Yesterday started the Ocean City stop to the Dew Tour. With the haze in the air and the heat radiating from the sun, competitors gave it their all to earn top spots to qualify to further in the Dew Tour. At the Skateboard Bowl Qualifiers, 32 guys entered the bowl with anticipation, knowing that only 13 of them would move on to the next round. There were a few guys that stood out and seemed to be crowd pleasers. These guys are going to be skaters to watch out for as the Dew Tour progresses.
First of the skaterboarders that stood out was Willis Kimbel, a twenty three year old rider whose been riding for 15 years. His dad was a pro skater in the seventies, and was a well known surfer. Kimbel is from Portland, Oregon, and boasts a huge ability to do vertical tricks. His trick bag is deep, and although he is not the number one skater at this point, he has the potential to accelerate his career drastically in the next few years. Keep an eye on this guy, he is capible of filling some big footsteps.
Second that comes to mind is Tyler Mumma coming from his hometown of San Clemente, California. He skates in the traditional seventies bowl style and has an uncanny ability to express his flow. He rides from curve to curve, hip to hip in a pure rhythmic fashion. Keep an eye on this guy because his beard is not the only thing that’s great.
Next there was Josh Matson, a Boulder Creek local. He comes to the Dew Tour with some “swagger”. After his first heat he placed and held first for a significant time period. Although he is not currently in first place, his aggression in the bowl today proved beyond a doubt that he will be a major competitor in the following days of the Ocean City Dew Tour. He obviously keeps an eye on the prize.
Rob Lorifice, a professional skateboarder since 2004, showed his talents yesterday. Being a truly talented vert skater he landed some serious tricks that had the crowd riveted. Rob has been here before though, he has been an X games finalist and a Dew Tour competitor for quite some time. It is easy to see his comfort in this atmosphere, and his uncanny ability to perform under pressure. Expect big things out of this guy.
The true legend, Steve Caballero also came to play yesterday at the Qualifiers. This guy is 46 years old and still kicking tail. He put on quite a show yesterday against a lot of young and talented competition. It is easy to see why this guy took a hiatus in Australia because he came back looking fresh and ready to rock. This man needs no introduction. He has been in the game for a long time.
Last on our list, but certainly not least, Alex Sorgente, a thirteen year old skating mastermind. This kid has been on the tour since he was six years old. He is a truly talented young man, and is quickly growing into the future of what skateboarding should be. It takes a lot to blow us away, but he went vertical back to back 540’s with ease. This kid is an up and coming champion, and puts efforts into Grind for Life, a skateboarding foundation formed to help find the cure for cancer.
Now that you have a brief bio on these contenders, expect to see them shred up the bowl today from 1:30-3:00 for the Semi-Finals on Talbot Street in downtown Ocean City. Following this event will be the BMX Park Semi-Final from 3:30-5:30, the Skateboard Vert Semi-Final from 5:30-7:00, and the first EVER Dew Tour Surf Contest from 7:30-9:30.
Dew it up!
