Pamela Simpson
Shonna Cobb
Jen Jacobs
Lexi Hutchings
Sylvia Koch
Silvia Catalina
Brittany Osburn
Cielo Amor Paloma
Clarissa Sawatsky
Grace Komoroczy
Kelli Bean
Libby Rendall
Veronica Tagami
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My name is Pamela Jo Simpson, I was born in Denver, Colorado, August of 1975. Throughout my youth I was A dedicated gymnast, training five days a week and competing on most weekends. I excelled to a junior Olympic level, that resulted in many ribbons, medals, and trophies. Eventually I outgrew the sport and didn’t see myself going any further in my gymnastics career. That’s when I started snowboarding.
Being a native of Colorado, I had all the fresh powder a snowboarder could ever want. I taught myself how to ride. I was doing pretty well until one day, I wrecked really hard at Loveland. I blew my knee out and cracked a few ribs. From that day forward, I mellowed on the tricks and big airs and stuck with riding the trees and fresh powder.
In 1996 a friend from Vail, Co, where I was living at the time invited me to Laguna to help him open a bookstore. I had never been to California or heard of Laguna Beach.
The first year there, I fell in love with the ocean, Laguna, and the beach lifestyle. But after about two years, it felt too crowded, and I longed for the mountains.
I took a position in Alaska as a White Water Raft guide on the Mendenhall river in Juneau, Alaska. That led me to a deckhand position on a commercial fishing vessel that took me to Sitka, Alaska.
Eventually, I moved back to the lower 48 to pursue my education. I picked Northern California because someone told me it was a beautiful place and easy to study there. I went to Humboldt State University, where I earned a degree in Theatre Arts.
After I graduated, I knew it was time to travel, so I left for an adventure to Fiji and New Zealand by myself. I had such an amazing time, especially in Fiji, where I really enjoyed the people and culture.
When I returned from a three month journey overseas I was wondering where to call home for a while. It was then I decided to return to Laguna Beach.
One of the funny things about Laguna Beach, is it’s the kind of place where you just pick up where you left off. The people within the community are great and often made me feel as if I had never left.
My first Skim Boarding experience in Laguna Beach was at age 19. This guy let me borrow his board one day at West Street and said “don’t hurt yourself”. After that day I was hooked. Skimming offered all the challenges of gymnastics with the awesome flare of interacting with mother nature; immersing myself in the ocean and staying fit, I fell in love with the sport.
During the time I was away on travel, I didn’t skim much, but when I returned to Laguna Beach after my travels, I picked up where I had left off, and have been Skimming ever since.
In 2005, I took third in the World Championships of Skim Boarding. It is also here in Laguna Beach where I met Shonna Cobb who inspired me to skim Board and still does to this day. I love my life here and look forward to seeing what the future of Skim boarding will become, especially for the rare breed of women who have such passion for this amazing, challenging, rewarding sport.
I grew up in the Laguna Beach, CA, specifically, out in the canyon. In fact, we were called the Canyon Rats because we would run around the canyon with our shirts off and no shoes on our feet, getting into trouble wherever it could be found. I started skimming when I was eleven years old. My friend’s brother like to do it, so my friend and I started going skimming with him at the beach. It was mostly about launching ourselves into waves, it was years later that I refined this playtime into the skillful sport of skimboarding. Eventually my friend put the board down, but I found an outlet, a lifestyle in the sport. It became one of my favorite pass times.
Throughout middle school, I played baseball. I was a pitcher, and one of the first girls to make All Stars. I was sixteen when I moved out of the canyon. I attended school in Laguna Beach, El Morro, Thurston, and then Laguna Beach High School where I graduated in 2002. My freshman year, I was Varsity Star Goalie, I also played softball and excelled in Track.
At age eighteen, I got my first apartment in Dana Point,. Throughout my life, I have always been drawn to working with animals. I was employed by various hospitals throughout Laguna Beach as a vet technician, where I gained a wealth of experience with animals. I am now twenty-five years old and have built a career around my love for animals. I do doggie dentals for a company called Animal Dental Care to this day. I love my job, cleaning dog’s teeth without the use of anesthesia, a challenging and rewarding career.
I’m Aquarius, and I love the water. I have participated in Skimboarding competitions since I was sixteen. Currently, I hold Eight World Championship Titles. There are so many things I love about skimming, being in the ocean, exercise, releasing endorphins. Makes me realize, I have an amazing life. Skimming is something I never want to live without, it’s my connection from my body to the water, my meditation. My mother has always and remains today, my support system and inspiration for life. I love being athletic in the outdoor world, it makes me feel so alive. Lately, I’ve been riding mountain bikes. I’m I’m in training for a 600 mile fundraising bikeride. I now live in Long Beach where I gogo dance at a local gay bar, another passion of mine, dancing. I still make time to come to the beach, be mesmerized by the ocean and skim. I love my life and am so grateful for it.
