Earlier this year we put quite a bit of work into trying to get an ice cream truck out on a skate/action sports tour. We wanted to stop at skate parks and stores around the country and hit up some competitions and other events as well. One of the big events we eyed was the AST Dew Tour. There are five competitions around the country and we penciled them into our calendar hoping to sling cream at some of them. The project never really got off the ground (at least this year) but we ended up talking with some folks from Sony a couple months back and they asked us if wed be interested in coming out to Orlando for the Playstation Pro AST Dew Tour stop there. The timing worked out perfect and we jumped at the chance.
Ive been a skater since I got my first Lucero Jester Deck back in 1984 or so. I can still ollie a curb but thats about as far as my skills go. Ive always been a fan of skateboarding and its easy to be mesmerized watching people do tricks on boards and bikes that seem to defy gravity or common sense. Who ever really thought, ten years ago, BMXs would be doing double back flips? Not knowing what to expect at the Dew Tour, I filled up Newt with over 2000 creams and headed to Amway Arena to dial in our parking spot near the loading dock of the Arena where most of the production people were situated.
Playstation made it possible for us to be there giving away cream but we were only scheduled to sling three hours a day. I figured, as long as we were setup and had enough cream, Id stay open five to six hours a day so that everyone could stop by for a treat or three. Fridays events consisted of prelims in most of the competitions but I was the only one manning the truck and I never made it out of the backstage area to see what was going on.
On Saturday, Sean from I Wanna Distributors, the ice cream wholesaler where I purchased all the cream, headed down to help out. His help was much appreciated and it allowed me to wander around a bit outside. Im used to doing big events but was a bit overwhelmed once I passed the gate leading to the outdoor festival area. The attendance was around 50,000 people each day and the highly sponsored event was overflowing with free burgers, t-shirts, and just about anything else you can imagine. After about 15 minutes of walking around and stopping by the Playstation truck to check out the new racing game Pacific Rift (which I cant wait to race Ice Cream Crew member DT once I get back to Long Beach) I ventured back to the truck to get some pics from outside of Newt.
I had been debating whether to go see Dolly Parton or the Rays/Red Sox playoff game for a couple days and once I heard back from Stacey, who had a great seat for the Dolly show, I made my mind up I was going to see her that night. She was playing at the Arena on the Campus of the University of Central Florida and who knows if Id ever have another chance to see this legend again. Once I had my ticket in hand I got even more excited and I felt the need to tell most people coming to the truck I was going to see Dolly. The seat was great, first row, just right of center in the risers. The show was phenomenal. Dolly is one of the very few people on my list of heroes. The concert was setup like a variety show but the main star throughout was Dolly. There were country hits, pop ballads, a cappella numbers, and she played almost a dozen different instruments. She also told numerous funny stories in each of her two one-hour sets. She had some stock one-liners but was also quick to work off the audience and thanks the band and the fans for supporting her for over 40 years. Shes on tour on the east coast for the next month and I HIGHLY recommend you go see if you can. Tix would make great gifts for all ages too. Id buy my Mom and Dad some if she had any LA dates planned.
Since we had given away so much ice cream on Friday and Saturday we had to re-up for Sunday. Normally I Wanna is closed on weekends but Sean met me there at 11 so I could purchase 500 more treats to get us through the day. After some greazy breakfast (which is essential when working a fest like this) we setup shop. The whole vibe of the event, and where we were situated, was extremely relaxed and friendly. I did here the word sick used more throughout the weekend than in the previous year which I got kick out of, but most of the people who came by the truck were just normal folks. They worked at the Arena, were part of the cleaning crew, worked production for AST, or were either a competing athlete or part of an athletes family. Sean hung around for most of the day helping to sling cream and snap some pics which was a huge help. I had been considering going to see Game 7 of the Rays/Sox series in Tampa two hours away because I knew I could get a pretty cheap ticket but decided I didnt wanna spend the money nor the time, especially when I could watch it at the Orena Sports Bar next to my hotel. Since it was slowing down and I wasnt going to be leaving early I decided to head in to actually witness some of the action. Thanks to Dylan for helping direct me through the Arena maze which lead to a great spot to view the Skate Park finals.
I didnt want to show up knowing nothing about what was going on so I spent a couple hours at www.ast.com watching highlight videos from the previous stops. If you got a few minutes, you should check some of them out. The bike/moto stuff was pretty insane but the event I liked the best was street. Out of nowhere, a 14-year-old had been making a name for himself and won the last stop in Salt Lake City. Chaz Ortiz is his name and I instantly recognized him while all the skaters were practicing between runs. Everyone performing had an arsenal of impressive tricks but Chaz solo and Jam runs were far and away the best. It was fun to be standing directly next to the action and you couldnt help but cheer and clap once any of the skaters pulled off an amazing trick. Props to Timmy Knuth who was from Florida and the lone amateur in the completion who placed well enough in the solo competition to be part of the six skaters competing in the Jam session.
Thanks to everyone who helped out in Orlando; Donna, Ginger and Natalie with Sony Playstation, Sean and I Wanna, Brian and Christi with AST, Krysten for the pics, and Stacey for the Dolly ticket. Hopefully well be able to find a way to get an action sports ice cream truck out to all the Dew Tour stops next year. If youd like to help sponsor us for an action sports tour, send over and email and Ill get ya some info.
