Hey guys, rider check in is going to be starting in about an hour and a half, but I just wanted to post a few shots of the conditions to let you know what things are looking like.

I’m sitting next to Paulo and I asked him what he thought about the conditions. His reappnce: “Oh man… this is not why I left California.”

I’ll post again after the prelims to let you know how the rankings go and how the tide changes the conditions.

Click here to start your custom exile skimboard!

Congrats to all of our riders that competed in this year’s comp. It was amazing to see some of the new tricks that were being thrown down. EOS rider Isaac Thomas came all the way from Washington to defend his title against the St. George locals and the Sac boys that came out.

Groms getting stoked before their session!

Lexi getting some press time – St. George local celeb!

The night before the comp, St. George experienced some rare flash rain storms. This of course raised the river substantially which made it really hard for the groms to get speed. Everyone pitched in to flatten out some of the sand bars to create more skim spots for the riders.

Prep Work

Sac Crew with an extra

EOS riders that competed were: Brent Lippencott (Sac), Peter Hodgins (Sac), Isaac Thomas (WA), Lexi Hutchings (UT), and newly acquired Blake Zimmerman (WA). Brent was still recovering from his ankle injury he sustained in Dash Point. That didn’t really stop him though! He was hitting everything and appeared to be well in the running along with EOS rider Peter and Matt Head. Isaac and Matt were the only ones to land the S-Rail and the two looked unbeatable. Of course Peter was a Utah crowd pleaser, doing a couple “Utah tricks” like back flips, which had me rolling with the rest of the riders.

EOS rider Blake Zimmerman going big

The Virgin River is a great skim spot, but the comp itself has some issues still. Judging and rails are the two big issues that this comp still has to overcome. Rails come from local riders and some shops, but it seems that there is no one really taking the lead in getting the comp quality rails for the riders. You can see in the video the up and down is a little sketchy and the end result is pretty terrible. I think he got 11 stitches in his finger. The down rail just needed to be a bit lower then the up making the transition safer and easier to ride.

The majority of comps still have issues with judging, but in this case it became very obvious. Not to take away from the riders that made the finals, but everyone was surprised that Peter Hodgins did not make the finals. He landed some pretty big stuff and was very consistent throughout the comp. Don’t forget the sweet back flip!! Ha ha! When all was said and done, everyone thought it was going to be a close 1st and 2nd between Matt Head and Isaac Thomas – both riders were killing it. Isaac did get 1st but Matt didn’t place at all in the top three. Second place finisher, Zack, and third place finisher, Skim Louie, felt really awkward claiming their prizes. Lexi of course won the women’s division and EOS newcomer Blake Zimmerman won his division.

Isaac 1st, Zack 2nd, Skim Louie 3rd

All in all the riders put on a good show for the locals. Thanks to everyone that competed! Enjoy the video!!

-Paul

EOS rider Isaac Thomas popping

EOS rider Brent Lippencott shuv off

EOS rider Brent Lippencott eying his line

EOS rider Lexi Hutchings off the wedge ramp

EOS rider Isaac Thomas – shuv off

EOS rider Isaac Thomas – he’s really good.

EOS riders Brent and Blake – that’s me in the middle.

Carpool homies Marcus and Steve

Skim Louie going real big

Paul, Lexi and Isaac after the comp. Thanks for letting us crash, Lex!

Isaac on the s-rail.

EOS rider Blake Zimmerman – sick sequence

By: Piero Grieco

I’m kind of reluctant to talk about Toque Toque Grande Beach because it is my second home and the place I always skimboard. Toque Toque Grande is a very nice beach to skimboard and to rest – very nice views, clean water, large green area and very receptive neighborhood.

Toque Toque Grande in a nice sunny and not so nice flat day.

The contest began on Saturday, June 21 with bad conditions. The wind was blowing very hard, making the worst condition that Toque Toque could ever have for skimboarding (even with small swell, Toque Toque still has good skim conditions). The waves were choppy and the weather was terrible. The crowd was not very big because of the thin rain and the contest staff was thinking about canceling the contest.

The “AUSKIM” (Ubatuba Skimboard Association) that runs all contests in Brazil called the competitors and asked what we thought about the conditions. We figured that the contest would probably just get canceled rather than postponed, and many skimmers came in from other states so it would suck for them to have to travel back without competing. With that in mind we decided to go on with the contest even with the choppy wave conditions.

