It's hard (impossible?) to take the energy of Dew Tour Copper and lay it out on paper. That's not an option. The intensity that hung in the air was indescribable. There were highlights though, undeniable athletic achievements that we'd be remise not to mention. Some of these may be wins, but most will not be. Wins can be one measure of success, but not the only one.
Streetstyle:
Mia Brookes: The domination of Mia during Streetstyle was swift and merciless. No competitor rode as fast down the course as her. No competitor landed anything with as much authority either. This was well-deserved.
The Brown Cameo: Maybe it's not the best when, in a street contest, we ogle over and treat real street riders as novelties. That being said, it was great to see Sam Taxwood and Nik Baden out on the course with the crop of seasoned contest riders.
Iris Pham: Her cab two somehow got better during every run of qualifiers. Each time she would do it perfectly. And then she would do it again.
The contents of Egan's pockets: Right before she dropped Egan called me over and said, "Can you hold this?" She proceeded to reach into her pocket and take out a pack of American Spirits and a Rice Krispy Treat. What an athlete.
Benny Milam's First Two Tricks: Benny Milam is a tech god. Bow down. Please, just bow down.
Halfpipe:
Kaishu Hirano: When Kaishu leaves the ground, there's only a fifty percent chance that he'll ever come back down. There is nobody else in the world who can air out of a halfpipe like he can. Nobody.
Ayumu Hirano: The brothers Hirano put on a show and it was a pleasure to watch. Ayumu had us on the edge of our seats until the very last drop of the contest. Will he or won't he? In the end, he did. He landed a front triple on the first hit every time too. I don't think that's something we'll ever get used to seeing.
Maddie Maestro: Double crippler for the win and a gold to roll into the summer with. No better way to end the season. I can't imagine how it must have felt, to drive away from Copper a Dew Tour champion. It was amazing to see.
The Homies at the Bottom of the Pipe on the Last Morning: We were tired, so tired after three long days. The pipe saved us all. You know who you are. Thanks for hanging out and watching history.
Lucas Foster: You know we had to talk about him, right? Double ally-oop mctwist. Let me repeat. DOUBLE ALLY-OOP MCTWIST! People don't do that trick. It isn't done. Especially in a contest. Lucas Foster put everything on the line and it paid off in the end. Congratulations. You really just did that.