I grew up with an abundance of typical girly toys like ‘my little pony,’ Barbies and plastic pink Cinderella slippers. I loved my mom’s highest high heels and I wanted to be a ballerina so I could wear the cute pink and sparkly tutus. I never did take dance lessons, but I did take gymnastics for three years and gave it my best (but failed) attempt to learn a back flip. My girlish behavior definitely came and went in stages. I loved dresses or I hated them. I think I started hating dresses when I got excited to get my older brother’s hand-me-downs. The longer and baggier the clothes the happier I was. My love and admiration for my brother, Nicholas, along with my girlhood dream of growing up by the beach led me to the path of skimboarding.
There were no beaches in sight of Sacramento, but, at least I was fortunate to have been surrounded by the beautiful American River, and only a short hour and a half road trip to the snow. My parents are insanely active and nature lovers. I owe my active lifestyle all to them, because they strapped me onto my first pair of skis when I was five. I later switched to snowboarding when I was14. My love for speed and adrenaline and board sports pulled me to any activity where I had a board under my feet.
Looking back now, I can see where the accumulation of water activities and board sports drew me to skimming. The summer before I was 16, I played my first team sport which began my mini water polo career (and encompassed my life for the next 5 years). I also got my first job as a lifeguard and was introduced to skimboarding at the river by my brother and his best friend Matt. He shared my love for snowboarding and skating and encouragead me to learn to skim. He has always treated me as one of the guys and thus a reason why I feel I need to be up to par with them.
I soon got addicted to skimboarding, what we call flatland or inland skimming, and the laidback and relaxed river atmosphere. As each summer passed, I got more and more comfortable on my skimboard and starting learning tricks with help from the boys. Each summer, the tricks and rails the boys brought out got bigger and better, and so did the recognition of the sport itself. I’ve traveled and competed in several skim contests including Sac’s own Skimfest, Utah, Washington and Canada. Although a big part of me wanted to stay in Sacaramento and progress my skills skimboarding at the river with the boys, I had to follow my calling of furthering my education and pursuing my childhood dream of living by the ocean.
I fell in love with the long stretches of white sandy beaches in Southern California and transferred to Long Beach State. During my first year at the beach (besides school) I struggled to pursue my aspirations of being a ‘surfer chick,’ but soon realized I was hooked on skimboarding and couldn’t make the swap. I was trying to ocean skim as if it was flatland skimboarding. Needless to say no matter how hard I tried...I never rode a wave that first year. It took me months to figure out the right time of day to skim- high tide, early morning (just like the surfers) when the waves are best… The first day I finally went to the beach early in morning I met my new “skim coach.” I call him Yoda and he calls me a little padawan. He took me “under his wing,” introduced me to his Seal Beach crew of friends and was my 6am early wake up call to get my butt out of bed and to the beach to skim. From then on, progress was underway.
Every morning I woke up to go to the beach carrying my board under my arms, and putting on my thick, and still salty damp wetsuit from the morning before, I can’t help but smile knowingly that I am living my child hood dream.
I am Lexi Hutchings. I am a professional flatland skimboarder. Skimmin truely is my passion ! I have been skimboarding for about a decade now. I teach camps back home in St George Utah, and just love bein involved in the skim scene. I ride for Db skimboards, EOS, freestyle watches, and skim chicks ! I love flatland because u can get so technical on rails and even on the flats. Its a lot like skating. I have seen a huge growth in skimboarding since i have started and hope to see this growth continue. I am super stoked on skim chicks and the fact that more and more girls are gettin out and ripping !
My whole life I have speant my summers in Sawyer, Michigan, a small town in Southwest Michigan. As a kid, I would spend every waking moment sitting on the sand or swimming in the water. One day, I was walking down the beach when I saw a kid skimboarding and was completely in awe. I asked him what it was, and he told me I could buy a board online. I saved up all my money, and by that next summer I finally got myself my first skimboard. After those first couple rides I just couldn't put it down, and eventually got good at riding the waves and not the sand.
This is a question a lot of people ask me. In Michigan, we take what we can get, and when the northwest winds come in, you will see us at the beach from dawn till dusk. When there are smaller waves, I perfect my tricks, when there are big waves I do nothing but skim all day. The waves CAN get pretty big, (I ride a shortboard surfboard on those days) and I have seen the waves get to be over ten feet after a huge storm. Summer has some flat days and some fun days, but if you really want to get some clean, big waves then your best bet is to skim in October,November, and spring. This means you will find yourself in a full body wetsuit and booties. It's definitley worth it.
