Be sure and check out the companion article, Why Skimboarding Contests Rule.

With contest season fast approaching it is clear that this summer will spawn more skimboarding contests than ever before.  But is this a good thing?  What are the ramifications upon the sport and the skimboarding community?  In this article I will play devils advocate and highlight all that is wrong about skimboarding competitions.

The Conditions Suck

Throughout almost every skimboarding contest ever held there lies a common theme, the waves suck.  Sometimes it is the wind, sometimes it is the tide and sometimes it is just the plain lack of swell, but at almost every contest someone finds themselves competing in bad conditions.  

Even the 2000 Victoria Pro/Am, which had some of the best conditions in history, was not immune to the tide.  Sure the pro finals were held in excellent conditions, but what about the amateurs?  Even some of the pro heats were held when the tide was far too high to get decent rides.  And this is one of the best contests ever.  Many contests suffer from rain, wind and lack of swell all at the same time.  Often competitors find themselves riding in conditions they would never consider riding in normally.

They Hurt The Image of Skimboarding

Because the conditions are almost always bad, spectators do not see the sport at its best.  Take surfing for instance.  If the conditions at the East Coast Surfing Championships were the usual in all surfing contests, people would have a very different image of surfing.  Luckily we have events with waiting periods in places like Fiji and the North Shore of Oahu.  Watching guys getting 5 second barrels on double overhead waves is much more impressive than seeing if someone can get an extra turn in on a 2 foot wave before he hits the sand in Virginia Beach.  And that is what we think of when we think of surfing.  We think of Pipeline, Waimea, The Cortez Bank, Mavericks, Indonesia etc.  Surfing Virginia Beach is fun, but it doesn't define the sport (yes I know that VB does get really good sometimes...).

Skimboarding has no such events.  There are no contests with waiting periods in the best areas.  The conditions are always less than desirable.  People never see what is really possible on a skimboard.  More often they see riders competing to squeeze in another shuvit on the sand.  We don't want that to define us.

All Riding Styles Are Not Equally Represented

What does it take to win contests?  Do you need to be able to wrap overhead waves that are pitching right on shore?  Ride a sidewash out to and through an 8 foot barrel?  Or do you need to be able to do a shuvit on a 2 foot wave and then squeeze in a big spin as you slide up the shore?  Surely the tricks will get you further.

While this kind of riding won't help you in every contest, it will help you in the vast majority of them.  Certain riders are masters of the technical aspects of skimboarding.  This is to be commended.  But what of the rider who couldn't pull a shuvit to save his life but can ride7 foot shore-pound with the best of them?  He will get little recognition from skimboard competitions because that won't help him win.

The Results Are Unfair and Inaccurate

This makes competition as a whole unfair and inaccurate.  The cards are simply against some riders because of their style of riding.

Ego's Are Created

Because certain riders have styles that are favorable in contests, they may be able to easily beat an overall better skimboarder in competition.  Sometimes this can go to the riders head.  Time and time again I have seen riders develop attitudes when they beat someone in a contest, even when the defeated rider(s) are just as good or better.

The Community Is Fractured

The aforementioned ego's go a long way to splitting up the skimboarding community.  People start to worry about who is a good skimboarder and who is not.  Some will only be friendly to riders who they deem to be worthy.

Contests Are A Mark On The Soul Of The Sport

Skimboarding is about sharing some waves with friends.  It is about cheering on your buddy when he gets a sweet ride, and getting cheered on by your friend when you do the same.

But if you have been to a skimboarding competition lately (or most any competition for that matter) you will see little cheering from the other riders in your heat.  Competition is intense.  Friends often play mind games with each other by being rude, condescending and otherwise obnoxious.  Competitors are rarely civil to each other during a heat, never mind cheering.  This is often what it takes to win, but that doesn't make it right.

If you have to throw out the best part of the skimboarding experience in order to win a skimboarding competition, something has been lost.  I argue that it is a piece of the sport's soul.

But don't worry, all is not lost.  To see read about the other side of the coin check out the companion article: Why Skimboarding Contests Rule.