Toque Toque Grande in the contest day.

On Saturday after the meeting, the contest began a little late with the competitors fighting for waves. With bad skim conditions it is very hard to find 3 nice waves knowing we have 10 limit waves. Some competitors don’t like the wave limit, especially in 15 minute heats. Some good skimmers couldn’t get 3 good waves and stopped in the first heat (like Thiago Porva, the Arnette Ipanema Champion last year)
.
Some people were kind of disappointed with the contest framework when they first saw it on Saturday morning. AUSKIM said they had some problems and apologized to everyone.

People looking at the waves before the contest meeting.
(This was not a very good framework like the last contests in Brazil).

On Sunday, even with the lower temperatures, everybody got excited because the waves were a little better. So they started the contest earlier than the previous. With the better conditions the contest quality raised and the crowd raised with it (and the rain was gone too).

After the remaining open heats they started the “mirim” heats (kids up to 15). We could see that Brazilian skimboarding is growing very fast and pointing in the right directions to have a good future in the international skimboard scene. Look for riders Leandro Azevedo (that caused some controversy because he always ran both categories OPEN/MIRIM), Renato Lima, and Carlos Daniel (Toque Tooque Grande local) to make some noise in the future.

On Sunday everybody was waiting for the female heat, but the girls that usually compete couldn’t come to this contest and Vivian Grieco preferred not to compete against the men in the open heats (mostly because of the bad conditions of the waves).

The semi-finals were a very competitive round. Emanuel Junior (Toque Toque Grande – SP) with his nice aerials and Munir Ruffo (Niterói- RJ) with his nice speed and long waves made the heat very close. Also, Jackson (Ubatuba –SP) with his nice aerials and strong wraps and Leandro Azevedo (Ubatuba – SP) with his incredible technique made the heat even better.

Carlos Daniel , the future of skimboarding in Brazil and the world

Allan Gobbo in a nice frontside aerial

Bernardo Piccoreli (judge) in a frontside slash

Guilherme Leporace

Jackson backside wrap

Piero Grieco in short big spin

The final was even closer with two young skimmers (both less than 17 years old) fighting like experienced warriors. The better conditions of the waves made the environment perfect for a good heat.

The crowd was screaming a lot as each trick was thrown down. Part of the crowd was cheering for Munir Ruffo and the other cheering for Leandro Azevedo. After some good waves and very similar grades, Leandro Azevedo got a very, very, very nice in and out tube on a wave that nobody could imagine. Congratulations to both the finalists, the AUSKIM, sponsors and especially to the champion Leandro Azevedo.

Special thanks to my sponsors: Dirty Skimboards (www.dirtyline.com.br), EOS (www.extremeoutdoorsupply.com), Weird (www.weird666.com) and OBSKIM (www.obskim.com).

Results (from auskim.com.br):

Open PRO:

1. LEANDRO AZEVEDO – UBATUBA – SP
2. MUNIR RUFFO – NITERÓI – RJ
3. JACKSON – UBATUBA – SP
4. JUNINHO – TOQUE TOQUE GRANDE – SP
5. GUILHERME LEPORACE – IPANEMA – RJ
6. ALLAN GOBBO – MACUMBA – RJ
7. PIERO GRIECO – SÃO PAULO – SP
8. FABIANO FROTINHA – UBATUBA – SP
9. BINHO SANTOS PRETÃO – UBATUBA – SP
10. RAFAEL VARANDAS – SÃO PAULO – SP
11. ANDRE BOECHAT – VILA VELHA – ES
12. RAFAEL PRADO – UBATUBA – SP
13. MORGAN BLUNDER – IPANEMA – RJ
14. ROBERT SILVA -SÃO VICENTE – SP
15. EDUARDO VARANDAS – SÃO PAULO – SP
16. RENATO LIMA – UBATUBA – SP
17. PEDRO SIAS – IPANEMA – RJ
18. THIAGO PORVA – UBATUBA – SP

Mirim:

1. Leandro Azevedo – Ubatuba – SP
2. Renato Lima – Ubatuba – SP
3. Carlos Daniel – Toque Toque Grande – SP
4. Negre – Ubatuba – SP

