Shaun and Bucky Who?

Aug 20 2006 / Portland

Sandro Dias takes his first Dew Tour win in Skate Vert
           

PHOTO GALLERY See photos of Sandro Dias in the Skate Vert Finals at the Dew Tour Vans Invitational.   VIEW GALLERY>

Straight off his victory at X Games, Sandro Dias took his first Dew Tour win ever at the Vans Invitational. Things were looking rocky for the high-flying Brazilian at first. He barely made it into the final, qualifying in 12th place. Then on his first run in finals he had trouble on a heelflip variation and went down.
 
But when Dias dropped in for his second run, and made supreme use of the entire ramp with grinds, huge airs, and technical tricks like a 360 varial on the extension and nose grab 540 to tail, and then skated fluidly through the buzzer, he posted the only score in the 90s of the day. But then he had to sit back and wait for people like Shaun White, Bob Burnquist and Bucky Lasek to take their second runs (the problem with qualifying in last), hoping that his score would hold.
 

VIDEO Sandro Dias pulls a One-Footed 540 Nosegrab at the 2006 Portland Dew Tour Stop.   VIEW CLIP>

One by one everyone went and the scores stuck. White bailed on a heelflip fakie over the channel, ending his hopes at defending his title from Denver. Jean Postec had one of the best runs of his career, but his score only moved him into third. Finally, it was time for Lasek to go. If anyone could top Sandro, it was Lasek. He only sat a point and a half below Dias’s score from his first run.
 
Bucky (see video) dropped in on the extension and attempted a flip trick to start his run, but failed to get it back under his feet. And just like that Dias’s victory was clear and Lasek would have to settle for second.
 
“I would love to see Bucky do his whole run,” Dias said. “It’s hard to watch him fall. I want to see all the guys skate good.”
 
Still, the smile on Dias’s face stretched from ear to ear as he held up his first place trophy. It has to feel good, especially for someone who just came off a win at X Games.
 
“I was surprised to win the X Games and I am surprised again here,” he said. “I just come to have fun and try and stay on my skateboard and it worked.”

- Brooke Geary