The Dew Tour does Des Moines.
It was the convergence of two things. Des Moines had been working on a public skatepark for over ten years. It wasn’t just any park. It was designed by California Skateparks and finished being the largest park in the US. With that, they attracted one of the most prominent skateboarding competitions: The Dew Tour. I’ve enjoyed watching competitions over the years but never thought I would witness one in my backyard. Riders, the world over, trickled into the capital city of Iowa to compete and score points for potential Olympic qualification.
Tickets were free as long as they lasted. I scored two days of qualifying and the finals. Qualifiers were expectedly low-key. Much of my attention was drawn to what you don’t see on television. The competition crews and their interaction with the athletes. Some of the crew seemed to know the athletes. It made me wonder if that was centric to the Dew Tour of this particular crew serviced more competitions other than. Either way, it showed a side of skateboarding I had not seen. It became a common theme over the weekend. The competition was less about competing and more about the progression of the sport.
It was visible in how the athletes responded to each other’s accomplishments as well as the crew, the commentators, and the crowd. It was a celebration of skateboarding which is something that all were included in and could play a role in. Such a contrast to rivalries in other professional sports often leads to physical violence. Don’t get me wrong. Those rivalries are an exciting part of those sports, but it’s not the spirit of skateboarding.
Seeing these athletes I’d watch on YouTube for years warming up 10 feet away from me was a thrill. Watching them ollie was a rich lesson. I was a willing student.
When the finals came, I loaded up the family to show them this new world. It ended up being a hot day with not much breeze and they took off early, but I was happy for them to experience something of the event that had me reeling.
I stood through the finals, watched some amazing athletes, and let the experience marinate in my mind. There was a lot that I had missed: The nightlife and the semi-finals. That aside, I was still a part of something special. Seeing many legends with my own eyes, observing the spirit of the sport glue so many people together, and witness epic moments of the competition. In four days, I watched Des Moines become a skate city.