Leandro Azevedo in and out

Brazillian Skimboard Tour Ranking:

OPEN PRO:

1. ALLAN GOBBO RJ – 810 + 590 = 1400
2. LEANDRO AZEVEDO SP UBATUBA – 387 + 1000 = 1387
3. JACKSON SANTOS SP UBATUBA – 430 + 810 = 1240
4. RAFAEL PRADO SP UBATUBA – 900 + 314 = 1214
5. THIAGO CARLOS SP UBATUBA – 1.000 + 167 = 1167
6. IRANILDO SANTOS SP UBATUBA – 478 + 430 = 908
7. MUNIR RUFFO 0 + 900 = 900
8. RENATO LIMA SP UBAUBA – 590 + 206 = 796
9. JOÃO GRILLO RJ MANGARAIBA – 729 + 0 = 729
10. PEDRO SIAS RJ IPANEMA – 531 + 185= 716
11. FABIANO RAMALHO SP UBATUBA – 229 + 478 = 707
12. GUILHERME LEPORACE 0 + 656 = 656
13. MAURICINHO SP UBATUBA 656 + 0 656
14. PIERO GRIECO 531
15. JUNINHO TOQUE TOQUE 479
16. ANDRE BOECHAT ES VILA VELHA – 349
17. AILTON FERNANDES RJ MANGARATIBA – 349 + 0 = 349
18. RAFAEL VARANDAS SP SÃOSEBASTIÃO – 430
19. ADRIANO AZEVEDO SP UBATUBA – 314 + 0 = 314
20. MORGAN BLUNDER RJ – 282
21. BERNADO MARTINS RJ – 282 + 0 = 282
22. ADELSON ALVES SP UBATUBA – 254 + 0 = 254
23. ROBERT SILVA SP SÃO VICENTE – 254
24. EDUARDO VARANDAS SP SÃO SEBASTIÃO – 229

MIRIM:

1. RENATO LIMA SP UBAUBA – 1000 + 1900 = 1900
2. LENADRO AZEVEDO SP UBATUBA – 900 + 1000 = 1900
3. MATHEUS CHIABI RJ – 810
4. ROBERTO SANTANA SP UBATUBA – 729
5. RODRIGO PINHO SP UBAUBA – 656
6. LUCAS GOMES RJ – 590
7. LUCAS PINHO SP UBATUBA – 531
8. GUILHERME VAZ RJ – 478
9. ORLANDO BATISTA SP UBATUBA – 430
10. RENAN MORAES COSTA SP UBATUBA – 387
11. MICHAEL FRANÇOIS SP UBATUBA – 349
12. GUILHERME COSTA PLACIDO SP UBATUBA – 314

Mirim awards

Open Awards

Skim Crowd

You seem to be the skim scene in Utah. How did that happen?
Well I’m not the only one who skims here! There is actually a pretty big skim scene here for all ages. Most people are between 14 and 25 years old, but you will see little kids and even older guys quite often! It’s true that unfortunately not many girls are into the skim scene, but hopefully that will change!

I love skimming in St. George. As you know, it gets really hot here in the summer so our river turns more into a stream, which makes it great for skimming. The most popular spot to skim on the river is called the waterfall — a 15 foot dam that creates a waterfall. This is where all the rails and people are, and it’s also where all the skim competitions are held.

How did you get started?
My neighbor used to make boards for a local shop. He took me skimming and I honestly fell in love the first time! I borrowed his boards and walked about a mile to the river every day.

The first competition I entered I had actually just had gone down to watch because it was my first year skimming. I realized there was not much competition so I entered and won the girls’ division. At this point, I didn’t even have a board so I borrowed a homemade board from a friend. I was pretty stoked about how I did and I loved the sport so I saved up and bought my first Victoria board. I always liked the Vic boards because they were light. Pretty much everyone had homemade boards or boards that local kids had made, but they always seemed so thick. I liked the thinner boards. After I got my board, I walked to the river after school and during the summer almost daily. I got so stoked when I tried and landed new tricks. I was always at the river with the boys doing everything that they where doing.

