2014 PHOTO ANNUAL
Adrien Raza, Friedlich Fluch and Daniel Prieß, Barcelona Extreme Festival, European Skimboarding Cup, Barcelona, Spain. Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz. EDITOR Matt McDonald CONTRIBUTORS Kelli Bean, Pawel Bujakowski, Dylan Burzinski, Ruei Chiu, Adam Chrabąszcz, Mitch Daues, Anthony Davis, Cameron Hagen Edwards, Mitchell Elder, Todd Ellis, Łukasz Fish Gierałtowski, Zachary McGaugh, Hailey Nelson, Derek Popple and Tony Saddler DESIGNER Virginia J. Cleaveland CONTACT www.flatlandmag.com info@flatlandmag.com Made in Bellingham, Washington
ON THE COVER Cardo Vega, Bellingham, Washington. Photo by Matt McDonald.
Matt McDonald (& Charlie), Bellingham Bay, Washington. Photo by Alyne Frost.
EDITOR’S NOTE Welcome to the Flatland Magazine 2014 Photo Annual. It has been a super busy summer. We were only planning on doing mini magazine issues on SkimMagazine.com, but due to countless requests for an actual magazine edition, we pulled this photo edition together for all of you.
This issue features the best of the best skimboarding photos from the European Skimboarding Cup, adventures with the Goon crew from Sacramento, California, and a plethora of photos from the Pacific Northwest. Thank you to all of the riders, writers, photographers, designers and advertisers who contributed to this issue.
Matt McDonald, editor
Marek Wołkanowski, Adrien Raza and Daniel Prieß, Polish Skimboarding Open, Gdańsk, Poland. Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz.
EURO TRIP Story by Adam Chrabąszcz
T
he flatland skimboarding scene in Europe is literally blowing up. In 2014 a new skim tour, the European Skimboarding Cup, emerged featuring stops in Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Latvia, Sweden and Poland. At each contest a rider earned points for taking places 1st through 10th place. The winner was announced at the final contest of the tour, the Polish Skimboarding Open. Adrien Raza of the Netherlands took the overall win and the 2014 European Skimboarding Cup championship. Raza won five of six events on the tour and ended with 100 points. Marek Wołkanowski of Poland took second and Daniel Prieß of Germany took third.
2014 European Skimboarding Cup rankings: 1. Adrien Raza, Netherlands (100) 2. Marek Wołkanowski, Poland (80) 3. Daniel Prieß, Germany (66) 4. Friedrich Fluh, Germany (60) 5. Max van Leeuwen, Netherlands (48) 2014 European Skimboarding Cup stops: 1. Boot Indoorskimjam, Dusseldorf, Germany 2. Dutch Flatland Skimboarding Open, Rotterdam, Netherlands 3. Barcelona Extreme Festival, Barcelona, Spain 4. Summer Sound, Liepaja, Latvia 5. Hallifornia 2014, Varberg, Sweden 6. Polish Skimboarding Open, Gdansk, Poland
Tomek Wojciechowski Polish Skimboarding Open Gdańsk, Poland Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz
Mateusz Zadorożny, Boot Indoorskimjam, Dusseldorf, Germany. Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz.
Tomek Adamski, Boot Indoorskimjam, Dusseldorf, Germany. Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz.
Mariusz Wójt Dutch Flatland Skimboarding Open Rotterdam, Netherlands Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz
Tomek Adamski, Barcelona Extreme Festival, Barcelona, Spain. Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz.
Daniel Prieß, Barcelona Extreme Festival, Barcelona, Spain. Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz.
Podium, Barcelona Extreme Festival, Barcelona, Spain. Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz.
Kuba Pawłowski, Barcelona Extreme Festival, Barcelona, Spain. Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz.
Riders, Polish Skimboarding Open, Gdańsk, Poland. Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz.
Daniel Prieß, Polish Skimboarding Open, Gdańsk, Poland. Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz.
Michał Puchalski Polish Skimboarding Open Gdańsk, Poland Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz
SUMMER DAZE
Mees Oostdijk Pangea Festival Pütnitz, Germany Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz
Other 2014 events in Europe included the Świder Skim Fest in Świder, Poland, the Red Bull Skim in Łódź, Poland, and the Pangea Festival near Pütnitz, Germany.
Filling the skimpool, Pangea Festival, Pütnitz, Germany. Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz.
Adrien Raza, Pangea Festival, Pütnitz, Germany. Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz.
