How to follow in the footsteps of 2007 Free Flow Tour champ Chaz Ortiz...The first few stops on the 2008 Free Flow Tour are underway and this season marks the fourth year of AST Dew Tours official amateur competition series.

The Free Flow Tour will host 24 Skate Park contests, 6 Skate Vert contest, 16 BMX Park contests and 4 BMX Vert contests totaling 50 contests at regional skateparks across the country, with winners from each contest advancing to the Free Flow Finals at the AST Dew Tours Toyota Challenge, September 911 in Salt Lake City, UT. Free Flow Tour winners of each stop will compete in these Finals, all vying for the top prize -- wildcard entry into the fifth and final stop on the AST Dew Tour, the PlayStation Pro.

Past winners in the Free Flow Tour contests include BMX Vert rider John Chin, BMX Park riders Kevin Kiraly, Mike Spinner, and Ricky Moseley, and Skate Vert skater Ben Hatchell and Skate Park skaters Jeff Ward, David Loy, and Chaz Ortiz. We caught up with 14 year-old 2007 Free Flow champ Chaz Ortiz to find out how much his Free Flow Tour success has done for him, and to ask for some advice to pass on to the hundreds of young skaters around the country eager to follow his Free Flow.
AST Dew Tour: Last year we saw you come all the way up from the regional contest at Chicagos Krush Skatepark to win the Free Flow Finals, and then saw you hold your own against the best of the best at the PlayStation Pro, first as a wildcard in Prelims and then skating all the way to 6th place in Finals against guys like Greg Lutzka and Ryan Sheckler. What did you get out of the experience?
Chaz Ortiz: I met a lot of new people and saw some friends I hadnt seen in a while, and I got to skate a really good course and challenge myself against a lot of skaters Ive always looked up to. Skating in the Free Flow Tour makes you realize how many really good skaters are out there. It was really fun.
AST Dew Tour: Was 2007 your first time competing on the Free Flow Tour?
Ortiz: I skated it two years before, and then the year before last I missed it because I got hurt, so I just wanted to go back there and skate it, and I really wanted to have the chance to skate the Dew Tour and go to Orlando. They held it at Krush Skatepark, a really nice skatepark in Chicago, and I skated really well there and won it, and that got me to the Finals and to Orlando.
AST Dew Tour: You sure made the most of it once you got there! What did that experience do for you?
Ortiz: It did a lot! A lot more kids and people in the industry recognize me and my skating now, and my sponsors were stoked. I got 2nd at the Volcom Damn Am right after the Free Flow Tour in October, then I skated at Tampa Am in January and got 6th, and in March I went to Phoenix for the Phoenix Am and got 2nd place there. I also just skated this competition called Top Shop where they have like 40 teams with 5 skaters, and the best teams in the United States go there. I went with the Warp Skatepark team and we ended up winning the whole thing, so everythings been going really good since the Free Flow Tour last year.
AST Dew Tour: So can we expect to see you at the Panasonic Open in Baltimore?
Ortiz: Yep. Im actually skating in the Prelims as a wildcard at the Panasonic Open, which is the top 24, then Ill need to make top 12 to skate in the televised Finals. Ill have to qualify, and then hopefully that will get me out there more. I had a great time out there on the Dew Tour last year in Orlando and Im looking forward to getting back to it.
AST Dew Tour: For people watching the Dew Tour who might not know a lot about amateur skateboarding, can you tell us a little bit about what your life is like in terms of sponsorships, filming, and contests? I dont think a lot of people understand what it takes to get up to the level of where their favorite pros are.
Ortiz: For me its really cool because not a lot of kids are at this level, and you realize how much your hard work and practice pays off when you start getting more from your sponsors, theres more travel and per diem money, and you start being with the team more, getting more boards and stuff. Im really fortunate to have some great sponsors like Zoo York, éS Shoes, Bones Wheels, Warp Skatepark, FKD Bearings, Diamond Supply Co., and Force Trucks. But you also try not to think about all of that, you know? When I skate I like to skate everything from bowls to halfpipes, I like to skate with my friends and mess around. If I try a new trick Ill keep trying it until I land it, then Ill do it a couple more times just to get the hang of it, but other than Im just out there having as much fun as possible.
AST Dew Tour: Now that the Free Flow Tour 2008 contests are getting underway this weekend in 24 skateparks around the country, what advice would you give to the skaters out there who are going to be trying to follow your path?
Ortiz: Just skate hard, skate your best, and dont get yourself down. Just go out there and skate how you know how to skate, make sure you have your run planned, and just have fun.