a
Fall 2014 publication
Party Wave Photo: Brad Deflin | Vilano, FL
4  Fall 2014
Welcome
Welcome to Pulse. Fall is here. Colder water and crisper air are starting to fill in where warm skies and soft sand left off. We have a story from a state that you’ll never believe. It’ll definitely get you in the mood for some fall sessions. We also caught up with the now three-time world champ, Sam Stinnett. On top of that is almost 200 pages of other skimboarding goodness. Three issues in and we’re starting to get into a groove. We know you’ll like this one. It’s definitely in the top three. –The Pulse Team
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10 Editor’s Note 16 Spoken: Tex haines 24 Mouthwater 32 Noteworthy 40 PROPIONATED
68 6 Fall 2014
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42 UST Update 48 Covered: Joe Bailey
The best-known skim photographer ever reveals his biggest influences and much more.
68 Grom Corner: Roman Hager
Florida’s most promising grom discusses his hair, his winnings, and his love for the community.
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Contents
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82 Leading Lady: Amber Torrealba
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Insta-famous and driven. Those two traits are a recipe for success. Amber explains both in her interview.
96 The Oregon Trail Conifer covered islands and
siders galore. Oregon is an uncharted land that ought to be on the map.
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108 Interview: Sam Stinnett
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Fresh off his UST win, the 3-time world champion explains how he took his title back in an ultra-close year.
120 Exposure Over 40 of the greatest skim shots from around the world.
2o3 #skimpulsive ou tagged your pics, we chose one. Y
Our favorite’s a goody. Check it.
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108 PULSE SKIMBOARDING 7
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Editor’s note
Go out there and look. You’ll find spots that take a lot of experience, waves. I promise. knowledge, and luck to catch good. Oh, and did I mention it’s cold? For a little background, let’s talk about Santa Cruz, my current place of resi- When I moved to the area, I stuck dence. We have only a few consistent to the basics. I skimmed 26th Ave, spots. 26th Ave is good maybe 100 our main break, and if it was flat or days a year. 3rd Ave maybe 50. And cold or windy or rocky, I just turned Blacks maybe 20. Most other spots, around and went home. But slowly, I however, are fickle and reserved to decided to start peaking around cliff fewer than a dozen days each year of corners and into hidden coves. decent skim waves. They’re also not skimmed much, hardly talked about, Now, I should clarify. I never found and many are hard to get to. anything that was “new” or unridden, but I can recall at least half a dozen when I stumbled upon a liner, “...I decided to start times sider, or beach break that I had never peaking around heard about. The magic of watching cliff corners and a 4 foot liner peel down the beach as into hidden coves...” I struggled to squeeze into my wet wetsuit on a 45 degree morning... Why are they so fickle? It’s a combina- that’s something I won’t forget. tion of a lot of factors. Many of these spots are rocky coves, and maybe So get out there and look. You’ll find once a year the coves fill with sand. new waves. You’ll discover unridden Also, the swell needs to be the right beach breaks and maybe even a sidsize and direction. The wind needs er that might connect at the right to stay calm. And the tide needs to tide. A short drive north of Santa be just right. For instance, one well- Cruz will prove to anyone that there known liner works between 5 and are hundreds of unfound spots out 4 feet of tide. Another works with there. We just need a little inspiraabout 3 feet of tide, and another at tion to find them. Next swell, discov0 tide and below. Put this all togeth- er the adventure that’s just a beyond er, and you have a beautiful coastal the next cove, and maybe you’ll feel town, with dozens of skimboarding that same magic. -David Haefele
10 Fall 2014
Editor’s note Dozens of potential spots Photo: Jesse Beer | Santa Cruz, CA
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The Team The team at Pulse consists of enthusiastic skimboarders who are passionate about showcasing the sport in the best possible light. The team has created this publication as a way to interconnect the skim community through beautiful words, images, and design.
David Haefele /Editor
David finished 28th on the UST in 2013. His background in writing and experience in photography and marketing shape how Pulse is portrayed both in the pages and throughout other online channels.
Jackie Gollbach /Creative Director
Jackie has a long list of first-place contest finishes. Her graphic-design style is lively and clever but also professional and sleek, a style that complements ocean photography and creatively accents skimboarding media.
Derek Makekau /Associate editor
Derek founded and ran ForeverSkim the Magazine for nearly a decade. He now runs 20/30north Studios, and he’s helping with various major and minor decisions over at Pulse.
Reed Morales /Advertising manager
Reed is a skim dad and long-time skimboarder from Laguna Beach. With 15 years in the publishing industry, Reed brings depth and experience that he puts toward keeping Pulse alive and thriving.
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Contributors This publication would not be possible without photographers and contributors. Their dedication in covering an often overlooked sport is nothing short of awesome. Be sure to click on the linked buttons throughout the issue for direct access to their feeds. Give your favorites a follow or a like: they deserve it. Harbor Bickmore Dustin Boone Matt O’Brien brad deflin Tex Haines Taylor Osborn Ben Hintz Tyler Brooks Khye Vogt Ana Catarina Aaron Hager Jesse Beer Melissa Stevenson Nikki Crocker Marco Arroyo Mike Marincovich Joe Bailey Stephen Oliveira Dugoua Remy Corinne Conklin Justin Legall Brendan McGeown Fabiana Badie Tiago Carreiras Jeff Maldonado Dave Scott Olivier Harrault Kevin Newcomer Morgan Grosskreutz Sergio Gil ‘Shein Dave Alexander MG Photography Matt McDonald
cover shot
Sam Stinnett, Laguna, CA
14 Fall 2014
Tenth Street had a late start this season, but it definitely came in full force this past Indian summer. July 5th was all-time for wraps, consequently having every great skimmer in the water at some point - It was the only time I’ve ever filled my CF card with about 2k photos. The sider was extremely inconsistent, but Sam waited it out and found the smallest sider to a great connection. It was a day to remember. - Tyler Brooks
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Spoken: Tex Haines My grandparents, on my dad’s side, both doctors of medicine, had a trailer at Treasure Island Trailer Park where the Montage resort is now at the north end of Aliso Beach. It was a funky, low rent trailer park, right on the beach in paradise. I remember being told that the beach was very dangerous because of the steep drop off, and to stay out of Aliso Creek because it was a sure source of boils if I were to somehow fall in. Skip forward 20 years and now I was out of college and living in Laguna. Local legend, Navy Seal, and anthropologist, Corky Smith approached me at Aliso Beach one day and asked if I would like to work on improving the creek. It was embarrassing to hold a world famous contest there and every year apologize to the contestants about our water quality and try to explain how one of the wealthiest communities in the world couldn’t manage to keep it’s water’s clean.
