Skateboarders raise their game as Olympic qualifiers begin

LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Being an Olympic sport is starting to bring a different vibe to skateboarding.

With a promise from the IOC to keep the spirit of the sport intact as it makes its debut at the Tokyo Games next year, skateboarders are raising their game as qualifying events begin.

The Dew Tour this weekend is the first global Olympic qualifying event for men’s and women’s park and street held in the United States.

Sean Malto of Kansas City says it’s taken some adjustment to the more rigid nature of qualifiers as opposed to the usual “loose and open” formats skateboarders are used to.

“But the opportunity is far greater than what that process has been,” Malto said. “Just do you what you’ve been doing anyway, just maybe a little better.”