AST DEW TOUR RETURNS TO PORTLAND
FOR THIRD STOP OF 2008 SEASON
NEW YORK – February 19, 2008 – The AST Dew Tour, the world’s premier season-long action sports tour, today announced Portland, Ore. as the site of the Wendy’s Invitational, Aug. 21-24, at the Rose Quarter. For the fourth consecutive year, the Portland event will be the third of five stops on the 2008 tour. The event will feature the greatest talent in skateboarding, BMX and freestyle motocross.
In making the announcement, AST president Wade Martin said: “We are very excited to be returning to Portland and to be debuting Wendy’s as the new host sponsor this year. The city of Portland has shown a passion for skateboarding and action sports as a whole, as well as a commitment to the Dew Tour, we are looking forward to our return to Portland.”
“The AST Dew Tour has quickly become one of the annual highlights of Oregon’s busy summer sports season,” said Drew Mahalic, CEO of the Oregon Sports Authority. “Over the last three years the Tour has helped establish Portland as a premier action sports destination, and we couldn’t be more pleased to welcome it back for the fourth consecutive year.”
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
Entering 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 nearly 300,000 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).
AST
The Action Sports Tour (AST) is the recently created umbrella brand and organization of the worlds’ most prestigious action sports events. Currently the AST consists of two national tours, one international event and an amateur series: AST Dew Tour (debuted in 2005), AST Winter Dew Tour (debuting in 2008), AST China (debuting in 2008), and Free Flow Tour (debuted in 2005). The AST properties are home to over 300,000 spectators each year and broadcast in 100 countries and 280 million homes worldwide. The AST Dew Tour consists of five major, multi-sport events spanning across the country, with a cumulative points system, a $2.5 million competitive purse – the largest in action sports – and an additional $1 million bonus pool. Each event features skateboarding (park and vert), BMX (park, vert, and dirt) and freestyle motocross. At seasons end, the overall point’s leaders in the six disciplines are crowned year-end champions and awarded the prestigious Dew Cup. Key lifestyle elements at each Tour event include the Festival village, specialty competitions, and live cutting edge music. More information can be found at www.ast.com.
NBC Universal
NBC Universal is one of the world’s leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience. Formed in May 2004 through the combining of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBC Universal owns and operates the No. 1 television network, the fastest-growing Spanish-language network, a valuable portfolio of news and entertainment networks, a premier motion picture company, significant television production operations, a leading television stations group, and world-renowned theme parks. NBC Universal is 80%-owned by General Electric, with 20% controlled by Vivendi Universal.
3/19/2008