“I remember being told… to stay out of Aliso Creek because it was a sure source of boils if I were to somehow fall .” We formed our own Laguna Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation and began investigating the pollution from Aliso, as well as the frequent spills from the city’s pumping stations along the beach. We got a good deal of publicity in the local media, did some fundraisers and a lot of beach cleanups, but we were not able to make any big changes. Others, like the South Laguna Civic Association’s, Michael Beanan kept up the pressure, and just recently a program he spearheaded, began removing some of the polluted water from the creek, cleaning it, and then returning it to the creek or using it for irrigation.
16 Fall 2014
SPOKEN
The day after a spill Photo: Tex Haines
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Deep and stagnant water Photo: tex Haines
18  Fall 2014
SPOKEN And finally a coordinated move is underway to restore the estuary as much as possible and address the many sources of pollution in the 7 cities upstream. But, progress has been excruciatingly slow, and we have a long way to go. About 3 months ago in the parking lot at Aliso, I mentioned to a fellow getting out of the creek, that his opening up the lagoon was having consequences downstream at 10th St. It was a longtime 10th St. lifeguard’s opinion that the county’s decision to open the creek more frequently was the cause of 10th St. sidewash shutting down because of too much sand. The sand at 10th St. had doubled in depth in the since the emptying began and had not broken in nearly ten years. “Steve” was postulating that all that sand had to go somewhere. I agreed and just recently I estimated that the average berm break flushed about 60 truckloads of sand out with it into the littoral current, moving it up and down the coast with the swells. The big dude did not take it well. He advised me he trained frequently at a martial arts studio, and he would be glad to pummel me for my suggestion. Fortunately, the lifeguard intervened and called for the police at which point he disappeared. His group relishes in the emptying of the creek as it makes an insane sand bar for bodysurfing and heaven for the micro-wave photographers with their water cameras. While the creek empties, another group enjoys riding the standing waves in the creek. Call it reckless exposure to infectious agents, or intentional stimulation of the immune system, it’s all good. But, the last thing these guys want to hear is hey, don’t do that.
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I was trying to point out that it sucked to have our skim camps greeted by a freshly polluted ocean, every day of the week. I was trying to point out that all that sand had to go somewhere and the possibility that 10th St being affected was a real drag. To wrap this up, I haven’t seen the guy since. He did have a rep for previous pummelings, hence his declining to demonstrate on me. I get it. People get agitated when you mess with their main sources of fun.
“...emptying the creek is a band-aid solution to the real problem, which is inland pollution pouring into the creek upstream.” I think emptying the creek is a band-aid solution to the real problem, which is inland pollution pouring into the creek upstream. Leave the estuary alone, and let it empty naturally. Excess flows from upstream should be treated and reused, or re-injected back into the aquifer. It would be better to establish settling ponds for as many of the tributaries before they enter the creek proper. And then to biofilter the creek by slowing it down and widening the stream inland of the treatment plant so it can be more of a wetlands than the barren 30’ deep chute that it has become. That would help.
20 Fall 2014
Old bridge and estuary, circa 1930
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Creek riders, wave photographers, and sandbar riders, please let it empty naturally. Go ahead and help it drain it when it get’s close to overflowing, but otherwise please spare us the pollution. Our kids are depending on us to preserve Aliso, and all our beaches as vital natural resources. Unless we are vigilant, our access to beaches goes away, lifeguards decide banning skimming is better than dealing with lawsuits from angry anti-skim beach-goers. Homeowners close access routes because they can. Harbors get built where world class surf breaks existed. Be involved, join Surfrider, or something like it, get on the mailing list for protecting our beaches, or pay the price later. Check out the Laguna Beach Surfrider Club to get involved. Tex Haines
The Standing wave
22  Fall 2014
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Mouthwater
Here’s a few standout pictures to get your vitals pumping. Max Bourne, All time 10th Street Photo: Morgan Grosskreutz | Laguna, CA
24  Fall 2014
Mouthwater
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Austin Keen, Getting surreal Photo: Joe Bailey | Laguna, CA
26  Fall 2014
Mouthwater
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Joey Vavala, Early morning Barrel Photo: Kevin Newcomer | Dewey Beach, DE
28  Fall 2014
Mouthwater
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Adam Ballam, Frontside boardslide Photo: Matt McDonald | Bellingham, WA
30  Fall 2014
Mouthwater
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Blair Conklin, No Grab Needed Photo: Joe Bailey | Laguna, CA
32  Fall 2014
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note worthy
Skimboarding’s top social trends
#supportskimboarding
Thought up by social media superstar Jackson Tenny, #supportskimboarding was a simple concept: A list of top pros. Alphabetical order. Set dates to support each pro on the list. Those on the list collectively shout out each pro on their set date. The effort created well-deserved buzz and boosted follower counts by the hundreds.
#gozach
At the Exile Oktoberfest, competitor Zach Philoctete took a serious fall and broke multiple bones in his neck. This sparked the hashtag campaign #gozach to wish him well. Many top pros, major companies, and skim groms reposted to message in support. Zach is currently in a halo for the next few months, and he’s expecting a full recovery.
34 Fall 2014
NoteWorthy
PULSE SKIMBOARDING 35
note worthy videos g n i board onths. m i k s ree m e best h h t t icks of om the past p Staff web fr e on th
Bacuag skim competition 2014/Tonyo Productions
The Philippines is surprisingly stacked with talent, and this video will prove that with plenty of style and flare. Hand-me-down boards? Check. Crazy tech? Check. Skimmers you’ve never heard of? Check.
36  Fall 2014
NoteWorthy David Sterman HI California/Skylar Wilson
David Sterman linked up with his brother Eric and friend Skylar Wilson to piece together this gem. Astounding angles and high production value– you need to full screen this one. You won’t regret it.
Austin Keen’s slideslip/This is MOV
Who doesn’t love a mind bending sideslip? As if a full-speed monkey crawl wasn’t impressive enough, that frontside turn is definitely one to take home.
PULSE SKIMBOARDING 37
Back from nowhere/GroovyBaby
We love a good comeback story, and Axel Christol’s has us at the edge of our seats. After an 8-month hiatus with bummed knee, Axel is back. Here he scores in-n-outs to the rhythms of Johnny Cash.