Besides skimboarding, my other passions are for writing, recording, and performing music, photography, film, surfing, longboard skateboarding, taking long walks on the beach, and building longboards.
Being a Junior in high school means only one thing- preparing for college. Yet, the only thing I really dream of is moving to California where I can skimboard and surf all the time. Hopefully I will be able to get into college in Southern California somewhere, where I would be able to participate in contests and meet other skimboarders. I would really like to see skimboarding keep going in the right direction, which many companies and skimboarders are making happen today. My goals? To skim as best as I can, to travel, and to have fun!
My name is Silvia Garavito, and I was born in Bucaramanga, Colombia, October 23, 1989. Yes, I'm considered an 80's baby! :) Growing up, I participated in a lot of sports. I was always the only girl out playing with the boys. As a natural athlete, I took my talents out to the softball fields and basketball courts throughout my high school years.
I first fell in love with skimming at the age of 13 when I was at the beach one hot summer day with my family. I remember it was low tide, and seeing the longest sand bar I have ever witnessed. There was a boy running around out there, doing "demon spins" and I thought it was like coolest thing I had ever seen! I asked him if I could try it out and he was so nice he let me borrow his board for what seemed like infinity. I picked it up right away, and it felt like love at first sight! I then asked my step dad for a skimboard for Christmas but didn't get it until my 14th birthday. I was so stoked! At that time, we were living on the beach and I would spend every weekend from 9 am until 6 pm out there on my board. Unfortunately, my board was stolen a year later and my skimming career came to an end. I didn't pick it back up 'til about 3 years later, when a friend handed me down his 46" fiberglass, woody-like board. I really got into it when I was around 18, and I was able to purchase my very own board. Ever since then, it's been a huge part of my lifestyle! The ocean is my sanctuary.
I am 17 years old and a senior in high school. I plan on going to college next year to begin studying for engineering. As for skimboarding, i've been doing it for about three years now. When i entered my first contest i had no idea what the sport was all about. Since then I have learned a lot about the sport. I have also found a group of friends to skim with. These guys are always giving me tips on how to get better and teaching me new things, and i really appreciate it. Currently i am sponsored by Virginia Beach Skimmunity House and Eelsnot.
I learned to embrace skimboarding because of a nasty break up. I was looking for something new that would keep me going. I thought a new sport would be good for me aside from running. Something that would involve my love for the ocean. I wanted to surf, actually, but a friend told me to try skimboarding instead. He said that it is more accessible than surfing, considering the beaches around my home town. And because, he knew my love for running.
I took my friend's advice even though I had no idea what I got myself into. I researched about it, which it was very frustrating at that time. I could barely find a decent skim video, least not an instructional one. Then, my friend taught me the three magic words: run, drop and slide. Learning skimboarding from series of emails and chat logs was not easy. It was not even easier to learn it all by myself. I learned skimboarding the hard way. But, it was all worth it.
Skimboarding barely existed in the Philippines when I started. I could still remember people asking me about my board when I walked along the shore. They always ended up mocking it for an iron board, then finished it with a unnecessary laugh. For quiet awhile it was like that.
Then there was my guy friends who were already skimboarding in another beach. I eventually joined them. I felt like an outsider at first. I was the only girl and I could tell from the look of their faces that, I was just playing around to get some attention. I had to prove myself that I could ride with them and ride like them. And I did, making them realize that I was serious with skimboarding. It was a victory for me knowing they finally came to terms that I was really into it.
When I ran across Skim Chick (still without an "s") one day, I was over the moon. It encouraged me more to pursue skimboarding despite everything. I could remember myself playing Pamela's video over and over and over again. It was the only video I could find that time of a girl skimboarding. It is just so amazing that more girls are into skimboarding now. Not to mention, there is already a Pro Division for women.
Skimboarding has pushed me to travel in search of the perfect skim spot. I have been all over the country. I have changed addresses so many times just to reach my goal. I must admit I have been so foolish not to take my friend's word in going to Dahican, Mati, Davao Oriental. I have found it after seven years of going everywhere. It is the skim paradise.
Traveling and skimboarding have taught me so many things, including the ability to adjust with the shorebreaks and different cultures. But now that I have found the "it" place, I am ready to change address again, and perhaps settle down there for good. I have found my home.
