Photo by: Alan Stromberg, Chrome Iguana Productions
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éxperience
Skimmin’ Through Life WRITTEN BY Samantha Arnold
Don’t tell this girl to get out! That’s what she does all day long. One look at the petite 23 year old, and you would never guess Lexi Hutchings is one of the top-ranked female professional flatland skim boarders in the country. In a male-dominated sport, Lexi has never lost a competition against the other professional women skimboarders and isn’t afraid of competing against the guys.
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exi continually ranks first in the women’s division competitions at the annual Virgin River Classic among other competitions in places like Sacramento, Calif., Washington State and Australia. She has also placed in the top five of several men’s division competitions including third place in the Sacramento Skimfest 2007 Men’s Intermediate. “There are usually only five or so girls in a competition, so of course I try and compete against the guys to push myself,” she says. A native of St. George, Utah, Lexi grew up on the Virgin River where she has spent the last nine years learning to skimboard. “I only lived like five minutes away from the river, and a neighbor who sold skimboards at his store here in St. George introduced me to the sport … I have been doing it ever since,” she says. “I picked up on it a lot from others, but I mostly just taught myself.” Although still considered underground, the sport is growing each year, Lexi says. Skimboarding dates back to the late 1920’s when Laguna Beach, California, lifeguards use to skimboard on pieces of wood. Similar to surfing and skateboarding, flatland skimboarding is often done by the shores of rivers or creeks where the boarder uses his or her own momentum to propel the board and do tricks like ollies and rail riding. Shallow waters are the best conditions for flatland skimboarding. The Virgin River is also one of the best skimboarding locations in the country, Lexi adds. The river’s low waters and sand base has helped the sport grow, she says. “We have one of the best skim scenes in the country,” Lexi says. “We have people come here from California, Canada and Australia to check it out.” The number of boarders from the southwest has also grown significantly over the years, Lexi adds. “It has grown a ton since I started,” she continues. “There are actually quite a few people from here that do it.”
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