Hi, Y’all! What’s the hot talk around town, besides the weather - The Dew Tour!! Our downtown beach has been transformed into a sports Festival Village complex with an amazing huge skate bowl, a park setup for BMX, a Vert ramp for both, a     stage for the Sat. night concert, and, of course, requiring no set-up, the Atlantic Ocean for the surfing competition Fri. Some big names in the world of action-sports will be on hand to amaze and impress, such as Jamie Bestwick, Dan Dhers, Bucky Lasek and Olympic champion Shaun White. For more details on the athletes, refer to Nate’s article on page 24. This is the first leg of the tour that will wrap up in Las Vegas.
    C.T. graphic artist Melissa and I had the opportunity to meet Shaun White with the rest of the press corps. I’m happy to report he was a most personable and articulate young man, who is now sporting a moustache (should have been at Macky’s last Tues., right?). This Olympian says he loves meeting the fans. In fact, on the way to the press junket, he spotted a group of youngsters with posters sitting in the hot sun and he jumped out of the car to meet them and sign autographs. So cool! He said he would like to sneak over to our local Skate Park and see the kids there.
    Born on Sept. 3, 1986 in San Diego, Calif., Shaun was a natural on the  ski slopes. He went from skiing in the San Bernardino Mountains in So. Calif. and Ludlow, Vermont to snow boarding at age 6; by 7 he had already received a sponsorship. White caught the attention of skateboard legend Tony Hawk who became his mentor around age 9. By the time he was 13, he was competing professionally. Perhaps it was because of that early mentoring that White identifies with the young kids coming up; such as Mitchie “Little Tricky” Brusco (14) who qualified today.
    As most of us know, White, “The Flying Tomato,” won his first Gold Medal for Half Pipe in 2006 in Torino, Italy and again in 2010 in Vancouver. Transitioning from snowboarding to skateboarding can be tricky, he told us ... “Yeah, the young kids will be watching me saying ‘stick to the snow!’” ... when he first begins practicing. He’s definitely a contender. In 2003 he won X-Games for Half Pipe and Slope Style; and he won last year’s Dew Tour skating Vert. White says he loves the sport; it’s so fulfilling, that sensation of hanging in the air.
    “The whole action sports thing is not just a sport but a whole new culture; more of a lifestyle,” White told us. His lifestyle may just be making a huge leap to other medias. Look for his cameo in the movie “Friends With Benefits” starring Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis, opening Fri. in the Sun n Surf theatre. He’s a champion and a star both on and off the Vert and we wish him all the best. Enjoy the DEW TOUR!