Roots, Victoria Cove

Here's a note from an old friend who grew up with us in the sands of Victoria Cove.  Our shack, a shared rental, is at the 2 o'clock position,  dark wood shingles with white trim under the big tree,  half way up the stairs at the N. end of the beach.  The Prietto house is at the bottom of the ramp, next to the lifeguard tower.

Our time there as kids was the mid 60's.   The Victoria Tribe is still going strong,  and V-ball is the glue that holds them together.   Tex

Peter Haines going aaaaahhheeee! circa 1978

Launching.  Why not?  What’s wrong with today’s young skimmer’s?  Don’t they read the ancient texts?  Getting air!  That’s it!  And if you got too high, or the water was too shallow,  or you over-rotated you were toast, taco’d, bent, numb, twisted, torqued, out, crying, slapped silly, stinging back blackouts, yes you were hurt.

So,  why isn’t this typically youthful exhuberance practiced any longer, except by old farts like me, desparate to win a heat?  IT’S STILL FUN,  for crying out loud!  Are today’s youth are too inhibited by what their peers think,  to indulge themselves in one of the truely great feelings in skimming?  Is this possible?  Launching!  Jay Williams could do triples back in my days at Vic.  Dave Crowley took it to insane risk levels in the East Coast Championships, doing triples into a foot of continental shelf.  Conley Ware is my favorite of all time.  A trained (how do you teach psycho big balls?) diver with the Laguna High School swim team,  he could mix up variations of tight tucks and twists into perfect jackknife entries.  On a diving board he carried the team to win meets.  On a skimboard it was just plain awesome.  He could also do handstands on the rail of the Aliso Pier  about 50’ up, and do an invert, double back flip into the ocean, at night!  So,  no big deal,  bring a little wildness back into the sport.

2010 World Wakesurfing Championships

The 2010 World Wakesurfing Championships took place last week/weekend (July 22 - 25, 2010) in Minneapolis, MN.  Victoria Skimboards team rider, Bri Chmel took home top honors in the Women's Skim category and was the overall Women's Champion.

Congratulations Bri on a fantastic performance!

The more things change.

One of our most ancient brochures circa 1979.    Ever try cranking a turn with an 11 lb. board?  It required a full arm plant to bring it around.  That’s me in the top photo,  Peter Prietto,  aka “La Habs”, with the line up at Old Ladies Cove at Vic, and either Dirk Pratley, or Kurt Westgaard in the big spray.  Dirk fled the Orange County development tragedy for the Colorado River river guide life about this time and has never needed to come back.  Kurt is still skimming, last seen at the Vic this year in the Legends/Stiff Old Farts Division.  The prices are amazing.  $5.00 for a deposit,  but only if you were a mail order.  Design!   Tex

Art is fun

Circa:  1990    Dave Leight, Garth Wyckoff, Amber Cottle, and Rick Jurado.   Rick was in yesterday with his son Jake and wife Lisa.  They are opening up their KupKakeKitchen.com next week.  Jake picked up his new board.  Amber was in town recently to  announce for the Innagural Women’ Pro event at the Vic.  She was inspirational to say the least,  and the gals were stoked to be competing for some serious money.  Amber could drive into barrels 20 years ago,  and she is truely the first lady of skimming.   Garth,  still going strong, Wyckoff is still working for COX, doing sports announcing.  His title is the “Voice of Skimboarding” at the Vic each year,  and he is still schralping the faces of waves.  Dave was our resident airbrusher way back then,  and an avid fisherman.  His parents own a rock and crystal shop in town.  Looks like he is creating a custom sign for the contest that year.   Roots!  Vic!  Signing off .....Tex

Pros organize!

Congratulations to  the First Women' Pro event participants at the Vic.  The gals have organized,  acquired an agent, are pursuing TV deals,  and generally going into hyperdrive as far as getting sponsors and raising prize money for future events.   The women inspired the men to do the same,  meeting in the sand for one hour at Aliso, before the Vic weekend,  they blazed thru the process of choosing a name, electing officers, choosing the meeting dates,  discussing membership dues,  defining professional contest behavior,  and generally getting the ball rolling.   (Sponsors are not very interested in supporting contests where the contestants are free to act out in public and potentially create bad publicity for the sponsor.)

Paulo Prietto is president,  Steve Taylor is V.P. and Patrick Mack is the secretary.   In a short time, as other contest organizers come on board,  membership in the pro association will be mandatory for participation in the contests.  Dues will be collected and funneled toward hiring someone to  help the association bring in more revenue.    The door is opening into a whole new era for the sport.  I urge all the pros to join and to volunteer to help out.  Remember the little Red Hen fable.  If you don't help in the gathering, grinding and baking,  you are not entitled to eat the bread.
Tex

Domburg Skimboard Championships - Netherlands

Through our distributor in the Netherlands (Fox Sports), Victoria Skimboards was proud to be part of the Domburg Skimboard Championships this year.

