Last Sunday at Aliso Beach, the United Skim Tour’s number two-ranked Sam Stinnet beat number one-ranked Austin Keen to capture his third Victoria Skimboards World Championship of Skimboarding title in the past four years. “It’s an insane feeling. I can’t even describe it,” said the eight-year pro, a SoLag native and two-time tour champion. “This is by far the most competitive contest I’ve ever skimmed in.”
Casey Kiernan came to the birthplace of skimboarding from Florida to capture her first women’s pro title, beating 11 other competitors in a field that featured two-time defending champion Keiao Guewa-Buscasas from Hawaii, who finished fourth.
After finishing third last year in the UST’s inaugural season for women, Kiernan’s win automatically puts her in the top spot with two contests remaining on the three-event slate.
A record 150 skimmers, ranging in age from under 8 to over 40, came from across the country and as far away as Portugal and Japan to compete in the prestigious two-day event, billed as the sport’s longest running contest. Among them were a record 42 pro men; including four of the top five in the UST point standings.
Referred to by locals and skimmers as The Vic, the 38-year-old contest was established in 1976 by Charles “Tex” Haines and Peter Prietto, co-founders of Laguna-based Victoria Skimboards. Haines, now the sole owner, stills competes as an amateur in the sport he is credited with taking mainstream. He finished fifth in the 40-and-over division. For complete results of all 12 divisions, visit thevic.victoriaskimboards.com.
After some epic rides during quarters and semis, the men’s pro final started out with Stinnet and Keen scanning the horizon for what seemed like a waveless eternity, prompting judges to add two minutes to the 10-minute heat so the two competitors could give the crowd the show they had waited for all day.
In the end, the conditions proved “very challenging,” said Stinnet. Still, he managed to showcase his technical skills, catch a couple of barrels and “come out with a win that put a smile on my face that will be there for the next couple months.”
With the eight-event season half over, the SoLag native finds himself within striking distance of Keen, the 2013 UST champion. Next up for the men and women is the Outer Banks Skim Jam, July 19 and 20 in North Carolina.
Top finishers at The Vic.
Men’s Pro Division
1. Sam Stinnet
2. Austin Keen
3. Teddy Vlasis
4. Bill Bryan
5. Blair Conklin
6. Jake Stinnet
7. Tyler Stanaland
8. Johnny Salta
Women’s Pro Division
1. Casey Kiernan
2. Tia D’Ambrosio
3. Erin Carpenter
4. Keiao Gucwa-Bucasas
5. Jackie Gollbach
6. Skylar Wilson
7. Lanakila Kelliher
8. Alexandra Badie
Women’s Amateurs
1. Kira Hudson
2. Ellen Wood
3. Kelsey Bailey
4. Natsumi Yamaishi
Amateur Boys 8 and Under
1. Zach Van Meter
2. Gehrig Mackay
3. Jude Young
4. Brayden Belden
Amateur Boys 9 to 11
1. Zack Henderson
2. Dane Cameron
3. Hayden Rodgers
4. Sky Olhund
Amateur Boys 12 to 14
1. Nolan Rodgers
2. Casey Ritzer
3. Griffin Kristensen
4. Noah Webb
Amateur Boys 15 to 17
1. Jeremiah Sheldon
2. Billy Howie
3. Connor Brashier
4. Max Wheeler
Amateur Men 18 to 21
1. Jack Howie
2. Max Bourne
3. Sean Malek
4. Nathan Kravitz
Amateur Men 22 to 24
1. Adam Selevan
2. Shota Fujiota
3. Brenton Ogasawara
4. Frank Orlando
Amateur Men 25 to 29
1. Julian Deline
2. Cheyne Terjesen
3. Bryan Russak
4. Aaron Fujimoto
Amateur Men 30 to 39
1. Clifton Volstorff
2. Nobuhiro Zushi
3. Yuji Yokoyama
4. Jake Parchman
Amateur Men 40 and over
1. Paul Wade
2. Gnu Cecil
3. Brad Dickey
4. David Arvelo