I have grown so much in skimboarding. Not just with my game, but as a person. I somehow owe it to my friends who have inspired me to do good things through skimboarding. The reason why I have created Padagata.com and co-founded The SkimLove Project. It is my ways in giving back to the community. I am just so blessed that a lot of people believe in my cause and share their unconditional goodness.
I have been thinking of retiring soon, so I can really focus on being in law school. However, I have become skimboarding. It is just hard to give it up. So now, I just make sure I overcome the challenges of both.
I grew up on Vancouver Island, in the beautiful west coast of British Colombia. Throughout my childhood and high school years I was a natural athlete, competing in track and field events, taking skating, swimming and gymnastics lessons and playing on baseball teams. It wasn't until after high school though that I actually found a sport I was dedicated to and passionate about.
The island is blessed with some of the mildest weather in Canada, so whenever I could I was at the beach with friends. When I was 17 a group of guys joined a beach fire my friends and I were having at a local cove. We all became instant friends and began taking weekend road trips camping to various surf spots. I began surfing under the tutelage of a couple of the guys, but didn't really excel at it. I was pretty frustrated because I loved the idea of a sport, something occupying my high energy needs, combined with the beach! Later that same summer however, my friend Ben took me skimboarding- and my spirits were lifted, I loved it. I was pretty shy while I was learning, refusing to skim in front of all of the island boys (who were effortlessly planting headstands while riding, doing pop-shuvit's, you name it), but after a couple extremely bad bails I lost my embarrassment entirely (a few mouthfuls of sand will do that to a girl- haha!).
My skimming has only gotten better since; I can truly say it is a sport that I love doing. I have tried some wave riding while traveling in Australia; but, as there aren't really any huge waves on the island, I mostly do flatland skimboarding. I like to try and combine skateboard style tricks and gymnastics; most recently I've been working on a cartwheel onto my board into an immediate big spin... I bail often haha.
Aside from skimboarding I love to long board, wakeboard, surf and hang out with my friends at the beach. Needless to say, I am stoked to be a part of the SkimChicks crew and promote female skimming!
My names Grace Komoroczy, born February 6, 1992. I was ever so lucky to grow up between the beaches of San Diego and Laguna Beach and skimboarding was never something I thought I was going to get into. I moved to Laguna Beach permanently in the summer of 2007 and on my first day getting settled in to my house I walked down to the beach and witnessed skimboarding for the first time. There were about 10 guys starting on the sand and charging in the water to catch the shorebreak and show off all their best skills, just having a great time with each other and watching the unbelievable sunset. After taking in this whole picture and seeing how much fun everyone was having I knew I somehow had to get involved. Something I never got was why there weren't any girls that were down there and I knew I had to do something about that. The next day I walked down the steps straight into the middle of all the boys and asked them to help teach me how to skim. At first they laughed but when they realized how serious I was they couldn't help but lend me their boards and teach me how to do what they did.
It took me quite a while to get the hang of it but it was so much fun that I couldn't keep away from the beach. All of the guys gained respect for me and after that I found myself down on the infamous Oak st. in Laguna Beach everyday practicing and being one of the guys!
I am so excited I got involved with the sport and I cant wait to keep skimming and only get better.
My biggest passion right now is golf, skimboarding is still pretty leisure to me but i cant wait to get into some more contests and show everyone what I got! I am currently attending Saddleback College and studying economics.
It was love at first sight for me, which does not come by too often in one's lifetime so to be able to share my story to you feels festive. My tale into the world of skimboarding is different than most, starting with being a late bloomer and not discovering the sport until I hit my thirties. Despite missing out during my teenage years when most discover skimming, my character and level of energy has remained youthful and seems only fitting that I have embraced yet another board sport. I must say it has been well worth the wait and you are never too old to adopt something you love into your life. Skimboarding came into my life at an intricate time and one could say the sport saved my life, as dramatic as that sounds.
Before I salute the skimming gods, I must first start at the beginning and give a little history of my life in order to paint a better picture as to why I possess such a love for this gift granted to me. I grew up in a home that has taken me years to recognize as a dysfunctional and damaging one. I see now as an adult how playing sports as a child was essential to my emotional well-being, my outlet to happier moments by being a great escape. With my strong tomboy tendencies, it did not matter so much what sport I happened to be participating in just as long as I was competing at my best. I always stood out when it came to sports and Track and Field and in a world of uncertainty, being embraced for competing at a 1st rate level became the way to build self-confidence within myself.
When my teen years hit, my big brother Jason, notably my protector and idol at the time discovered his own love in skateboarding. I, of course, followed suit and skating remains my longest and most devoted love affair. I was introduced to snowboarding as well in my teens, when my family uprooted from Ontario to the east coast of Nova Scotia. At this time, I said good-bye to skiing, a family tradition and have never looked back.
