X-Games, Dew Tour coverage tips requested

I get to cover the Flying Tomato and all the other long-haired, baggy pants slackers in a few days when the Dew Tour comes to town.

I was assigned because one of the events has bikes in it. 8) :-\

Any tips?

 

I dunno. What are your marching orders?

I would consider a Q&A with some of the stars.

 

Shaun White is always money. Sit back, relax and enjoy.

 

I'm actually kind of looking forward to it -- nice change of pace from football.

I'll probably do an omnibus "The Dew Tour is coming to town, hide your children!" article for a few days before it starts. Then an article or two (at the most) per day of event coverage. There's big money involved in this and they are completely remaking an entire city block and the NBA arena to host the different events.

 

It is HUGE money. A very big deal.

 

I covered the X Games twice in Philadelphia (and have written more features than I can count on high-end "extreme" athletes), and can offer this:

It's a big-money event, but the results are largely secondary to the competitors. If you go in asking the typical competition-oriented questions, you'll get nothing. For the most part, these sports are more about sponsorship and image than winning. Make the scoring, etc., a backdrop to feature-y coverage. It can make for great copy that way.

 

Get inside the personalities of these people. Readers want to know what makes a dude glide back and forth in a half-pipe while hurling himself 50-100 feet in the air. And make damned sure your best photogs are on this because extreme sports are gold for them.

Also, if that Aussie who face-planted himself in skateboarding/half-pipe during the X-Games is there, sit down with him and see how his head is. See what prompted him to get back at it.

 

Don't count on Nate Adams. I did a feature on him last year. He gave me all of three minutes following his warm-up run. After he lost the event title, he left the course without accepting his award, went to his trailer and refused to speak to the media. Fortunately, I got enough in those three minutes to get the job done.

 

That goes with just about all of them. Make appointments through the media relations staff and keep up on them constantly. The athletes there don't really give a shit about coverage, so you're going to have to bust your ass just to get interviews -- then write your stories.