My dream was always to get a sponsorship through Victoria. A local filmer and skimmer, Mike Gardner, contacted Victoria about this girl who ripped who loved the sport and was as good as the boys. Vic acted interested so I sent them some articles and some pictures. I got a sponsorship when I was 16 or 17 years old. I was stoked. The summers of my sophomore and junior years of high school I decided to put together skim camps for a summer job. I loved it and loved teaching the kids how to skim. It was a three-day camp for two hours a day and I charged twenty-five dollars!

How stoked are you to ride for EOS?
I am so stoked! I think Extreme Outdoor Supply is a really cool site for every board you could ever want. The owner of EOS, Paul, has definitely been good to me. He hooks me up with all the goods I need! He is on top of everything and always follows through. He also helps me figure out how to work my computer!

Riding with the boys…who inspires you?
I love riding with boys! I have always loved sports and doing “boy things”. I have never been into girly stuff so I’m definitely a tomboy. Because I am so competitive, the boys definitely push me to ride the best. I like being on the their level and I think I have done a good job. I never want to be known as a great girl skimboarder; I want people to recognize me as a great skimboarder.

A lot of people inspire me. One of my heroes is Rich Gardner. He and his brothers brought the skim scene to St. George years ago. He is kind of a local legend in the sport so I have always looked up to him. He rips and always goes big no matter what. Also, Matt Head inspires me because he is a lot like me—very dedicated to the sport. He wants to see it grow and to see people progress. I remember one summer he quit his job just to skim all summer. I really have lot of respect for him and he is an amazing rider—always going big!

What was your biggest injury?
I have definitely been lucky that I have not broken anything…knock on wood…but i have had a lot of ouchies! I remember one time I slipped backwards and landed on a metal rail. It knocked the air out of me and I couldn’t breathe. I laid there forever then was carried to a car and taken home by a friend. Once I had a skimboard literally go up my ass when I was trying to ollie a high wooden rail. I don’t know how it happened, but ouch. And this last summer I was grinding a sewer pipe that was not very slick. My board stuck and my body slid up the pipe at full speed and my face skidded across the sand. It was like bad rug burn on my face.

What’s your favorite trick?
There are a lot of tricks I like to do. I love to do 360 pop shovits. I think ollies on rails are my favorite with different variations of tricks off the rails. I like to do different grabs off of launch ramps. And I love to do a sequence of shovits. I love to ride different kinds of rails!

Where have you competed?
I have competed in Sacramento, Canada, and Utah. I have skimmed in Laguna, Hawaii, and many different places in California.

What’s your contest history like?
I have placed first in every girl competition that I have entered. I placed 2nd and 3rd in boys’ divisions both years I went to Sacramento.

What makes your style different?
The most distinct thing about my skimming is the way I throw my board. I drop it right before the rail. It’s like an acid drop. I feel I get a lot more speed and a guaranteed straight ride because I’m not chasing after my board.

Where have you been recognized?
I have been recognized a lot in The Spectrum, which is our local newspaper. I have been in ads, Skimboarder Magazine, Forever Skim, local videos, and on websites. Once a girl even did a documentary on me for her class.

What are your thoughts on skimboarding?
Over the years I have watched skimming grow. I have loved it since the day that I started. I am an extremely competitive person and I always strive to get better and better. I really just love the sport, love the sun, love hitting rails, and landing tricks. It really is the best feeling ever!

What’s in your future?
Next year I have more traveling in mind, more filming, more pics, and more tricks… I want to make it to all the flatland competitions that are held! I want to pick up ocean skimming and compete in an ocean competition. I want to get people stoked on the sport and I want to see it progress!!

FYI – Since this interview, Lexi has switched skimboard sponsors from Victoria to Roush Creations. Click here to check out our selection on EOS.

Isaac from DB Skimboards and I are heading down to St. George for the comp. Look for pics and news from this weekend coming soon.. ciao!

Paul

That’s right, the 3rd installment of Loaded’s Slide Gloves is here!! You still have the same burly wrist protection that you had in previous models, including the removable foam pad. Check out the wrist strap which allows you to really tighten up the wrist hold with just one finger which helps if you happen to be wearing gloves with pucks attached to them. Like the previous gloves, you get the reflective lining, breathable mesh top, and heavy dugy nylon/kevlar construction. What’s new about the 3rd generation is the round thumb puck, making it more slidable… did I just make up a word – slidable? Sounds good. Here is a pic and some video for you non-believers!

Pick them up at the best online shop ever, EOS!!