Victory!

For more pictures check out the Facebook link:
Domburg Skimboard Championship Facebook image gallery

The Daily Blog. 1 down 249 to go!

A photo is a time capsule. The first official Victoria shop about 1980, the year we began making our first foam core boards. None are visible in this photo, so it is probably pre 1980. Rent is extremely expensive in Laguna, so the shop is a study in maximizing space. The Tour: (clockwise from 9 pm.) Sliding door to shaping room with brooms etc. Middle slot with brushes on wall is the resin storage bay. Furthest back is sliding door to the office/showroom, a spacious 8' x 9' space. Main room, old Rainmaker skimboard on back wall, glassed while at Lewis and Clark College in Portland Oregon in 1971. Finished boards storage all around wall on hanging racks, ventilation ducting (a huge expense for us), back wall a mysto wood warper, at the time our best invention. Outboard motor hanging from ceiling by ladder for voyages in the Makana, "The Gift", my grandfathers 14' outboard motorboat circa 1950, modified by David Kahanamoku and myself to have a cabin, and reinforced deck and stringers, for wild forays to the Hollister Ranch for surfing nirvana. Oh! the stories I could tell. Overhead surfboard storage racks, David Kahanamoku shaped yellow surfboard in final glassing stages is below. Resin/tarpaper covered floor, usually the racks to the right, on sawhorses were pulled into the room for glassing 20 skimboards at a time, Note the milk cartons for mixing resins. We still recycle everything we can at Vic and many of the wood structures in the shop are still in use today, though they are incorporated into completely different forms. I gave up that ladder only this year when we sold our house, as it was more useful to the new owner, than to me. Co-founder, Peter Prietto was probably still my business partner. The back door out of the office gave us great fresh air. In 1982, when our landlord, George Burkhardt built a new complex just around the bend, we moved there and expanded into two units.  Now we are up to 5 units here and a separate glassing facility down in San Clemente.  Click on picture to make it larger.  Tex Haines

Helping Promote the New Hanover County Public Library

Never let it be said that Victoria Skimboards team riders do not support a good cause.  Over this last weekend, Bill Bryan and Morgan Just joined forces with amateur team rider Scooter Hayes to give a shout out to the New Hanover County Public Library.  With books, DVDs, magazines, etc. you can find what you want at the local library but first you must have a library card.  Go get yours today and open up some new worlds.

Bill Bryan showing the library love

Morgan Just eats, sleeps, and breathes reading - the library can help

Skim City Greg supporting the library

Outter Banks professional results

Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina was host to the OBX skim contest this last weekend. Professionals and amateurs alike took to the water in hopes of bringing home the glory. Top six professional men's results:

1) Bill Bryan
2) Brad Domke
3) Morgan Just
4) Sam Stinnett
5) Austin Keen
6) Woody Harris

A special shout out to Siobhan McAuliffe for taking 1st place in the Women's Division.

You can see some pictures and a write up of Day #1 by going to Skimonline.com
You can see a final write up and some additional pictures by going to Skimonline.com

New Wallpaper added to the site

New wallpaper has been added to the Victoria Skimboards site.  You can either go to the page within the Victoria Skimboards website or go directly to the rider by clicking on any of the links below.

Click Here for the Victoria Skimboards Wallpaper page.

Matthieu Thibaud

Morgan Just

Bill Bryan

Victoria Skimboards supports Flatland Skimboarding

Victoria Skimboards is proud to support Flatland Skimboarding across the states and have thrown our hat into the "sponsor ring" for two great events.

First is the Virgin River Classic held by Adventure Plus. This is a great event thrown in St. George Utah and we are happy to be a part. Take a peak at the flyer by clicking here.

Next is the SkimFest in Idaho. An event thrown by Heath and with the support of the surrounding area it seems to get bigger and bigger each year. Another event we are happy to be a part of and for a look at the flyer, click here.

Miles Grobman - An Iberian Skim Adventure

Miles Grobman is making a resurgence onto the skim scene in Europe of all places.  Currently in Spain, Miles is broadcasting his "Iberian Skim Adventure" through the internet via his Blog.  To follow his trip click on the link below.

Iberian Skim Adventure

Scotty happy customer

Scotty had to buy a new car to match his new Victoria Skimboards (and boardshort)
He was a very happy customer, and we are very happy to see that.
Time to skim now!!!