Article and images from SKIMONLINE.COM
The most competitive skimboarding competition in the world went off without a hitch this weekend as competitors from four continents converged on Laguna Beach CA.
Unlike day one, the sun was out in force on day two, and the conditions were generally improved as well! The morning low tide was not looking appealing as hoped, so professional heats were pushed back to the afternoon as the amateur heats ran throughout the morning. Fifteen year old amateur Blair Conklin was turning heads left and right and had many spectators asking why he wasn’t pro already. (No pressure Blair…).
Meanwhile the semi-finals and finals of the first ever women’s professional division ran as the afternoon progressed with the girls showing their stuff in the mixed conditions. Jasmine Joy, Shonna Cobb and Keiao Gucwa-Bucasas all put up a spirited fight for the historic title, however it was Anna Prophet who earned the right to be called The First World Champion Female Skimboarder. The final four broke down as follows:
1. Anna Prophet
2. Keiao Gucwa-Bucasas
3. Shonna Cobb
4. Jasmine Joy
The men started the day with only ten left standing and that was quickly cut down to six as the quarterfinals ran in challenging conditions. To give you an idea of what a quarter final heat can look like at the vic, heat three was:
Sam Stinnett
Bill Bryan
Brad Domke
Hunter Poller
Bill Bryan and Brad Domke snuck through that heat, proving once again that there are no free rides at this contest.
Thankfully, the semi-finals were both three man heats, but that didn’t make it too much easier for competitors who were fighting hard for one of the coveted spots in the finals. In the end there could only be four however. There was a pretty clear split in the final between the battle for first and second and the battle for third and fourth. Brandon Sears who skimmed a stellar semi-final heat was off his game in the final only completing a couple of rides and not making the most of numerous opportunities. Paulo was a little more consistent in his wave riding but wasnt able to find the good quality waves that would be needed to get one of the top spots. Morgan Just was taking big risks and they were mostly paying off. He drew the biggest cheers of the event with a huge 360 air and superman air. Meanwhile Bill Bryan skimmed a nearly perfect technical heat and was probably the favorite to win in most spectators minds. But everyone knew it would be close between the two, and in the end Morgan’s big risks paid off as he won the event for the very first time. In the end the results proke down as follows.
1. Morgan Just
2. Bill Bryan
3. Brandon Sears
4. Paulo Prietto
5. Brad Domke
6. Nate Zoller
7. Teddy Vlassis
8. Austin Keen