2014 Zap Am Champs/alleyoop & Tony Bianchi
It’s hard to stop smiling when the groms are stoked and the vibes are strong. This video captures all that and more. See why the Zap Am World Champs has become a dream for groms everywhere.
38 Fall 2014
NoteWorthy
PULSE SKIMBOARDING 39
Propini Favorite spot? MAX Bourne
Crescent Bay is by far my favorite skim spot of all the places I have skimmed. It is a spot that rarely gets good, but during its prime season it is the best. No other sider compares to its beauty. The cleanest, most memorable rides I have ever gotten on a skimboard have been at Crescent Bay. I hope to get some more majestic days there soon. Photo: Joe Bailey
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propinionated
onated Jason Wilson
My favorite spot to skimboard is the South Side of Indian River Inlet in Dewey Beach, DE. I really like winching there with my crew on the big days that have too much dead water to regular skim. Those are the days that get me hyped now! Of course I’ll take a ticket to Sununga, Brazil any day though. That wave is skim paradise! Photo: Kevin Newcomer
Austin Keen
This is always the hardest question to answer because there are so many different spots for different types of waves...liners, siders, straight waves... and then you take your surroundings and people in consideration. I like to think I’m still searching for my favorite skim break... Photo: Tyler Brooks
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42 Fall 2014
UST UPDATE
UST update All year, the Men’s UST title race was a battle between Austin Keen and Sam Stinnett. Each had two victories, and neither finished below 5th place for the entire season. In Santa Cruz, Sam Stinnett and Austin Keen had a man-on-man heat in the quarter finals, and this heat ended up deciding the 2014 season. Sam edged out Austin in one of the closest heats of the weekend, and he secured his third title in four years. On the Women’s tour, Casey Kiernan had a quick start to the year with a win in Laguna. Keiao Bucasas, the 2013 UST Champion, opted out of Vilano leaving the gate open for Casey to expand her lead. Casey won again in Vilano, clinching her first ever UST title. Sam and Austin Duking it out Photo: Dave Alexander | Santa Cruz, CA
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#1
photo: Corinne Conklin
Sam Stinnett 5666 points
44  Fall 2014
#2
photo: Fabiana Badie
Austin Keen
5404 points
#3
photo: Corinne Conklin
Blair Conklin 5153 points
UST UPDATE
For current UST standings, tour info, and contest results visit unitedskimtour.org
#4
photo: Corinne Conklin
Perry Pruitt
3993 points
#5
photo: Corinne Conklin
Teddy Vlasis
3890 points
#6
photo: Corinne Conklin
Morgan Just 3687 points
pro Men PULSE SKIMBOARDING 45
#1
photo: Fabiana Badie
Casey Kiernan 2000 points
46  Fall 2014
#2
photo: Fabiana Badie
Keiao Bucasas 1729 points
#3
photo: Fabiana Badie
Skylar Wilson
1490 points
UST UPDATE
For current UST standings, tour info, and contest results visit unitedskimtour.org
#4
photo: Fabiana Badie
Silvia Garavito 1466 points
#5
photo: Fabiana Badie
Erin Carpenter 1240 points
#6
photo: Fabiana Badie
Alexandra Badie 1187 points
pro woMen PULSE SKIMBOARDING 47
Covered:Joe Bailey
Standing in knee deep water, camera in hand, snapping shots before the whitewash threatens his gear. That’s a standard scene for Joe Bailey, who has been skimboarding for 32 years and taking photographs for 30. There’s an old clip buried the 2008 UST edit for Oktoberfest where Joe risks his lenses and body for a shot of Domke. It’s just his way of shooting. We wanted to know what motivates the man to risk thousands of dollars in photo equipment for our sport, so we caught up with Joe this issue to see what he’s been up to. Joe and Mo, gettting creative Photo: Taylor Osborn | Laguna, CA
48 Fall 2014
Covered
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Joe and his subjects Photo: Taylor Osborn | Laguna, CA
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Covered
Covered: Joe Bailey Interview by David Haefele
Name: Joe Bailey Location: Aliso Viejo, CA Age: 47 Years skimming: 32 Years shooting: 30
What’s your current camera set up? My main camera for shooting from the shore is a Canon 40D, which is a few years old. With a 70-200mm f/2.8L lens. Lately I’ve been using the GoPro Hero 3+ Black more than the Canon by far. I’ve gotten hooked on that. It’s renewed my interest in photography all over again.
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Covered
Paulo Prietto, Behind Sheetglass Photo: Joe Bailey | Newport, CA
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What about the GoPro has reignited your passion, so to speak? Since the beginning, I’ve always tried to get the craziest, deepest angles I could possibly get. Even risking myself or risking my camera equipment, just to try to get that angle that really shows what skimboarders can do. Shooting from up on the top of the slope just doesn’t do it for me. It makes the waves look smaller and the action seem less significant. I have a housing also, but it has been out of commission for quite a while. Instead of fixing the lens for my housing, I ended up getting a GoPro.
Photos: Joe Bailey
54 Fall 2014
That gave me the ability to really get those angles even more successfully than running out into the water with my SLR, risking the camera, and having to run back up the shore real fast without ruining everything. It’s much more intimate to be in the water in the same environment as the skimmers. It opens up a whole new world of creativity.
“Shooting from up on the top of the slope just doesn’t do it for me. ”
Covered
What’s your philosophy behind what makes a good shot in skimboarding? In my opinion, what makes a good shot is a shot that really socks you in the stomach. You look at it, and it just gets under your skin. It almost makes you feel like you’re there with the rider. And again, that’s what makes the GoPro so great to me is that you can get in the barrel with the guy, whereas if you’re shooting from the shore,
and the guy gets covered up, you can’t see what’s going on inside the barrel. To me a good shot has got to have all the aspects together. It’s got to have good lighting, the right exposure, the right action. And it’s got to be a shot that just stands out that not just anybody can get. And I account 99% of that to luck. There’s only been a handful of ones that I’ve even taken myself that have really passed that grade, that I can recall.
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Bill Bryan and Joe Connecting Photo: Joe Bailey | Laguna, CA
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Covered Do you do any sort of any other photography? I really enjoy analog photography as well, shooting with film. My favorite camera other than the GoPro and the Canon is a Holga. It takes 120 film, has a plastic lens, very low quality. It leaks light, and it’s just real soft-focus, soft around the edges and a little sharp in the middle. It really gives that real dreamy effect. Film has this realistic nature to it that digital lost when it came out. Film almost has a 3D look to it, and a realism that a lot of times digital can’t capture.
