Skimboarding

Victoria Skimboards recently introduced the “Vic Cam,” a video camera that provides live footage of Aliso Beach on the company’s website. The purpose of the camera is to allow skimboarders to view weather and ocean conditions without physically going to the beach, General Manager of Victoria’s Trigg Garner said. He said the camera was installed less than three weeks ago, but the site has already received a multitude of hits. Aliso’s topography makes it one of the most popular skimboarding locations around.

Mike Sciacca The best skimboard athletes in the world will come to Laguna Beach on July 22 to showcase their talents and compete at the Animal World Championships of Skimboarding presented by Little Trees and Victoria Skimboards. The three-day event, which concludes July 24, will be held at Aliso Beach. This year's competition, which is in its 29th year, has Animal Watches as its title sponsor. "We look to have about 180 to 200 competitors this year," said Tyler Palmer, retail specialist for Victoria Skimboards.

The 32nd annual Victoria Skimboards World Championships of Skimboarding will take place Saturday and Sunday — and it’s back at Aliso Beach. After a sewage spill last year contaminated the skimboarding hot spot, the 2007 contest was moved to West Street — a location not nearly as conducive to skimming. Trigg Garner, manager of Victoria Skimboards, said he is excited about this year’s conditions. “Professional and amateur riders from all over the globe will compete,” he said.

For the 36th time, some of the top local, national and international skimboarders will be in Laguna Beach to vie for top honors at the annual Victoria Skimboards World Championships of Skimboarding. This year's event starts Saturday and concludes Sunday at Aliso Beach Park. One key feature of the championships is that it is the only live broadcast of a professional skimboarding event, said Trigg Garner, general manager of Victoria Skimboards. Garner noted that the live web cast could reach more than 20,000 viewers worldwide.

Throughout the years, the Victoria Skimboards World Championship of Skimboarding has evolved from a casual competition involving local riders to an event that's about to celebrate a big anniversary that includes international competitors. The Victoria WCS, originally known and still referred to as "The Vic," begins for the 35th time Saturday at Aliso Beach in Laguna Beach. The event wraps Sunday with division championship finals. Titles are up for grabs in the following Amateur divisions: 8-and-Under; 9-11; 12-14; 15-17; 18-21; 22-24; 25-29; 30-39; 40-and-Up, and Women.

Pamela Simpson has big plans for Skim Chicks, the organization she launched earlier this month with Richard Tibbetts. Skimboarding is a sport that started in Laguna Beach, but now Simpson — the Laguna resident — is hoping to help it branch out all over the world. And as you might guess by the company’s name, she wants to get “chicks” — female competitors — involved. They’re taking a huge first step toward that goal in June when the Victoria Skimboards World Championship of Skimboarding at Aliso Beach will hold its first-ever women’s pro division competition.

Sam Stinnett did it again. The Laguna Beach resident came away with the title of Professional Men's Division champion Sunday at the 2012 Victoria Skimboards World Championships of Skimboarding at Aliso Beach in Laguna Beach. Stinnett, who won the Professional Men's title last year, fended off several challenges to repeat as champion. The winner of the Professional Women's Division was Keiao Gucwa-Bucasas of Hawaii. The competition was held in 2- to- 3-foot surf, with an occasional 4-foot swell.

As the World Championships of Skimboarding wrapped up last weekend, the top four men split an $8,000 prize purse. The top women walked away with a free backpack, wallet and beanie. Avid skimboarder and Laguna resident Pamela Simpson said these “awards” exemplify how women are treated in the sport. “We [the ladies] are out there killing it just like the guys are,” she said. “We deserve to be rewarded just the same and have a pro division for women.

Brothers George and Bill Bryan, natives of Laguna Beach, credit the city as the inspiration behind their film company, 10th Street Bros. Films. "We made our first movie in my bedroom on Tenth Ave. in South Laguna," George said via email. "They call the beach [there] Tenth Street, which was a magical place at the time. Unfortunately, due to what many think is overdevelopment, there is way more sand there now and the wave doesn't break anymore. " The company makes movies around their favorite sport - skimboarding.

