Skimming to the top

A small stretch of the Laguna Beach coastline will once again serve

as the backdrop for the World Championships of Skimboarding.

The 29th annual event, sponsored this year by Animal Watches and

presented by Little Trees and Victoria Skimboards, begins today,

continues Saturday, and concludes with championship round action

Sunday, all at Aliso Creek Beach.

The competition begins daily at 8 a.m.

The 2005 event marks the second time in its 29-year history that

the championships have gone to a three-day format.

“We have a great field of competitors lined up once again for the

championships,” said Trigg Garner marketing and sales director for

Victoria Skimboards in Laguna Beach. “It should be another great

event. There’s supposed to be a good swell heading this way this

weekend too.”

Garner said that the field of competitors is now at 160, but that

number could swell to as many as 180.

Competition will be held in both professional and amateur

divisions.

Athletes scheduled to compete at the championships hail from

Laguna Beach, Hawaii, the East Coast, Chile, Japan, Portugal, Mexico

and Costa Rica.

Weekend crowds for the competition, Garner said, could reach

3,000.

Victoria Skimboards athletes dominated last year’s pro division

event with six of its riders finishing among the top 10.

Bill Bryan, 32, of Victoria Skimboards is back to defend his

title.

In last year’s pro division, the Laguna Beach resident won his

11th world championship by surviving a very competitive final round

showdown against his brother, George, and fellow Laguna rippers, Mike

Stanaland and Morgan Just.

George Bryan is recovering from knee surgery and will not be in

this year’s competition, Bill Bryan said.

“I’ll just need to do my best under pressure, and that’s what

makes it exciting and gets me coming back every year,” Bill Bryan

said of pursuing his 12th world title.

Bryan said he has been part of the Victoria Skimboards team

“forever,” and recalls first entering the championships event when he

was five.

“That was a long time ago, but I remember beating a 10-year-old,”

he said with a chuckle. “That was my introduction to this event.

“Really, this is 30 minutes out of a whole year of skim boarding,

but it’s huge because it decides who’s the world champion. It’s a

great gathering of the top pros in the world here in Laguna. It’s

what we look forward to, and it’s just a fun time for us.”

The week’s festivities began Wednesday with the presentation of

the first Skimboard Rider Poll Awards presented by Animal at the

Laguna Beach Theater.

Awards were handed out in the following categories: trick of the

year; best photographer; biggest wave ride (on film); best skim

boarder, female; best barrel ride (on film); biggest air (on film);

best new rider; best video; legend; best skim boarder, male, and

breakthrough performance.

“It is an honor to recognize those that charge every day and push

the sport forward,” Garner said. “We are proud to be a part of this

ground-breaking event.”