This month’s hot weather should make the Toyota “mudslinger” one of the most visited attractions this week when the Dew Action Sports Tour visits Denver for the Right Guard Open.
“Mudslinger” is a misnomer. It’s water that gets slung.
The back wheels of a stationary pickup locked in reverse sit in water. A plate of Plexiglas with a hole in it stands behind the truck.
Participants, or maybe victims, put their heads through the hole.
“Your friend gets in the Toyota Tacoma and revs the engine and soaks you,” tour spokeswoman Meghan Powers said.
The tour features competition among the world’s top professional BMX riders, skateboarders and motocross drivers. It runs Thursday through Sunday at the Pepsi Center.
Two rock acts, Unwritten Law and Story of the Year, headline concerts at 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, respectively. Smile Empty Soul opens Friday and Stutterfly on Saturday.
All the side activities and the concerts, which take place in Festival Village, are included in the admission, $12 daily or $35 for an event pass.
The mudslinger, popular as it is, is just one of several sideshow attractions that offer action-sports fans a chance to be an active part of the event.
Pacific Cycle sponsors a skateboard park course and a BMX dirt course.
“They give kids skateboards, helmets and pads,” Powers said. “The parents sign a waiver, and the kids can go and try their hand. It has the ramps and the railings, so they can try their hand at that.”
The bicycle course has a ramp and a few bumps. Again, participants are lent all the equipment used by the professionals. A parent must sign a waiver for riders and skaters younger than age 18.
Gamers haven’t been forgotten. They have two places to test their skills on the latest video games: the PlayStation pavilion and the PlayStation 2 lounge in the House of Dew, a 3,000-square-foot colonial house erected on-site.
It also features an airbrush tattoo parlor, a music lounge with a DJ and a theater to screen the documentary “First Descent: The Story of the Snowboarding Revolution,” which is scheduled to hit theaters later this year.
Other exhibits include high-definition TV, a museum of action sports and a boat display.
“The whole venue is a million square feet,” Powers said, noting that the space houses the competition, as well as the Festival Village.
Powers said the Louisville show did not draw the 70,000-100,000 predicted by the promoters, but she blamed weather for that. That is the same number of visitors they predict for the Denver show.
The biggest draw is the athletes, who seem to enjoy meeting fans as much as they do competing, she said.
“They are so friendly and personable,” Powers said. “They hang out and sign autographs. They walk through the Festival Village like no big deal. And little kids, their jaws drop: ‘Oh my gosh. That’s (BMX rider) Ryan Nyquist.’ Or ‘Oh my gosh, that’s (BMX rider) Allan Cooke.”‘
But even the most ardent fan can keep his cool at the mudslinger.
Staff writer Ed Will can be reached at 303-820-1694 or ewill@denverpost.com.
Right Guard Open
SKATEBOARD, BMX AND MOTOCROSS|Pepsi Center, 1000 Chopper Circle, 2:30-10 p.m. Thursday; 2:30-11 p.m. Friday; 1:30-11:30 p.m. Saturday; 1:30-7:30 p.m. Sunday|$12 daily or $35 pass|303-830-8497 or ticketmaster.com
