AST Dew Tour Announces "AST Drops In"

NEW YORK – May 21, 2007 – The AST Dew Tour, the world's premier season-long action sports tour, today announced the creation of a new national charity initiative, AST Drops In.  

In each AST Dew Tour host city, AST Drops In will work with local charities to introduce disadvantaged children to action sports, providing donations of equipment and funds to incorporate action sports into their daily activities.  Through a relationship with Charity Folks, a leading online marketplace for nonprofit fundraising, the AST Dew Tour will auction off memorabilia and experiential items from Dew Tour athletes and partners.  All proceeds from the online auction will benefit the host city’s selected children’s charities.

“We hope that by investing in children’s participation in action sports through AST Drops In, we’ll be not only giving back to the communities that host the Dew Tour, but also to the action sports industry as a whole,” said Wade Martin, president and general manager of the AST Dew Tour. 

The first-ever AST Drops In auction will begin today, Monday, May 21, and will benefit Baltimore’s Salvation Army Franklin Square Boys & Girls Club.  Fans can log on to www.astdewtour.com to bid on rare action sports collectibles ranging from two-time Dew Cup champion Ryan Sheckler’s autographed skateboard, which he will be using in competition at the Panasonic Open, to goggles worn by FMX competitor Mike Mason.  Fans can also bid on one-of-a-kind, experiential items, such as a personal FMX pit tour and track walk that includes four Action Zone passes (VIP reserved seating at Finals) and exclusive AST Dew Tour merchandise.  All memorabilia auctions for the Panasonic Open will close on Monday, June 25 and bidding for all Panasonic Open experiential items will close by Wednesday, June 20.

A number of the AST Dew Tour sponsors will also support AST Drops In through a variety of ways.  Right Guard, event title sponsor of Cleveland’s Right Guard Open in July, will donate $5 for every Mohawk and $1 for every “faux-hawk” their barber shaves into fans’ hair at the Right Guard Xtreme Xperience in the Tour’s Festival Village, up to a $10,000 donation over the course of the 2007 season.  Mongoose will provide meet-n-greet opportunities with Mongoose team athletes, signed memorabilia, and various action sports equipment at each AST Dew Tour event.  Ogio will provide product and signed athlete memorabilia from their large roster of team riders while Freshpark will provide one ramp and one rail to the local children’s charity in each Dew Tour host city.  TransWorld will also contribute magazine subscriptions to TransWorld Skateboarding, TransWorld Motocross, and Ride BMX in each market.  Additional sponsor involvement will be announced just prior to the first stop of the 2007 season.

“I’m excited to be a part of AST Drops In and contribute to the online charity auction,” said Sheckler.  “I encourage everybody to log onto the auction and help introduce more kids to action sports.” 

Two-time Dew Cup champion in Skateboard Vert, Bucky Lasek today will help kick off AST Drops In with a skate clinic for children from The Salvation Army Franklin Square Boys & Girls Club at Baltimore’s Charm City Skatepark.    

The complete 2007 AST Dew Tour schedule is as follows:

 

Event                           Date                             Location

Panasonic Open            June 21-24                    Baltimore, Md.—Camden Yards Sports Complex

Right Guard Open         July 19-22                     Cleveland, Ohio—North Coast Harbor

Vans® Invitational          Aug. 16-19                    Portland, Ore.—Rose Quarter

Toyota Challenge          Sept. 20-23                   Salt Lake City, Utah—Energy Solutions Arena 

PlayStation® Pro           Oct. 18-21                     Orlando, Fla.—Amway Arena

 

Entering its third year, the AST Dew Tour is the most watched and attended action sports property in the world.  Attendance for the 2006 AST Dew Tour totaled nearly 250,000 and an average of 38 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 which will be awarded in Orlando at season’s end to champions in each of the six disciplines.  The 2006 Dew Cup winners include Nate Adams (Freestyle Motocross), Jamie Bestwick (BMX Vert), Anthony Napolitan (BMX Dirt), Daniel Dhers (BMX Park), Lasek (Skateboard Vert) and Sheckler (Skateboard Park).