It wasn't long before the kids starting holding jam sessions, gathering in groups around ramps or jumps as they tried to one-up each other. There was a degree of competitiveness and a small dose of fame for those who made it into magazines -- and later videos -- but action sports, at the core, were still about entertainment and having a good time.

Hawk's HuckJam, which stops at Kansas City, Mo.'s Kemper Arena on Aug. 15, is a sort of homage to those early days, though on a much bigger scale.

With skateboard, BMX and motocross riders crisscrossing ramps to loud rock and rap music in intricately choreographed routines, HuckJam is an almost-overwhelming assault on the senses, more like a Metallica concert on wheels than a sporting event.

Hawk created HuckJam as a way to take away some the sideshow stigma that came from action sports' relegation to parking lots and halftime shows. It started in 2003 as a one-time event in Las Vegas and now Hawk and his HuckJam are still filling outdoor concert venues with thousands of rowdy fans at each stop.

"We're skating together, we're feeding off each other and we're working together to create new routines and new moves, so we're not being pitted against each other," Hawk said. "We have the freedom to make mistakes and get up and try them over again. I think the crowd sort of appreciates that kind of perseverance and they get a feeling of how hard things truly are."

The Dew Tour spawned from the national progression of action sports; street riding turning into jam sessions, which led to local, regional and eventually national contests.

The X Games, created by ESPN in 1995, gave action sports a big push into mainstream consciousness, leading to bigger prize money -- last weekend's Maloof Money Cup had a $450,000 purse -- and sports like snowboarding and BMX racing being added to the Olympics.

The Dew Tour took advantage of this rise in popularity, creating a professional tour set up similar to the PGA Tour, with athletes earning points and prize money as they compete for a season-long championship.

In its fourth season, the Dew Tour has seen its share of success, increasing attendance 25 percent in three years and drawing 41 million viewers to NBC. The tour has five U.S. stops in the summer, another three slated for its inaugural winter tour, and recently held a skateboarding event in Beijing.

"We're not trying to be all things to all people," Martin said. "We're just trying to put a competitive infrastructure around the event landscape of these sports."

That landscape needs both fronts.

The Dew Tour, with events like the X Games and Maloof Cup, gives riders a competitive outlet, a way to test themselves against the pressure of putting together one flawless run. Fans get to see riders in the context of mainstream sports, feeling the tension build as the riders try to one-up each other.

Events like HuckJam and the Warped Tour, which combines live music and action sports, lets the athletes push the envelope a little more, try something without the fear of falling and losing points off their score. The fans get the possibility of witnessing something they've never seen before.

"That's what made action sports what it is, the camaraderie and the support between other athletes, just the passion and progression for your sport," BMX rider Kevin Robinson said. "The contest setting doesn't always show that. You're so limited, you can't take chances, you have to have a safe, clean run. With a show, you can kind of open the flood gates and put it all on the line and just go for it.

"It's great for fans to see both aspects of it."