Be sure to check out the companion article:  Why Skimboarding Contests Suck.

With contest season fast approaching it is clear that this summer will spawn more skimboarding contests than ever before.  But how do contests affect the sport?  In this article I will step into the shoes of the eternal optimist and point out all that is right about skimboarding competition.

They Give The Sport Recognition

Contests help to define skimboarding in the public eye.  From spectators on the beach to specials on ESPN, more people are introduced to the sport via competition than through any other single activity.  Without competition the participants are viewed as a bunch of weird people down at the beach.  With competition the participants are viewed as local athletes attempting to better themselves and the sport they love.

They Define The Cutting Edge

I remember the first shuvit I ever saw on a wave.  I was at a contest in Santa Cruz in 1993 (I think it was 93...?).  I was warming up for my heat and watching the current one when an amateur rider out of nowhere busted a frontside shuvit on a 3 foot wave and rode it back to the beach.  The crowd went nuts and he won the heat.  Contests constantly push riders to develop their technical riding skills and try things they might not otherwise try.  The boundaries have certainly been pushed a little further because of skimboarding competition.

They Provide A Means For Riders To Distinguish Themselves

Without contests, riders have no way of definitively proving their skills.  They would be at the mercy of whoever wants to give them credit for being a good rider.  Competition allows any rider to step up and prove himself in the publics eye.  The playing field is leveled.

Anyone Can Enter

One thing that is special about skimboarding contests in particular is that anyone can enter.  In many sports you must travel on a circuit, sometimes for years, to have a real shot of going up against the best.  In skimboarding you can often pay your entry fee and take on the best in the world that very day.

They Provide A Base For Industry

Skimboard Companies use riders to promote their products.  Since contests allow riders to distinguish themselves, it also allows them to make themselves marketable.  If it were not for contests, a company could pick up almost any half decent rider, snap some pictures, and claim he was the best in the world.  Contests force the companies to support the riders who deserve it the most.  A company with an okay product and great riders will often do better than a competing company with a superior product but no good riders.  This means that if any given company is to survive they had better sign some good skimboarders!  This helps the money flow back into the community and create a dynamic industry.

They Help Develop A Community

Go to any large contest and you will meet new people from all over the place.  You will get to talk about where the other person skims, what it is like, and generally converse about things which you might not otherwise be able to.  Even when you know most of the people there, (at a small contest) it is still nice to get them all in one place to hang out and catch up on things.  It reminds you of what the sport is all about.

So have I sold you on the intrinsically just nature of contests?  Well, don't make up your mind until you read the companion article:  Why Skimboarding Contests Suck.