“Film almost has a 3D look to it, and a realism that a lot of times digital can’t capture. ” What photographers do you really admire? My main influence was a skate photographer back in the 80’s named J. Grant Brittain. He actually still shoots now. I was influenced by him back at the Del Mar Skate Ranch in the early 80’s. I used to watch him shoot all the top skating pros back then, Tony Hawk, [Steve] Caballero, and all those guys. He is the one responsible for me trying to get those angles. He would get underneath those guys and create the shot he was trying to obtain. He’s definitely one of my favorite photographers of all time. As far as photographers now, I’d like to say there’s quite a few photographers that are really pushing the limits these days like Tyler Brooks, Fabiana Badie, Clark Little, Aaron Peluso, Steve Lerum, Dave Levin, Taylor Osborn and Ivan Ashauer.
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58 Fall 2014
Covered
Jake Stinnett, making the shot Photo: Joe Bailey | Laguna, CA
PULSE SKIMBOARDING 59
I know you’ve recently been teaching your daughter how to skimboard. What’s that experience been like as a dad? Obviously a dream come true. When she was younger, I would try to go the beach and shoot. Like any kid, she would want all the attention she could get. When I was shooting, she would get bored because I was so into shooting. Over time, I spent less and less time at the beach, and more time with the family. Then one day, about a year and a half ago, she came to me and said “Dad, I want you to teach me the ways of skimboarding.” And that just floored me. I wanted to know why, and she came up with all the right answers. She has gotten into it with the passion that I had when I was younger.
photos: Taylor Osborn
60 Fall 2014
Covered
“She’s gained the respect from our mutual friends now, and she’s just one of the group.” That has allowed me and her to have this unique bond that wouldn’t have otherwise happened. She’s the reason I’ve continued skimboarding. Before, I would go to the beach and only shoot. Because she wanted to skim and wanted me to teach her, I could teach her, and it got me back in the water and back into shape somewhat. It’s funny we’ve got all the same friends. She’s gained the respect from our mutual friends now, and she’s just one of the group. I couldn’t ask for anything more. It’s a dream come true.
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62 Fall 2014
Covered
Brendan Stevens, Sizable Wedge Photo: Joe Bailey | Newport, CA
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David Sterman and Joe Share Barrel Space Photo: Joe Bailey | Laguna, CA
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Covered I know you recently lost your GoPro, so what’s the story behind that? A couple friends of mine and I went down to Oak Street one night to skim and shoot. My friend Shell was showing me her shots on her GoPro, and my GoPro was still laying in the sand. The sun was going down, so we decided to get going. I picked up my board, picked up my backpack and just left. I pulled into the parking space at home, and I realized I had left the camera down at the beach. I went into a panic and ran back down there and looked all over the beach with my light on my phone. It was nowhere to be found. I did everything I thought to do. I went on social media and posted pictures. Five minutes after I put it up, Exile reposted my picture and sent it out to thousands of people. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen. The community came together to try to help. Then my friend Shell went on Craigslist and posted a lost-and-found ad on there. Three weeks went by, and I was thinking that it was gone for good. Then some guy responded to the Craigslist ad and said that he might have the camera. I met up with the guy, and started talking to him. He said that he just found it in the sand. He took it home and he didn’t have any idea what it was. He left it in a box, went out of town for a while. He came back, saw it in the box, rinsed it off, tried to figure out what it was. He realized, there must be some value to this. So he went on Craigslist, looked it up and found it and got it back to me.
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The funniest part about this whole thing is that 3 days later I was down at 10th Street, and a GoPro in the same KNEKT trigger washed up on the shore on top of some guy’s foot who was standing right next to me. He said “Hey you’ve got one of these too. Is this yours?” I said “No, it’s not mine, but I’ll take it from you and try to figure out the owner if you want.” I asked the lifeguard. Nobody had reported losing a GoPro. I posted it on
“It’s the biggest example of karma I’ve ever seen in my life.” Craigslist and social media. I posted a few selfies the guy had taken on his camera, and Hank Snap from Exile knew the guy, and we got it back to him. It’s the biggest example of karma I’ve ever seen in my life.
Thanks for the time Joe, and keep shooting. GoPro or long lens, we always love seeing your shots.
Photo: Joe Bailey
66 Fall 2014
tim fulton
Holiday line dropping 11/27
get your goods!
click here PULSE SKIMBOARDING 67
Grom Corner: Roman Hager We’ve known about Roman for a while. Check out any of his videos, and it’ll be pretty obvious that the kid is going places. The way he holds his shoulders and balances with control, it’s the kind of thing not seen much in groms. We got him to stay up past his bedtime late one Friday night to do a cross-country phone interview. He told us all about his confusing hair, winning too many prizes, and his friendships with top pros. Roman riding the wave Photo: Aaron Hager | Location, FL
68 Fall 2014
Grom corner
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Frontside hit Photo: Aaron Hager | Dewey Beach, DE
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Grom corner
Grom Corner: Roman Hager Interview by David Haefele
Name: Roman Hager Location: Ft. Lauderdale, Fl Age: 9 Years skimming: 3
“I’m not kidding, like 3 gallons of coconut water. ” What are some of your most memorable contest results? Last year in Dewey Beach, when I won that one, that was really fun because everybody up there is always really nice. They hooked me up with lots of stuff. Like it cost us extra to get it on the plane. [Laughs] What kind of extra stuff did you have to pay to load on the plane? They got me a new skim bag from Zap. I got a Beater board. I got like gallons of coconut water. [Laughs] I’m not kidding, like 3 gallons of coconut water. And some t-shirts and hats and stuff like that.
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Between skimboarding and skateboarding, which comes first? Well, I’ve been skimboarding more often because it’s the summer, but summer just ended so I’m probably going to end up skating a lot. I like them both. It depends how hot it is and how cold it is. During summer time it’s skimming and during winter time when it’s super cold out, I just go to the skatepark. Do you have skateparks that are close to your house? Yeah. One of them is called Ramp 48. It’s an indoor huge skatepark. Way bigger and I think it has better ramps than Tampa. And the people are really nice.
Photo: Khye Vogt
72 Fall 2014
Grom corner
Photo: Aaron Hager I saw on your blog that there is a story about your concussion. Do you remember that at all? Well I was told about it. My parents and nobody really saw what happened. My dad saw me wander over to the chair and just sit down and hold onto my head. He thought I was kidding because I was kind of loony. I was being a little crazy, and he thought I was kidding with him. He was like “Knock it off.”
