andy Macdonald and Bob Burnquist.  Fans will be able to catch the action on NBC starting at 1 p.m. PT/4 p.m. ET.

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

10. Buster Halterman
9. Rob Lorifice
8. Adam Taylor
7. Josh Stafford
6. Alex Perelson
5. Pierre-Luc Gagnon
4. Sandro Dias
3. Bob Burnquist
2. Andy Macdonald
1. Bucky Lasek

Skate Vert Prelim Results – Wendy’s Invitational
August 21, 2008 – Top Seven Advance

1st – Dias, Sandro – 88.00
2nd – Gagnon, Pierre-Luc – 88.00
3rd – Perelson, Alex – 81.50
4th – Stafford, Josh – 80.75
5th – Taylor, Adam – 79.50
6th – Lorifice, Rob – 78.50
7th – Halterman, Buster – 76.75
- – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - -
8th – Millar, Renton – 74.25
9th – Ueda, Lincoln – 67.00
10th – Bastos, Marcelo – 66.25
11th – Glifberg, Rune – 62.75
12th – Hendrix, Neal – 62.00
13th – Gentry, Chris – 61.25
14th – Postec, Jean – 45.50
15th – Menezes, Rodrigo – 38.75
16th – Mayer, Danny – 30.50
17th – Furlong, Anthony – 22.50

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

 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

Pierre-Luc Gagnon is getting a chance to bring Vert skateboarding to a pretty wide audience when he shows up on the “Early Show” on CBS in about seven hours.  It’s part of the network’s promotion of the Maloof Money Cup airing this Sunday from 3-4 p.m. ET.  As you might recall, PLG won the Vert title last weekend, so he’s a perfect ambassador for the show.

If you live in NYC, go see it in person at 7:15 a.m. on the corner of 59th Street and 5th Ave.

And if you need more info, read on for the release…

CATCH ALL THE ACTION FROM THE MALOOF MONEY CUP ON CBS SPORTS THIS SUNDAY, JULY 20TH AT 3 P.M. EST
CBS Early Morning Show to feature Maloof Money Cup Carl’s Jr ® US Pro Vert Championship winner Pierre Luc Gagnon Thursday July 17, 7:30 A.M. EST
Los Angeles, CA July 16, 2008 — The Maloof Money Cup and Joe and Gavin Maloof are excited to announce the national broadcast of the Maloof Money Cup on CBS Sports Sunday, July 20 (3:00-4:00 P.M., EST; taped 7/11-13).  The first annual Maloof Money Cup showcased the finest talent in skateboarding competing head to head for the largest purse in skateboarding history in front of more than 20,000 fans over the course of the weekend. The broadcast will feature top skaters from around the world including Ryan Sheckler, Jake Brown, Pierre Luc Gagnon, Eric Koston, Paul Rodriguez, Jake Brown, Rob Dyrdek, Andrew Reynolds and Shaun White battling it out for almost half a million dollars in cash and prizes. The one hour special will include three action packed events: the US Pro Street Championship, the Carl’s Jr US Pro Vert Championship, and the US Women’s Pro Street Championship. Look out for skater profiles, skate legend Christian Hosoi as a guest announcer, and rapper Tyga performing his hit single “Coconut Juice” all set against the back drop of a custom-designed $150,000 concrete street-course plaza, the first one ever built at that large of a scale for a skateboarding contest.

“CBS Sports is the perfect broadcast partner for The Maloof Money Cup,” Joe Maloof said. “Their dedication to excellence in sports broadcasting combined with the biggest event in skateboarding history will make for an outstanding televised event.”

Fans are invited to come down to meet Pierre-Luc Gagnon Thursday July 17, at 7:15 A.M. on the corner of 59th Street and 5th Ave for the taping of the CBS Early Show in New York City.

About Maloof Money Cup
The Maloof Money Cup is the premier showcase for professional skateboarding in 2008. This three-day festival, and WCS sanctioned U.S. Skateboarding Championship, took place July 11-13, 2008 at the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa, Calif. during the opening weekend of the OC Fair. It included three professional US.Championship Competitions: Men’s and Women’s Pro Street, and Men’s Pro Vert – and the US Amateur Championships. The Maloof Money Cup boasts the largest purse in the history of professional skateboarding with over $450,000 in cash and prizes, while setting the benchmark at each prize level.