More and more, extreme sports are coming to the forefront of mainstream society, and that’s actually a good thing!
Not everyone is made for the “traditional” sports of basketball, volleyball, tennis, baseball, football, and the like, so to give the youth (not to mention the young-at-heart) an alternative sport to get into, it ensures that more people can lead an active and healthy lifestyle.
Mountain biking has already been introduced in the Olympics, and I feel it’s just a matter of time when you will have more extreme sports being considered for the quadrennial games and events like the Asian Games and Asian Indoor Games. The Southeast Asian (SEA) Games already has sport climbing (rock climbing) and wind surfing, and the rest are sure to follow.
That’s why in continuing to further the sport here locally and to bring skate culture and competition to the Dew Nation, Mountain Dew unleashed a skateboarding event in Manila by hosting its first-ever #DewTourAmSeries in the Philippines late last year at the Mountain Dew Skatepark in Circuit Makati.
Jordan Maxham in action
Fueled by Mountain Dew, the Manila leg of the Dew Tour AM Series is the culmination of the successful expansion of the Dew Tour, a celebrated international action sports platform that hosts grassroots events and amateur and professional competitions. More than 12 countries, including the Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, Korea, and the Philippines, have hosted the Dew Tour skate competitions.
More than a thousand people attended the epic skateboarding event to check out Manila’s local skate scene, attend the Parokya Ni Edgar concert, and meet with globally-recognized skaters Jordan Maxham, Justin Schulte, and Filipino-American professional skateboarder Sean Malto.
I believe it’s critical to bring in famous athletes of the sport to help inspire the youth, not to mention create that “hero mentality” which has proven to be an important formula for success.
Winners of the Dew Tour AM Series: Renzo Feliciano, 1st place; Demetrio Cuevas, 2nd; and Al Rasheed Rasheed, 3rd
Topping off the event, Mountain Dew hosted a skate competition only for Pinoy amateur skaters, where they put their skills to the test for a chance to take home top honors. In first place was Renzo Feliciano, who was awarded with a cash prize of P60,000 and bragging rights. Coming in second was Demetrio Cuevas, winning P30,000, followed by Al Rasheed Rasheed in third place, winning P20,000 as well as P10,000 for having the best overall run.
Events like this will push the sport of skateboarding in the country and continue to underscore the fact that extreme sports are now here to stay!
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