Photo: Khye Vogt
“I actually bruised my brain. That’s how bad it was.” PULSE SKIMBOARDING 73
Photos: Aaron Hager
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Grom corner Then my mom was like “I think he hit his head.” So my dad took me outside, and he took off my hat because I wasn’t wearing a helmet. There was a big lump about the size of a grapefruit. I ended up in the hospital. Not overnight, but I don’t remember anything. But here’s the thing, I still went back to Tampa the next contest there. Now I wear a helmet no matter what I skate. Yeah, your brain is definitely important. I actually bruised my brain. That’s how bad it was. I want to ask you about your hair. How long have you been growing that out? I’d say about 3 or 3 and a half years. Do you plan on keeping it like that for a while? For a while, yeah. I don’t plan on getting rid of it any time soon.
“sometimes people come up to me and say “Whoa! That hair is awesome.”.” Is there anything really cool about your hair? Are there any interesting conversations that come up about it? Yes. Most of the time the conversation is about me being a boy, not a girl. [Laughs] And sometimes people come up to me and say “Whoa! That hair is awesome.” And then I’ve got the earrings too, so that makes people think I’m even more of a girl than they used to.
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I saw a couple pictures of you both announcing and judging. What’s the backstory behind that? People don’t really think I’m able to judge because I’m 9. And at 9 they don’t think I know as much about skimboarding as I really do. Sometimes I judge. It’s not like at every contest I end up judging. But it’s very rare that I announce. The weirdest thing that happened was I started singing while I was announcing.
Photos: Aaron Hager
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Grom corner
“There’s like millions of boards as far as you can see across the factory . ” You were at the Zap factory today. Was that your first time there? That was my first time there. The thing that sucks is they’re actually closed on Fridays. And Blake was giving us the tour, and he had to leave soon. We didn’t get a tour of the whole factory, most of it though. He hooked us up with some Phase 5 hats, some Zap hats, some gear, a couple pads. The place was sick. It was huge. Blake let us see them painting the skimboards. I thought the painting room would be really small. It’s really not. It’s huge. Half of the factory is where the boards are just sitting. There’s like millions of boards as far as you can see across the factory that don’t even have the logos on them yet. Then we got to the sanding room, which is where they carve the shape. It was really cool. They’ve got to wear mask and everything.
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Photos: Aaron Hager
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Grom Corner You’ve been growing so much recently. Is every board you get drastically different from your previous board? Yeah, but the weird thing is the biggest board I ever got from Zap was the first board I got from Zap. They didn’t really know how big I was. I was like 6.
Photo: Khye Vogt
When you grow up, what do you want to be? A pro skimboarder, a pro skater. And I want to be a good person that people can look up to and talk to without feeling pressured. Who in the skateboarding world or skimboarding world do you look up to? In the skimboarding world I look up to Brad Domke. I look up to Sam Stinnett, and Jackson Tenney. Those are the three guys I look up to. And Dave Scott. And in skating I look up to Ryan Sheckler, Torey Pudwill, P-Rod, all of those guys. And Paul Hurtado. He’s a local pro at Ramp 48. He’s really cool, and he’s really, really good. He gave me lessons for a few months, and every time I see him he helps me progress my skating. Of those skimboarders, who do you get to skim with? Dave [Scott]. He actually lives close to me. He’s busy all the time, but me and him sometimes get together and skim.
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What kind of music do you listen to? Most of the time Pop. Michael Jackson, and some old school rock n’ roll bands, Bee Gees. Lots of disco sometimes. Who are your Sponsors? Zap Skimboards, BC Surf & Sport, Filibuster Farm Clothing, Fly Collections, Illsic, ShoreLB, eelsnot, and Let’s Party Pads. Thanks for the time Roman. And keep that hair for as long as you can. Check out thelordoftheboard.com to stay up to date on everything about Roman
Photo: Aaron Hager
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RIO
www.kameleonz.com PULSE SKIMBOARDING 81
Leading Lady: Amber Torrealba Amber Torrealba, perhaps better known as @ambstooreal, is an Instagram superstar and a Social Media marketing guru. Check out any of her photography, and you’ll get drawn into her pointof-view angles and crisp colors. From professional skimboarder to professional marketing manager, we wanted to get the background on how she became a huge hit online in the board-sports world. Last month we caught up to ask her questions about her passion for skimboarding, her old skateboard company, and even her 15,000 followers on Insta. Frontside Spray Photo: MG Photography | indiatlantic, FL
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Leading Lady
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Rising Above Photo: Stephen Oliveira | indiatlantic, FL
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Leading Lady
Leading Lady: Amber Torrealba Interview by David Haefele
Name: Amber Torrealba Location: Melbourne Beach, Fl Age: 24
Outside of skimboarding, what type of work do you do? I actually work with Boardstix. Boardstix is the paint pen company for action sports. I believe it started up around 2011, and I got on board in 2012. I basically work on the back-end. I handle all the site and content as far as media and advertisements. That’s been a really fun ride alongside of skimboarding. I’m also a professional athlete for Hitcase (the mountable/waterproof iPhone Case), I freelance a lot of work in digital media production , and I’ve been a store manager at RadioShack for many years. At Boardstix, it’s crazy to see the different transitions that we’ve made, the followers that we’ve gained on Instagram and everybody getting hyped on it. With the amount of hours I’ve put into it, that’s been my big project.
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You mentioned Instagram, so I’m obviously going to ask about this. You have 15,000 followers. How did that all happen? I started Instagram because I have always been into photography, but I never really shared it anywhere. I had all of these photos of me doing different board sports I love, so I decided to start throwing them up there. It was more of just a joke at first because my friends kept bugging me to share these sick shots. Even my username was just a joke, because people could never say my last name properly. They would say too-real-alba. So it became ambs “too-real.”
“I always wanted to get creative angles for the shots I share, and give that first hand perspective in the action. ”
Photo: Justin Legall
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Photo: Stephen Oliveira
Leading Lady
Photo: MG Photography People were really into the photos, so I just got creative and crazy with the GoPro. Started combining my editing work, and got some different perspectives to try to stoke people out. It was insane how much people were digging the shots and tagging others. Before I knew it I was grabbing photos everyday and trying to keep the hype. It actually inspired me to skim harder as well as get back into other board sports. A lot of my passion lies with point of view photography, so I always wanted to get creative angles for the shots I share, and give that first hand perspective in the action.
