Baltimore-based Dew Tour fans have one common favorite in Skate Vert: The guy wearing a Baltimore Orioles jersey who skated to 1st place in Saturday nights Skate Vert Finals. That guy would be Baltimores Bucky Lasek -- two-time AST Dew Tour champion and also the favorite son of the citys skateboard scene.

To be able to bring something like the Dew Tour back to Baltimore well, lets just say I wasnt here to get second place and I wasnt here to go home hurt: I was here to win it for Baltimore, says Lasek.

Buckys Baltimore fans got a good show for the Go Skateboarding Day proceedings. On the AST Dew Tour, Skate Vert Finals are a best-of-three-runs showdown between ten of the worlds top pro skaters. Pierre-Luc Gagnon emerged as the early leader with a huge Run 1 score of 93.50, and to anyone who doesnt know Bucky Lasek or the depth of his love for Baltimore, PLGs run looked like a winner. The Baltimore crowd knew better.

Laseks second of three runs will go down in history as one of the all-time great competition runs in skateboarding. Known as an innovator in Vert skateboarding ever since his video debut 20 years ago, Lasek literally does things on a skateboard that nobody else does or can do, and he does it with serious style. Last year Lasek was skating on an injured knee for the Dew Tours Baltimore debut, but tonight he was in top form in front of friends, family, and Baltimore fans who have supported him throughout his career. Flipping, twisting, spinning, and even breaking out a brand new fastplant spin for the occasion to push ahead with a score of 93.75.

PLGs fall in Run 2 left all the drama for Run 3, but neither Gagnon or 3rd place finisher Bob Burnquist could top the local hero. Lasek celebrated with a victory lap to a standing ovation and threw in a few extra tricks for his fans, then broke out some breakdancing moves and announced hed be celebrating by going out for Baltimores famous blue crabs with his family.

It was a heated competition all around; 20 year-old skater Rob Lorifice went down hard in Run 1 and left on a stretcher to get checked out for head injuries (he was back in time for the podium presentation to announce hes okay), and almost every competitor in the field took some serious spills as they battled for the win at the Panasonic Open.

In the end, Bob Burnquists first run score of 84.75 held up for 3rd place, while Andy Macdonald improved his score to 83.75 in Run 3 for 4th, bumping 18 year-old Adam Taylor down to 5th.

Look for Lasek to defend his lead as the AST Dew Tour heads to Cleveland next month for the Right Guard Open, and watch for all kinds of excitement we saw hints of here in Baltimore: Andy Macdonalds frontside rodeo 540, Adam Taylors tailgrab frontside gay twist, and Danny Mayers kickflip McTwist are all signs of big things to come.