SKIMBOARDER MAGAZINE » The United Skim Tour

The 2008 VIC Preview

admin — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:15:36 +0000

The biggest skim event of the year nears as competitors, media, and spectators prepare for the 2008 Victoria contest to be held July 26th & 27th at Aliso Beach. Situated firmly as the 5th event on the UST tour, the Victoria contest, more commonly known as The Vic, is considered the most prestigious event in skimboarding. This year, the UST title race is the closest ever. Bill Bryan is the favorite of the event and is currently 1st in the UST. He has won this event 14 times and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Closely behind him, is Morgan Just, but due to a unfortunate injury at the last contest in North Carolina, Morgan will have to sit out this event. Inching his way up the ratings in third is Paulo Prietto. Brandon Rothe is skimming stronger than ever and has asserted himself at the 4th spot and is striking distance from Paulo. Brandon Sears is nipping at Rothe’s heals. Less than 150 points separate the two. Rounding out the 6th spot is Floridian Brad Domke who has yet to peak.

The Vic is typically a foreshadowing to who will take the UST crown. It is a big turning point of the season because it is worth 1.5 times the amount of points than other UST events. Being one of the most challenging events, expect the Vic to sift the rankings some. Over 40 professional riders are registered and a south swell is forcasted for the weekend. Keep your fingers crossed that the tides, swell, and sand will coincide at the 32nd annual Victoria event. Aliso is known for it steep slope, fast water, and powerful waves to be the perfect recipe for an exciting and entertaining weekend. Bring you umbrella, beach chair and camera. Heats start at 8am and run until around 5pm.

After the contest on Sunday, be sure to hit up the Out The Back Wrap Up Party @ 7 Degrees in Laguna Beach (Laguna Canyon) which will feature Live music, Video montages, Awards ceremony, and 10th St. Bros. video premiere 7pm – 11pm Sunday July 27, 2008. Don’t miss out.

Three Contests Down: UST Standings Update

admin — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:11:17 +0000

Bill Bryan 2900 Points
Morgan Just 2556 Points
Paulo Prietto 1909 Points
Brandon Sears 1815 Points
James Lovett 1522 Points
Brandon Rothe 1462 Points
Stephen Bradford 1307 Points
Woody Harris 1307 Points
Brad Domke 1222 Points
Chris Marciniack 1071 Points
Corbin Dull 938 Points
Toby Lehman 818 Points
Scott Flores 810 Points
Joey Vavala 716 Points
John Howell 657 Points
Grady Archbold 651 Points
Dominic Prietto 590 Points
Mathieu Thibaud 578 Points
Sam Stinnett 522 Points
Teddy Vlasis 478 Points

For a full list of the results please visit the United Skim Tour home page.

UST Outer Banks Preview

admin — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:05:53 +0000

With 3 of the 8 contests in the bag, the UST moves on to Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina this upcoming weekend of July 12th & 13th. The Outer Banks offered great contest conditions last year and this year’s forecast is looking even more promising. With Hurricane Bertha stirring things up, Surfline is projecting 4-6 foot waves for the weekend. According to Surfline.com, “Hurricane Bertha is east of the Bahamas and on a slow 10kt WNW track. This compact storm is moving along the edge of the Atlantic ridge. As a result, small forerunners begin to show on Thursday – this should be enough to produce fun little waves for the longboarders. A bit more swell will be impacting the region by the late part of the day. By Friday more Bertha swell train moves in with plenty of fun surf expected. This holds and peaks on Saturday before slowly backing down some Sunday into Monday. As Bertha lifts north, the swell will decrease while becoming more inconsistent. The swell may be pulsey at times given the nature of tropical systems. ”

With the swell up, this will most likely be a very fun and exciting event. So far this year, the UST contests have scored with good contest conditions. Cabo started things off with a bang with excellent conditions at Lover’s Beach. Soon thereafter, Dewey Beach showed the contestants how the east coast is done right with off shore winds and clean waves all day long. New Jersey is the only exception so far, but even Barnegat had glimpses of glory.

This year the UST race couldn’t been much closer. Beaker has a strong lead with two firsts and a second place. Morgan Just is looking ripe this year nipping closely at Beaker’s tail with Paulo Prietto in striking distance behind. It will definitely be exciting to see the action unfold. Stay posted for news and highlights!