More than 10 Laguna Beach downhill skateboarders joined an international field of competitors as they vied for the podium last weekend at the International Gravity Sports Association’s (IGSA) U.S. National Championships, held in San Dimas.
After two days of time trials and qualifying heats, the finals of the Junior 1 Division (racers aged 8-13) produced some of the most exciting competition of the event, as all five competitors raced shoulder to shoulder toward the finish. Attired from head-to-toe in safety equipment – race helmets, leather suits, high-performance boards – the downhillers followed a .6-mile course negotiating a very challenging 90-degree at the end.
The five-man final was entirely composed of members of Team LBAG, also known as the Laguna Beach Alpha Groms, resulting in a first-place win for Chance Gaul; Wyatt Gibbs, took second; Jake Fast, third; Roger Jones, fourth; and Tanner Flagstad, fifth. All the boys are 13 years old, and all but Flagstad, attend Thurston Middle School.
Other notable competitors in other divisions, included Laguna Beach resident Evren Ozan, a Junior-2 IGSA world champion, and Canada’s Mischo Erban, the current IGSA world champion.