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Photo: MG Photography
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Leading Lady Was there any specific instance when a major account reposted a photo of yours that took you by surprise? Well it happened along the way a couple different times. One of the first ones would be Penny Skateboards. I randomly just bought a Penny Skateboard, and I thought they were pretty cool. I took a photo on the GoPro with me and my dog towing me. They reposted that, and I realized, “If I start tagging these companies, they might like these photos.” So I started doing that here and there, like working with GoPole, for better angles shots, and Hitcase, that has supported me tremendously in production of POV shooting using their GoPro-like waterproof iPhone case. Honestly, although it’s just a social media platform, I’ve gotten to test product and network with so many companies and people I never thought I would have, such as Don Brown, one of the main legends behind Etnies.
Photo: Stephen Oliveira
When did you start skateboarding? I started skating when I was very young, probably 10 years old. I started to get into doing local contests and local parks for fun. When I was 18, I actually started a skateboard company called Tru Skateboards. I sponsored a team, and sold decks and had t-shirts, the whole nine yards. It was cool to stay in the scene that way, but I had to put that aside to finish college. And afterwards that’s when I decided to refocus on what’s going to make me happy. And that’s skimboarding.
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Why did you push the skateboard company to the side? Was it too much work or did you just want to focus on different things? It’s almost like when you’re 18, you think you’ve got the world at your fingertips and you know what you’re doing with everything. It was funny to think that I wanted to take all those tasks on for a business by myself, with just a couple of other friends. It was between that or my college scholarship...my gut was telling me to just take what I learned from it, and move on. I was focusing so much on my team and keeping everything up, I had no more time for myself. I learned a lot from the experience, and finished my degree without throwing my scholarship away.
Photo: Stephen Oliveira
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Leading Lady
Photo: Justin Legall
“when you’re 18, you think you’ve got the world at your fingertips ” I’ve seen a few videos of you riding those giant electric skateboards. How did you get hooked up on riding those? I actually work with a production company called NPI productions. I work on the marketing side with that, and I’m also a team rider. They have a lot of contracts with these big companies like Ron Jon and Lava Core. Basically, I help with the production of those videos, and they got a contract with FiiK. We were shredding those things like crazy. They have different models such as off road and street models. The wheels are huge. You can pretty much roll over anything.
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Photo: Justin Legall
Photo: MG Photography
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Leading Lady Is there anyone you look up to in the skimboarding world? Any time I skim with Casey [Kiernan], I’m inspired. I feel like we started competing around the same time, and both being from Florida conditions, it’s really awesome to see how far she’s progressed since we started. I’m super stoked that she’s killing it now, and she earns her wins.
“It’s such an everevolving sport and I’m proud to be apart of it” Is there anything that makes you want to take skimboarding more seriously? I always want to continue to progress my style in skimming. It’s such an ever-evolving sport and I’m proud to be apart of it, whether I make it to all the comps or not. I get a thrill from the challenge and how I can integrate my styles from other board sports, and seeing the amount of new riders, especially females, getting amped. I’ve also always enjoyed the Vilano contest and what Steve Pullara does for skimboarding. He’s focused on what’s good for our sport and the people. His contest was the first legit pro/am contest I went to years back, and then a couple years later he invited me to do the Crossover Tour that I’ve done for the past two years that is a ton of fun.
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Any last words? I’d assume a lot of people who follow my Instagram or skimming have questions about all the different things I do, but I guess the message I’m trying to portray is to follow what you love and find a way to mix it all together. I really like to encourage girls to put their talents out there and don’t think these sports or skills are only achievable by guys. We have our grace, and things about us in our style that sets us at a different standard from the guys. It’s a lifestyle, an art, and a freedom of expression. For me, it’s the way I combine the love and passion I have for photography and cinematography, with skimboarding and action sports.
“don’t think these sports or skills are only achievable by guys” Sponsors? Slotstik Skimboards. Boardstix. Hitcase. Freak Traction. Arnette Eyewear. Villon Clothing. Gopole. NPI Productions. Also thanks to Etnies, MyGo Mount, and Lavacore Wetsuits. We really appreciate the interview. Keep posting pics, and we’ll keep double tapping.
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Leading Lady
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The Oregon Trail All I’ve really ever heard about skimming in Oregon is that most of the beaches are flat, besides the occasional reform break, and there isn’t really much on offer there in the form of rideable waves on a skimboard. When we made a quick few stops along the Southern Oregon Coast on a rushed road trip last summer, however, I actually saw some potential, along with a beautiful, green, and unique stretch of coastline, and I knew we had to make a trip back there to explore the place more... Rocky rugged coastline Photo: Nikki Crocker
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Travel
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Fido Setting up
One of the siders Photo: Nikki Crocker
Geo exploding in the air
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Travel
Oregon Trail Words by Dustin Boone Photos by Nikki Crocker @gizmonono
...This last summer the skim conditions at my home breaks in Bodega Bay ended up being at a pretty woeful level, so my girlfriend and I decided it was the perfect opportunity to get away and finally go back and explore the Oregon beaches some more. We booked a site at a nice campground right near the beach just over the Oregon border in the small town of Brookings where we quickly drove through last year. I had done a little online research since on Google Earth and seen some pictures of beaches showing what could possibly be some skimmable shorebreak, so I figured it was a good place to start. To be honest though my hopes weren’t super high for scoring skim of epic proportions, but I’m always down for an adventure to new areas with epic scenery, like I was pretty sure this trip would involve, and if I ended up finding any kind of waves on my skim it would just be an added bonus.
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Turns out I totally lucked out and found fun looking shorebreak with crystal clear water at the first beach we checked. And it just so happened to be within short walking distance of the campground we were staying at. I could hardly contain my excitement at that point, but I pretty much flipped a few minutes later after discovering that the neighboring beach had a few different sider waves working. I really felt like a kid in a candy store and seriously couldn’t get my suit on fast enough!
“...the neighboring beach had a few different sider waves working. ”
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Photos: Nikki Crocker I was shocked even further when I first got in the water. Surprisingly, it wasn’t even that cold! Probably like 5-10 degrees warmer than what I’m used to in Northern California, and the air temperature was even a comfortable 70 degrees. I should have known being that there were like 15 tourists in swimsuits playing in the shorebreak, which I definitely would have never expected to see there. I ended up first skimming this fun crossover sider that breaks both left and right and works thanks to a massive rock island a few hundred yards offshore. The beach was a little flat there and the run a little tough for me, but I got some pretty fun ones dodging between tourists hanging out right at the peak before it got blown out for the day.