Matthieu Thibaud, a Laguna Beach local and Victoria Skimboards professional team rider, has a new promotional video. The three minutes and 38 seconds long video highlights Thibaud's abilities and also aims to promote the sport of skimboarding, according to the video's creator, David Kushner. Thibaud is currently competing on the United Skim Tour. He will travel to Japan in September.  Check out the video below!

Sam Stinnett did it again. The Laguna Beach resident came away with the title of Professional Men's Division champion Sunday at the 2012 Victoria Skimboards World Championships of Skimboarding at Aliso Beach in Laguna Beach. Stinnett, who won the Professional Men's title last year, fended off several challenges to repeat as champion. The winner of the Professional Women's Division was Keiao Gucwa-Bucasas of Hawaii. The competition was held in 2- to- 3-foot surf, with an occasional 4-foot swell.

For the 36th time, some of the top local, national and international skimboarders will be in Laguna Beach to vie for top honors at the annual Victoria Skimboards World Championships of Skimboarding. This year's event starts Saturday and concludes Sunday at Aliso Beach Park. One key feature of the championships is that it is the only live broadcast of a professional skimboarding event, said Trigg Garner, general manager of Victoria Skimboards. Garner noted that the live web cast could reach more than 20,000 viewers worldwide.

New faces went big places at the 2011 World Championships of Skimboarding at Aliso Beach. The 35th annual championships saw two first-time winners in the Men's and Women's Professional divisions and viewers from around the world taking in all the action from a live feed of the two-day event. The championships started Saturday and concluded with finals action Sunday. Youth was served in the Men's and Women's Professional divisions, as local athlete Sam Stinnett won the men's title and Catherine Squillante, who traveled from Fredericksburg, Va., claimed the women's crown.

Throughout the years, the Victoria Skimboards World Championship of Skimboarding has evolved from a casual competition involving local riders to an event that's about to celebrate a big anniversary that includes international competitors. The Victoria WCS, originally known and still referred to as "The Vic," begins for the 35th time Saturday at Aliso Beach in Laguna Beach. The event wraps Sunday with division championship finals. Titles are up for grabs in the following Amateur divisions: 8-and-Under; 9-11; 12-14; 15-17; 18-21; 22-24; 25-29; 30-39; 40-and-Up, and Women.

Sunday was a day of firsts for the 2010 Victoria Skimboards World Championships of Skimboarding. A pair of Dana Point residents and Victoria Skimboards riders, Morgan Just and Anna Prophet, won the Men's and Women's Pro titles, respectively at Aliso Beach. It was the first Women's Pro held in the competition that focused on its first live web broadcast in its 34-year history. While Prophet became the first Women's Pro winner — she won the Women's Amateur division last year, Just earned the Men's Pro title for the very first time.

Pamela Simpson has big plans for Skim Chicks, the organization she launched earlier this month with Richard Tibbetts. Skimboarding is a sport that started in Laguna Beach, but now Simpson — the Laguna resident — is hoping to help it branch out all over the world. And as you might guess by the company’s name, she wants to get “chicks” — female competitors — involved. They’re taking a huge first step toward that goal in June when the Victoria Skimboards World Championship of Skimboarding at Aliso Beach will hold its first-ever women’s pro division competition.

For many locals, summer in Laguna Beach without “The Vic” wouldn’t be the same. Victoria Skimboards general manager Trigg Garner, who grew up in Laguna, certainly feels that way, and not just because the company sponsors the annual World Championship of Skimboarding at Aliso Beach. After 33 years of competition, it’s a staple of the city, but Garner felt it was threatened this summer. During setup for the second day of the contest, a park ranger came to the event and said Victoria Skimboards might have to move the event out of the summer months due to too much traffic at Aliso.

As the World Championships of Skimboarding wrapped up last weekend, the top four men split an $8,000 prize purse. The top women walked away with a free backpack, wallet and beanie. Avid skimboarder and Laguna resident Pamela Simpson said these “awards” exemplify how women are treated in the sport. “We [the ladies] are out there killing it just like the guys are,” she said. “We deserve to be rewarded just the same and have a pro division for women.