Let’s face it. Ocean City isn’t much of a sports town. Sure, the locals support their O’s, Ravens and other local teams all season long, but there is never a big sporting event that draws people to town. Before you chime in that fishing is a sport (it’s not), I’d like to share that Shaun White, Bucky Lasek and more actions sports stars will be competing in Ocean City at the end of this month!
    The seventh annual Dew Tour will kick off this year’s season with the Pantech Open in our own hometown. As this is the first time the tour has stopped in Ocean City, this is definitely something special. Competitions in skateboarding, BMX biking and surfing will populate the downtown area where professional action sports stars will be pulling off ridiculous tricks for thousands to gawk at.
    This seems cool but what the heck is a Dew Tour?
    While action sports have been around for a while, there really haven’t been many high profile events for the sports except for the X Games and The Olympics. Starting in 2005, the Dew Tour prides itself for being the first ever action sports tour. Think of it as a mini PGA tour for action sports.
    There will be five competitions at the Pantech Open that will be held throughout all four days. Each competitor will be judged based on their flow throughout the run, use of the course, linking of tricks and difficulty of successfully performed tricks.
    BMX Park: Riders will go to town on a buffet of ramps, wall rides and other obstacles for a limited amount of time.
    BMX Vert: Replace all of the obstacles on the park with an 80-foot wide half pipe and you’re in to see some amazing air tricks.
    Skateboard Bowl: This is the first time a skateboard bowl will be a featured event of the Dew Tour. Skaters have a limited amount of time to perform tricks in a huge bowl that’s pretty much an empty pool.
    Skateboard Vert: Same as the BMX Vert. They even use the same ramp!
    Surfing: New to the Dew Tour this year is surfing, as well! As with all events, surfers will perform a multitude of tricks in a small period of time. Only this time, they’ll be riding Ocean City’s majestic waves.
    OK, I’m in. Where is it?
    The events will be held on the beach, next to the inlet’s pier in downtown Ocean City. There will also be a festival village nearby with many free activities such as contests and games for all fans to enjoy.
    When should I tell my job I’ll be going on vacation?
    The Dew Tour will be taking place between Thursday, July 21 and Sunday, July 24 and events will be going on all day. Here’s the complete schedule:
Thursday, July 21: Free for all fans to attend!
    11:00 AM – 6:00 PM: Festival Village Open
    12:30 PM – 2:30 PM: Skateboard Vert Qualifier
    1:30 PM – 5:00 PM: BMX Park Qualifier
    5:00 PM – 8:30 PM: Skateboard Bowl Qualifier
    5:30 PM – 7:30 PM: BMX Vert Qualifier
Friday, July 22: General Admission or Action Zone tickets required
    11:00 AM – 7:00 PM: Festival Village Open
    1:30 PM – 3:00 PM: Skateboard Bowl Semi-Final
    3:30 PM – 5:30 PM: BMX Park Semi-Final
    5:30 PM – 7:00 PM: Skateboard Vert Semi-Final
    7:30 PM – 9:00 PM: Surf Contest
Saturday, July 23: General Admission or Action Zone tickets required
    11:00 AM – 8:00 PM: Festival Village Open
    1:30 PM – 2:30 PM: BMX Vert Semi-Final
    3:30 PM – 5:00 PM: BMX Park Final
    6:30 PM – 7:30 PM: Skateboard Bowl Final
7:30 PM – 11:30 PM: FREE concert featuring Kid Cudi with The Cool Kids and The Dean’s List
Sunday, July 24: General Admission or Action Zone tickets required
    11:00 AM – 6:00 PM: Festival Village Open
    2:00 PM – 3:00 PM: BMX Vert Final
    4:30 PM – 6:00 PM: Skateboard Vert Final

    So who is going to be there and why is this tour going on? Stay tuned for my article next Friday! Or visit www.allisports.com/dew-tour for more information!