Fast-forward to a few years ago and I found myself on the opposite side of Canada, on the west coast living in beautiful and vibrant Vancouver. Tragedy has once again befallen upon me, this blow proving to be so debilitating that the thought of proceeding with life being a dismal one. Without knowing, my son's father had taken my beloved son away from me. I did not know how to find happiness, succumbing to negativity and walking aimlessly through my days with a hole in my heart.
As the sadness took shape, thankfully so too a light was found in the form of skimboarding. There is something so magical about being at the beach on a hot and sunny day; throwing my board out and running with the hopes of landing it with grace and having yet another opportunity to glide along in pure bliss. It was easy for me to forget my sorrows, if only for that afternoon and there is something to be said about being outdoors and exercising during a bout of depression. I believe the combo is more effective than medication, at least it has been in my experience.
Being a Canadian living off the Pacific west coast, the only option available for us is to flatland skim. That summer was the first I heard of skimboarding and I assumed flatland was the only style. Was I mistaken! As my love of the sport evolved, so did my quest to know all things skimming and thanks to YouTube, I quickly ascertained the other style involving waves. I fell deeper in love and thus sprouted my daily fantasies of riding through barrels or preforming a Wrap, propelling me back to shore.
One thing I could not understand was why there were no videos of women riders. There were a handful of us skimming weekends together at Wreck Beach and knew we could not be the only ones so my research continued until I stumbled upon the SkimChicks fan page on Facebook. Not knowing what my future looked like, undoubtedly in retrospect my life changed in that moment I clicked the 'like' button. To say I was in astonishment upon receiving an invitation from Pamela and Richard to join a team of female skimboarders would be an understatement. My perplexity over why I was one of the women chosen as someone new to the sport lasted for days but I still jumped around the house and did not hesitate for a second whether I should commit and sign the paperwork or not. I can see the bigger picture now and there is much to be done, with skills I do possess.
Learning about the world of skimboarding and a love developing at my age, I do not dilute myself into thinking I will ever become a long-standing professional but to me this is not my goal. I still remain a competitive spirit and hope to compete at an amateur level one day but I have many skills to offer and much work is involved for the better of the sport. I possess a strong commitment and loyalty into seeing skimboarding advance to the next level and in my eyes, this includes women who show the same passion have the opportunity to compete in the professional tour that only men have been privy to. Times are changing, as they should be as we evolve as a race and I am incredibly honored to be a part of the SkimChicks team and making this sport the best it can and will be by showcasing both men and women athletes doing what we love to do on the beach. I am currently traveling but I hope to settle in Orange County so I can be at the front-lines and have my voice heard.
Name is Libby Rendall. Skimming for almost 11 years now. Ive been competing since 2006. 2007 and 2008 east coast champion. Sponsors: Alley Oop, Zap Skimboards, X-trak, SkimChicks, Surfgel. Choosen to be on the 2010 Skim USA team, along with Dan McDonald, Perry Pruitt and Max Smetts. We traveled to Portugal and competed in the Santa Cruz contest. We all placed 1st! GO USA! I currently spend my summers teaching skim camp at Alley Oop. This summer (2011) will be my 5th year being a counselor at Alley Oop. Teaching kids how to skimboard is probably my favorite thing about skimboarding. Ive made so many great friends through skimming and traveling for skim. Im in my 3rd year of nursing school so i dont get to skim as much as i would like to.
SKIMCHICKS ROCKS!!
I grew up in Seal Beach, CA and was always a kind of tom-boy out cast. I like going against the grain just to be different and Skim boarding was definitely against the grain growing up. Not only was I the only girl on the beach Skimming but I was really the only person my age with an actual skimboard and doing it. Not to mention I got picked on every day by every guy I knew and then around 18 I started to get hit on my every guy I knew. Oh how the tables can turn!
I started to compete when I was 15 and placed 3rd in the my first contest (in which I was the youngest contestant by 5 years) and I was hooked in the Skim lifestyle. I can't imagine my life without skimboarding and I wouldn't have all the friends and experiences in my life without it. I love heading south in the Summer making as much time as possible to skim all day and I love being able to head out the front door into my own backyard during the winter in Seal.
My dream is that I can focus on Skimboarding full time travel the world and bring a greater awareness to our sport. I love encouraging girls to come and try it and give them a voice who says "Bleep what everyone tells you to do and do what you want to do". I'm loud, over bearing, skimboarder. I speak what's on my mind and I'll fight every time for what I want. I guess some people would call it "out going". Oh yeah… I'm a bit sarcastic.
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