day one: the 2019 dew tour skateboard competition kicks off with open qualifiers and women’s park quarter finals at the first ever global olympic qualifying event in the u.s.

(Long Beach, Calif.) June 12, 2019 — The first-ever global Olympic qualifying event in the U.S. for men’s and women’s skateboard Park and Street events got underway today at the annual Dew Tour, in sunny Long Beach, California. This is the fourth consecutive year that Dew Tour has been held in Long Beach.

While the event doesn’t open to the public until tomorrow, Thursday, June 13 at 2 p.m. PST, the Open Qualifiers took place today to narrow the fields. More than 300 athletes, ranging in age from 10 to 28 years, representing 45 countries, competed in today’s competition. Men’s and Women’s Street and Men’s and Women’s Park Open Qualifiers were held, as was the Women’s Park Quarterfinals.

The street and park courses were buzzing with energy as new and seasoned pros from around the world dialed in their runs to earn valuable points toward their country’s Olympic skateboarding team. The Olympic qualification system is based on World Skateboarding Rankings maintained by World Skate, the sport’s International Governing Body. Skateboarders earn points by competing in World Skate sanctioned events during the Olympic qualifying period which started January 1 of this year and will end May 31, 2020. Dew Tour is part of the World Skate sanctioned Five-Star Street and Park skateboarding series.

During today’s Open Qualifier, three skaters per country registered by World Skate’s recognized National Governing Body (NGB) as well as event wildcard athletes, skated the courses in three-minute jam sessions in hopes of being one of the top skaters to advance to the Quarter Final round.

Dew Tour’s youngest athlete, 10-year old Sky Brown (GBR), took the number one spot in today’s Women’s Park Open Qualifier. The Women’s Park Quarter Final was also held this evening where the top 14 from Open Qualifiers joined an additional 14 pre-seeded skaters. Brown kept up her impressive skills and finished third, behind Lizzie Armanto (FIN) and Brighton Zeuner (USA). The top 13 seeds will now move on to tomorrow’s Semi-Final competition.

On the Women’s Street Open Qualifier, Nanaka Fujisawa (JPN) took the top score, followed by Funa Nakayama (JPN) and Haylie Powell (AUS) who earned the second and third spot, respectively. The top 12 skaters from today’s event join pre-seeded skaters in Thursday’s Quarter Final.

During the Men’s Park Open Qualifier, Ivan Federico (ITA) advanced first, with Kieran Woolley (AUS) and Edouard Damestoy (FRA) trailing behind, respectfully. The top 14 will join pre-seeded athletes in the Quarter Finals, set for Friday evening.

Kayaki Ike (JPN), led the pack during Men’s Street Open Qualifier, with Chaz Ortiz (USA) in second and Sora Shirai (JPN) in third. The top 12 skaters from today join pre-seeded skaters in Thursday’s Quarter FInal.

Dew Tour is free and open to the public Thursday through Sunday, June 13 – 16. For the full schedule of events, including concerts and live stream information, visit Dewtour.com.

About Dew Tour

Dew Tour is an innovative contest series and content platform that brings together the world’s best skateboarders, snowboarders, skiers, artists, brands and fans in a celebration of creativity and style.

In 2016, the Adventure Sports Network Group (ASNG) became the official strategic partner to lead content production, execution and event staging for the Dew Tour. Working in close collaboration with ASNG’s core action sports media brands and in partnership with DEW®, Dew Tour continues to progress events and content, bringing millions of action sports fans engaging stories and experiences across digital and broadcast mediums. In addition to Dewtour.com and ASNG’s digital network, Dew Tour’s summer and winter events are telecast on NBC.

Visit Dewtour.com, download the updated free Dew Tour App, and follow on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter and YouTube @DewTour.