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That night I decided to take it easy on the celebrating at the campsite, so I could wake up the next day at the crack of dawn and try to maximize the skim potential, just in case it maybe got blown out early. I was rewarded and enjoyed skimming some small, but really fun glassy left rebound type siders this time as the sunlight and it’s warmth started to fill in over the green tree-covered hills. I skimmed for a few hours until my feet and legs were done thanks to the pretty solid sand there.
“picturesque views and awesome little hidden beaches and conifer tree-covered islands”
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Photos: Nikki Crocker
The winds ended up being a problem after that, so we just spent the rest of the time exploring the scenic corridor to the north of town. There we found lots of coastal trails right off the highway that only take a quick jaunt to get to some picturesque views and awesome little hidden beaches and conifer tree-covered islands. I definitely recommend making the trip to the Southern Oregon Coast even if only just to get away and enjoy the scenery. Also some surf spots to be found if you look around.
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Overall that first proper trip there really couldn’t have gone any better. In fact we had such a good time we decided to make the 6 hour drive each way the very next weekend and do it all over again. The next time the skim was even better thanks to a little more swell in the water and a steeper beach. Couldn’t believe the place was actually exceeding my expectations, again.
“...wedging liners that could take you for maybe a 100 yard ride...”
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Photos: Nikki Crocker I quickly ran down to some of the best skim I’d seen in a while, wedging liners that could take you for maybe a 100 yard ride if you got it right. But after just a couple really fun waves, the winds started howling out of nowhere and shut the session down. Later that day as it glassed off an hour before dark and I quickly hurried back in the water to skim some fun rebound left siders. Unfortunately this session took another quick turn for the worse as I randomly hurt my back pretty bad just a short time after getting in the water and we ended having to bail on the trip early, as firing side waves were going unridden.
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Now as I write this a big early season swell and rain is hitting the coast up there, probably washing away the sand until things calm down again next summer, but at least we know that Oregon has some fun skim on offer and it’s definitely a place I can’t wait to get back to when the sand returns. I might have to check it out sooner just to enjoy the camping and epic scenery. Major thanks to my girlfriend Nikki Crocker for being down for the cause, totally supporting the adventure, and taking photos of it all!
Until Next Time Photo: Nikki Crocker
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108 Fall 2014
Interview
Pro interview: Sam Stinnett Sam Stinnett is a true Soulagian. He was born at Mission Hospital on Pacific Coast Highway in Laguna, and he now lives eight blocks down on West Street. In 2011 and 2012, he won the United Skim Tour title twice in a row, and he recently took home his third title for the 2014 season. We could hype up this interview, but those facts speak for themselves. We asked him about winning three titles, losing one in the middle, and life in the skimboarding mecca. Handling Wedge Photo: Joe Bailey | NewPort, CA
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UST Victory Lap Photo: Corinne Conklin | Laguna, CA
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Pro interview: Sam Stinnett Interview by David Haefele
Name: Sam Stinnett Location: South Laguna Beach, CA Age: 21 Years Skimming: 16
Congratulations on winning the UST this year. Of the three years you’ve won now, did this year feel more difficult? Most definitely. Every year it gets harder and harder. It’s way different from three years ago. Three years ago people were doing the average stuff...wraps and liners… nowadays people are doing three-shuvs out and hitting the wave and doing a variation on the way in. I know last year was really close and Austin Keen ended up edging you out. Was it hard to go through that loss? In a way, it kind of messed with my head a little bit. If anything it made me a better competitor. It made me want to try harder to do anything I can to get my title back.
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“...it kind of messed with my head a little bit. If anything it made me a better competitor.“ I remember watching you back in Liquid Courage and a bunch of the 10th St. Bros videos. You were always talked about as the next big thing. Did you feel like you grew up in the limelight of skimboarding? I always felt like I had a bright future in skimboarding. I’d like to thank everyone who helped me grow up. For example, Brandon Sears, Koty Lopez, Brendan Stevens, and Bill Bryan...all those guys brought me up the right way. Big thanks to those guys for showing me the way.
Photo: Joe Bailey
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Photo: MorgaN Grosskreutz This year, a lot of people have been saying that 10th Street is back. Did it really live up to the hype? Is 10th Street really back? Absolutely. This year was insane. The sand this year…I can’t even explain it. It was doing this boomerang sider where it would hit off the rock and connect to another push out farther and boomerang out to the connection. In my whole entire life I’ve never seen the sand gone like that. Hurricane Marie took out everything. If the house were still there, it would have definitely been taken out.
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Power Slash Photo: Tyler Brooks | Laguna, CA
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Interview I’ve noticed you call Brad Domke your brother. Why do you consider Brad a brother, or are there any other skimboarders who you consider a brother? I definitely have a lot of brothers out there, but Brad Domke is definitely considered one of my brothers. When I was about 12 or 13, we were at the Victoria skim contest, and that was the first time I met Domke. He and I were skimming on the side and frothing each other out. Sooner or later he was staying at my house 4 months out of the year. It’s pretty insane to see where he’s gone now. He’s charging The Right, Cyclops, and Puerto Escondido, and getting on the XXL awards. I’m definitely closer to him than almost one of my true brothers. [Laughs] You’re obviously in the thick of things, watching the best pros skim the best spots. From your perspective, who do you think is really pushing the sport? I would definitely have to throw out Blair Conklin. He’s so good that we call him Grom John. He resembles John John Florence with his style and skill. Every time I skim with him I’m mindblown. He does stuff I can’t do or even get close to doing, and he does it with ease. I’ve never seen someone who is so progressive in every session and every contest. Every year, he keeps getting better and better. It’s kind of weird, I look up to Blair... even though he’s younger than me. He’s definitely the best skimboarder in the world in my eyes.
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So what’s life like for you outside of skimboarding? I’m going to Santa Ana College for Fire Technology. I’m trying to get my degree in Fire Technology and my EMT and Paramedic license so I can then try to become a fireman. If I stick with it, that’s pretty much the only thing I can picture myself doing outside of skimboarding. I also work at a Sector 9 skate shop. And I play on a men’s league soccer team. Soccer has been my sport for as long as skimboarding. I grew up playing soccer my whole life and I definitely have strong legs from both.
