Killer skim finals

“You’ve just witnessed a spectacle of the sickest skimming ever,” the announcer of the World Championships of Skimboarding declared to the crowd at Aliso Beach last Sunday.

Presented by Allyance Clothing as part of its 2006 Big Top Skim Tour, the World Championships of Skimboarding celebrated its 30th anniversary in huge style — and heavy shore break — that led to a pro division finals for the ages.

“That final heat was the best in 15 years, maybe the best ever,” the owner of Skim magazine, Butch McIntosh, said.

Laguna Beach’s Victoria Skimboards and its owner, Tex Haines, established the contest 30 years ago, and Haines has been involved with it ever since. Yet his excitement for the event is just as fresh as when he first started it.

“As usual, the skimmers made the show. The waves came through. The sun came through. It was perfect,” Haines said.

But Haines says he’s concerned about being able to hold future events in the community where the sport means so much.

“We are at a critical juncture right now. This could be the last contest held [at Aliso],” he said.

“The county’s claiming unruly elements showed up at our contest. There’s fear in the county. Somebody somewhere said, ‘those skimboarders are trouble.’ They wanted us to get more security. I can understand that it’s not a bad thing to have, but they’re just trying to jack up the prices to make money, “ Haines said.

If costs rise as Haines fears, then fees for contestants could follow suit. Haines believes concerns about safety and conduct are not warranted.

If you look around, an unruly element is not what you’ll find, he said.

“It’s been families, and it’s still families. A lot of parents are really into it, and they support their kids who are really into it. This town is like Hawaii to this sport. It has an element of unity, which makes a big difference,” Haines said.

The final four pros included Jaime Lovett, Keith Fowler and two Laguna locals — Bill “Beaker” Bryan and Paulo Prietto.

The 15-minute heat sounded off and instantly Bryan, the 12-time World Champion, ripped right into a huge closeout barrel to get the crowd screaming.

From that point on, all four finalists exhibited a stylish repertoire of slashes, carves, floaters and airs off the heavy Aliso lips — not to mention getting ridiculously slotted inside them — attempting to get the highest score from the judges on the biggest stage in skimboarding.

As the heat went on, the level of skill seemed to rise, along with the tide, making the crowd jump to their feet in awe of the talent — as well as to avoid the shore break crashing up the beach.

“The high tide probably cramped our style. There were a lot of close calls,” Bryan said. “It was a lot of fun, though — if you got out of there alive. It was a nerve-packing, edge-of-your-seat experience.”

Bryan, 33, who was looking for his 13th title as World Champion, was also leery of his competition.

“There’s a lot of good up-and-coming kids out there, I feel like I have a target on my back,” Bryan said. “This is a huge event. Kudos to Allyance, they made it happen, and to Tex Haines for starting it. This is the X-Games and Olympics for skimming.”