Piotr Lisowski Pangea Festival Pütnitz, Germany Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz
Michał Puchalski Świder Skim Fest Świder, Poland Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz
Tomek Wojciechowski Red Bull Skim It Łódź, Poland Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz
Piotr Maciążek, Red Bull Skim It, Łódź, Poland. Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz.
Marek Wołkanowski, Red Bull Skim It, Łódź, Poland. Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz.
Jasiu Niewiński Sport Days Wrocław, Poland Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz
SKIM POOLS Story by Adam Chrabąszcz
A
few years ago, skimboarding was only possible in natural locations. Now, thanks to inflatable skimpools, there is the opportunity to make skimboarding happen anywhere, from beaches, sand, grass and concrete to the center of cities and even indoors. Setting up an inflatable skimpool is as easy as pumping it up and filling with water. One hour and it’s ready to skim! Skimpools are great for events, contests and skim schools. They are a great way to promote skimboarding in cities, teach kids how to skimboard and show them why it is so much fun. Using a pool, you get perfect flat water with the same conditions for each rider. Even major contests like the European Skimboarding Cup are now done with the help of skimpools, giving them the option to push skimboarding in places and events where it wasn’t possible before. Skimpools are easy to transport, set up and maintain. Make skimboarding happen, do it everywhere. For more information, check out Seventyone online at www.seventyone.pl and facebook.com/71.SEVENTYONE.
Odra River Cup Wrocław, Poland Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz
Riders, Sport Days, Wrocław, Poland. Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz.
Riders, Polish Skimboarding Open, Gdańsk, Poland. Photo by Adam Chrabąszcz.
WASHINGTON STATE SKIM Photos by Matt McDonald Plus photos by Ruei Chiu, Zachary McGaugh and Tony Saddler
Cardo Vega and Adam Balaam Bellingham, Washington Photo by Matt McDonald
Adam Balaam Bellingham, Washington Photo by Matt McDonald
Dallas Kingsbury, Bellingham, Washington. Photo by Matt McDonald.
Dallas Kingsbury, Bellingham, Washington. Photo by Matt McDonald.
Mike Finneran, Bellingham, Washington. Photo by Matt McDonald.
Isaac Jose, Bellingham, Washington. Photo by Matt McDonald.
Zachary McGaugh (& Brandy) Bellingham, Washington Photo by Matt McDonald
Matt McDonald, Bellingham, Washington. Photo by Zachary McGaugh.
Dallas Kingsbury, Bellingham, Washington. Photo by Matt McDonald.
Mike Finneran, Bellingham, Washington. Photo by Matt McDonald.
Adam Balaam, Bellingham, Washington. Photo by Matt McDonald.
Luke Reinschmidt, Bellingham, Washington. Photo by Matt McDonald.
Mike Finneran, Bellingham, Washington. Photo by Matt McDonald.
Derek Popple, Bellingham, Washington. Photo by Matt McDonald.
Mike Finneran, Bellingham, Washington. Photo by Matt McDonald.
Logan Davidson La Push, Washington Photo by Ruei Chiu
Isaac Thomas Dumas Bay, Washington Photo by Tony Saddler
Richard Docter Bellingham, Washington Photo by Matt McDonald
Cardo Vega Bellingham, Washington Photo by Matt McDonald
Adam Balaam Bellingham, Washington Photo by Matt McDonald
Cardo Vega Bellingham, Washington Photo by Matt McDonald
Logan Davidson DB Pro/AM Federal Way, Washington Photo by Matt McDonald
Mariah Campbell, DB Pro/AM, Federal Way, Washington. Photo by Matt McDonald.
DB PRO/AM Story by Matt McDonald
T
he 2014 DB Skimboards Pro/AM took place on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in July at Dash Point in Federal Way, Washington. To the surprise of no one, Isaac Thomas took the pro division win, with his brother Josiah Thomas taking first in the amateur division. Bree Staab won the women’s division and Reed Shumpert won the amateur division Outside of the standings there were a ton of solid tricks landed by the likes of Devin Poulton and his madonna and Cardo Vega and the benihana. Adam Balaam took 2nd in the pro division and although he didn’t have as many clean landings as Isaac, Adam put on one hell of a show.
