Simpson, 34, doesn’t want to stop there.
“Overall, we’d love to see that professional division not just in that contest, but in the sport in general,” she said. “A professional tour would be great. There’s been a lot more recognition of women and women coming out of the woodwork.”
Skim Chicks as a company has been in Simpson’s plans for a while. But a couple of years back, she met Tibbetts, a Seal Beach resident with more than two decades in the television and film industry. He has the most experience as a “gaffer,” the head of the electrical department on a film.
“Pamela worked a summer at a warehouse where I rent some of the lighting gear from,” Tibbetts said. “You see this poor girl wrapping cable. My industry’s very dirty. There’s no two ways about it. Behind the scenes it’s very mechanical, very greasy, very dusty. I’m watching her clean all this and I’m thinking, ‘This poor girl. What does she do for fun?’ And she started telling me she skimmed.”
From those humble beginnings, Simpson and Tibbetts have already accomplished so much. They have a Facebook fan page with more than 700 members. Skim Chicks has also been instrumental in the development of the Women’s International Skim Boarding Assn., which aims to unite “skim chicks” and eventually establish the first professional tour for women.
Tibbetts produced the 40-minute documentary “Skim Chicks,” which highlights female skimboarding. It got an honorable mention in the documentary category at the SoCal Film Festival in Huntington Beach last year and was also shown at the Grand Rapids Film Festival.