“Right after the heat I was doing the math on my phone, and I realized I had clinched the title. “
Photo: Corinne Conklin
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Photo: Matt O’Brien Were there any key heats from your title run this year that stand out? The last Santa Cruz contest was insane. I got second to Perry Pruitt in round 4, which placed me against Austin Keen in a man-on-man battle in the quarters. I knew the consequences of losing or winning. If I lost, it gave Austin a good chance to come back at Oktoberfest. It was huge for me not to let that happen. I knew if I won, I either clinched the title or I was really close clinching it. Going into that heat I was panicked, freaked out, and a little nervous. I didn’t get off to a hot start. Halfway through the heat I remember turning it on and getting some good waves. There was one wave that I thought made the difference, and I thought it was interference [on Austin]. After the heat I went up to see if that was interference, and they didn’t call it. I thought was going to change the whole outcome of the heat. Luckily enough, it didn’t, and I got the win. Right after the heat I was doing the math on my phone, and I realized I had clinched the title. That meant everything to me.
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No Hands Needed Photo: Tyler Brooks | Laguna, CA
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Interview Is there any sort of rivalry between you and Austin? There’s definitely a little rivalry between us, but it’s nothing personal. We don’t talk crap on each other or anything like that, but it’s like “Hey man, I’m here to win. You’re here to win. Let’s put on a show.” It definitely stings when he wins or beats me in a heat, and I’m sure it’s the other way around. It’s all games, and it’s all fun. We both go out there and skim our best. Whoever is going to win is going to win. Any last words? I definitely would like to thank my mom and my dad for giving me all the support over the years. Especially my dad. He’s the one who got me and Jake into all these sports when we were really young. I can’t thank him enough. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Big ups to my parents for making this happen. Sponsors? Billabong Clothing, Sector 9 Skateboards, Exile Skimboards, Freak Traction Pads, Realm Shades, Inc., Main Street Surf Shop, and Tortuava Rx. Congrats again on your win. It was a fun year to watch.
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Exposure
Exposure We receive hundreds of photo submissions each issue from dozens of photographers and many countries. Here are over 40 of our favorites. Mario Perez Cortez, Whipping his Tail Photo: Kevin Newcomer | Costa Rica
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Goncalo Santos, Driving Backside Photo: Tiago Carreiras | Santa Cruz, Portugal
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Derek Shenton, Looking down the Line Photo: Dave Scott | Sebastian Inlet, FL
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Martí Avilès, Perfect Spot Photo: Sergio Gil ‘Shein | Cape Verde
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Cameron Carothers, Corked Back Three Photo: Ben Hintz | Santa Cruz, CA
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Jake Brown, Front Board Before Dark Photo: Harbor Bickmore | St. George, UT
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Jake Stinnett, Right at Home Photo: Corinne Conklin | Laguna, CA
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Tim Fulton, Cracked Lip Photo: Jesse Beer | Santa Cruz, CA
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Casey Kiernan, World Class Hack Photo: Matt O’Brien | Laguna, CA
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Aiden Stevenson, East Coast Sider Photo: Melissa Stevenson | Monmouth Beach, NJ
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Stephen Bradford, On Target Photo: Dave Scott | Sebastian Inlet, FL
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An Empty One Photo: Tiago Carreiras | Nazaré, Portugal
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Lucas Gomes, Golden Air Photo: Ana Catarina | Rio, Brazil
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Exposure Patrick Mack, Behind the Curtain Photo: Dave Scott | Laguna, CA
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Clifford Wenger, Backside Boost Photo: Sergio Oliveira| Maui, HI
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Isaac Thomas, Kicker to S Rail Photo: Matt Mcdonald | Federal Way, WA
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George Bryan, Driving through Photo: Mike Marincovich | Laguna, CA
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Chris Alreck, Frontside Crack Photo: Jesse Beer | Santa Cruz, CA
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Nicolas Thibaud, Plenty of Possibilities Photo: Olivier Harrault | Cap Ferret, France
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Luis Antonio, Spin and Win Photo: Kevin Newcomer | Costa Rica
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Timmy Gamboa, Negotiating the Backwash Photo: Corinne Conklin | Laguna, CA
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Lorent Lozes, All Lined up Photo: Dugoua Remy | Cap Ferret, France
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Emanuel Embaixador, Under the Lip Photo: Tiago Carreiras | Nazaré, Portugal
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Blair Conklin, Stylish Layback Photo: Joe Bailey | Laguna, CA
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Steven Calabrese, Steezy as ever Photo: Marco Arroyo | South Florida
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Perry Wells, Unlimited Options Photo: Matt O’Brien | Laguna, CA
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Austin Keen, Green Room Photo: Fabiana Badie | Laguna, CA
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Bill Baxter, Winching into this Photo: Kevin Newcomer | Dewey Beach, DE
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Paulo Prietto, Classic Turn Photo: Dave Scott | Laguna, CA
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Max Bourne, Skurfing a slab Photo: Joe Bailey | Laguna, CA
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Up North Nugget Photo: Jeff Maldonado | Santa Cruz, CA
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Ryan Ward, Frontside Slash Photo: Morgan Grosskreutz | Laguna, CA
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Exposure Robbie Morris, Frontside Air Photo: Matt O’Brien | Laguna, CA
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Looking pretty dreamy Photo: Marco Arroyo | South Florida
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Brandon Sears, In Full Control Photo: Tyler Brooks | Laguna, CA
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Duran Bickmore, Pleasing Spectators Photo: Harbor Bickmore | St. George Utah
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Jake Luke, Converting West Coasters Photo: Marco Arroyo | South Florida
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Jeremiah Sheldon, Switch Backwash Ride Photo: Brendan McGeown | Newport, CA
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Jack Howie, Golden Hour Photo: Tyler Brooks | Laguna, CA
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Morgan Just, Behind the Tape tPhoto: Matt O’Brien | Laguna, CA
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Axel Cristol, Backlit beauty Photo: Olivier Harrault, Cap Ferret, France
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#skimpulsive
You tag your photos on Instagram and we pick our favorite. Four simple rules. One stoked winner. • • • •
Tag your pics with @pulseskimboarding and #skimpulsive Amateurs only! (Pros get enough attention) Square photo: 1:1 image ratio No watermarks
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#skimpulsive
@andrealpoim7
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204  Fall 2014
Advertiser index
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Don’t Fly Away! Our next issue is just three months away. In the mean time, follow us for leftovers, updates, and sneak peeks.
Joe Bailey, getting the shot. Photo: Reed Morales| Laguna, CA