Cody Maurer from Utah also stood out by going big and landing a ton of tricks. Ruei Chiu from Taiwan also competed, so the contest had an international presence outside of the United States and Canada, which is always great to see. Pro results 1. Isaac Thomas 2. Adam Balaam 3. Cody Maurer
U-16 results 1. Reed Shumpert 2. Luke Reinschmidt 3. Tysen Williams
Amateur results 1. Josiah Thomas 2. Scott Bishop 3. Kenny Prattico
Women’s results 1. Bree Staab 2. Mariah Campbell
Cody Maurer DB Pro/AM Federal Way, Washington Photo by Matt McDonald
Adam Balaam, DB Pro/AM, Federal Way, Washington. Photo by Matt McDonald.
Judges, DB Pro/AM, Federal Way, Washington. Photo by Matt McDonald.
Dallas Kingsbury DB Pro/AM Federal Way, Washington Photo by Matt McDonald
Isaac Thomas DB Pro/AM Federal Way, Washington Photo by Matt McDonald
Ruei Chiu, DB Pro/AM, Federal Way, Washington. Photo by Matt McDonald.
Riders, DB Pro/AM, Federal Way, Washington. Photo by Matt McDonald.
Adam Balaam San Francisco, California Photo by Derek Popple
Goon Media team, Tribune Bay, Hornby Island, B.C. Photo by Derek Popple.
BEHIND THE SCENES WITH
GOON MEDIA Story by Derek Popple
It has been one hell of a year for Goon. Between our board, film trip and comp, it has been a year of firsts for the entire team. We started the season with a simple goal: continue to push the sport, put out quality media and see just how far Goon can go. In January, Adam Balaam moved to San Francisco and found a skim spot at Baker Beach, famous for its view of the Golden Gate Bridge. San Francisco provided the perfect place to expand the scene and establish Goon as a California-based company. We started picking one weekend per month to bring out the whole crew
for a film session. Those weekends in SF turned out to be crucial because we stacked clips, talked business and got a little time to see San Francisco’s nightlife. The city also turned out to be a great place to sell our clothing and get some perspective on what it takes to be a thriving, new company.
Adam Balaam Paradise Beach, Sacramento, California Photo by Derek Popple
Cardo Vega Blueback Beach, Vancouver Island, B.C. Photo by Derek Popple
As the season progressed, we began to turn our attention to our upcoming road trip as well as plan the Gathering of the Goons, the first event we ever threw as a team. The Gathering got us hyped on the Sac scene and made us realize that there are skimmers from all over the Sacramento area that we didn’t even know about. Once the event was done, we focused our efforts on preparing for the upcoming trip to Washington and Canada. Although spending 20 days on the road wore us out, the trip was unforgettable. Seeing different scenes that all have varying outlooks on the sport really expanded our view of skimboarding. Between our slang, clothing and the Sin Bin, the giant van we traveled in, we stuck out like a sore thumb. Everywhere we went people commented on the constant smell of pot in the van, but also on our undeniable passion for skimboarding. At every stop we were spreading the stoke and making ourselves known. It was a weird feeling to see kids on the beach who already knew who we were. Their compliments and feedback inspired all of us and gave us a little taste of what its like to be successful. Although we were all definitely glad to get home, we came back more hyped than ever. To see kids putting Goon stickers on their boards and wearing our clothing let us know that whatever we’re doing, it’s working. After spending a few days getting back to our regular lives, we started to get ready for the Sactown Throwdown. Our goal was to put on the gnarliest event of the year and pay our respects to Skimfest.
Mike Finneran Rio Linda, Sacramento, California Photo by Derek Popple
Adam Balaam Parksville, Vancouver Island, B.C. Photo by Derek Popple
Much like many of the things we do as a team, the entire comp was about as last minute as it gets. We didn’t even design a flyer until the week before the comp and the permit went through thirty minutes before the deadline. For me, the week before the comp was a nightmare and I worked every day to make sure everything got done. Luckily, the whole Sac crew came together to build rails, dig out Paradise Beach and spread the word about the event. On the day of the comp, we had gnarly rails, hesh tricks and some hard bails just like Skimfest in years past. While there were definitely things we could improve on, we were all stoked at how the Throwdown turned out. Now that the main events of the season are done, we’re back to filming for the movie and taking care of business. Winter is always a time of preparation, so we’re getting everything in line so that we can do it even better next year. For the next few months, we’ll be selling our apparel and getting a business license so we can make Goon into a legitimate company. This season has been incredibly busy, but also incredibly productive. I can speak for the entire team in saying that I feel Goon gaining momentum and that this season is just a hint of what’s to come. Thank you to everyone that’s supported us over the past year and made this team possible. Continue to stay hyped on skim and get used to hearing the name Goon; we’re here to stay.
Adam Balaam Baker Beach, San Francisco, California Photo by Derek Popple
Adam Balaam and Cardo Vega Crissy Field, San Francisco, California Photo by Derek Popple
SACTOWN THROWDOWN
Adam Balaam Sacramento, California Photo by Dylan Burzinski
Presented by Goon, DB, Ground Zero, Skim.co and Zed. Pro results: 1. Cardo Vega, 2. Adam Balaam, 3. Cody Maurer. Amateur results: 1. Space Pea, 2. Nate Sher, 3. Scott Bishop. Beginner results: 1. Julian Vega, 2. Tyson Williams.
BRITISH COLUMBIA SKIM Photos by Anthony Davis
Jacob Lubberts White Rock, B.C. Photo by Anthony Davis
Devin Poulton White Rock, B.C. Photo by Anthony Davis
Jacob Lubberts, White Rock, B.C. Photo by Anthony Davis.
Jacob Lubberts, White Rock, B.C. Photo by Anthony Davis.
Kyle Lynch, White Rock, B.C. Photo by Anthony Davis.
Devin Poulton, Spanish Banks, B.C. Photo by Anthony Davis.
Lexi Hutchings Utah Photo by Todd Ellis
Lexi Hutchings, Utah. Photo by Todd Ellis.
SKIM MERMAIDS Story by Kelli Bean
THE LEGEND Skimboarding legend Lexi Hutchings, 27, lives in San Diego, California. She is sponsored by DB Skimboards, XTOutfitters, Lets Party Traction, Railwerx, Freestyle Watches, Calavera Swimwear, Subsonic Skateboards, Rip Tide Bushings, Buzzed Trucks and Adrenalina. Her favorite quote when competing is to hear others shout “You got this, Lexi!” FUTURE PRO Future pro skimboarder Iza Batko, 18, lives in
Ontario, Canada. She is sponsored by DB Skimboards. Her favorite quote when landing a trick is “This is the one!” UP AND COMER Up and coming skimboarding star Bella Killgore, 14, lives in El Dorado Hills, California. She is currently looking for sponsors. Her favorite quote when learning a new trick is that “It hurts more to give up than it does to fall!”
Iza Batko Polish Skimboarding Open, Gdańsk, Poland Photo by Łukasz Fish Gierałtowski
Iza Batko, Polish Skimboarding Open, Gdańsk, Poland. Photo by Pawel Bujakowski.
Bella Killgore, Folsom Lake, California. Photo by Hailey Nelson.
TEXAS SKIM Photos by Mitch Daues and Mitchell Elder
Mitchell Elder Austin, Texas Photo by Mitch Daues
Mitch Daues, Austin, Texas. Photo by Mitchell Elder.
Tyler Kelly, Cypress Creek, Texas. Photo by Mitchell Elder.
Ben Hayman, Gnarfest, Cypress Creek, Texas. Photo by Cameron Hagen Edwards.
GNARFEST Photos by Cameron Hagen Edwards
Everyone was throwing down at the third annual 2GNAR Texas Flatland Skimboarding event Gnarfest, which took place on Saturday, August 16, at Cypress Creek in Texas. The event was sponsored by Db Skimboards, Conspiracy Skimboards, Eelsnot Board Therapy and Skim.co.
Pro results 1. Jace Basford, DB Skimboards 2. Tyler Kelly, DB skimboards 3. Ryan Cook ‚ DB skimboards Amateur results 1. Ethan Williams 2. Adam Wright 3. Ben Hayman
Rider, Gnarfest, Cypress Creek, Texas. Photo by Cameron Hagen Edwards.
Ryan Efaw, Gnarfest, Cypress Creek, Texas. Photo by Cameron Hagen Edwards.
Tyler Kelly Gnarfest, Cypress Creek, Texas Photo by Cameron Hagen Edwards
Dillon Phillips, Gnarfest, Cypress Creek, Texas. Photo by Cameron Hagen Edwards.
Mitchell Elder, Gnarfest, Cypress Creek, Texas. Photo by Cameron Hagen Edwards.
Tyler Kelly, Gnarfest, Cypress Creek, Texas. Photo by Cameron Hagen Edwards.
Ryan Efaw, Gnarfest, Cypress Creek, Texas. Photo by Cameron Hagen Edwards.
Tyler Kelly Gnarfest Cypress Creek, Texas Photo by Cameron Hagen Edwards