The eight annual Senseless Skimfest at 26th Ave. Beach in Santa Cruz, CA was held last weekend. Legendary George Bryan was among the 55 entries. From the pictures and videos I’ve seen of Santa Cruz, it doesn’t look like the ideal skim spot, but Santa Cruz skimmer Ryan Parola, who organized the event said “We couldn’t ask for any more.” The big turn out proves people like to skim in Santa Cruz.

Mercury news wrote up a nice summary article of the competition. You can read it here. Adam Loero took home first place and winnings of $450. Not bad for an afternoon’s work.

This competition got a lot of press because they held their first all-female event ever. “It’s awesome,” Gollbach said. “There are a lot more female skimmers out there these days, and a lot more girls stepping up and charging. It’s fun to have some competition.”

Many of the top skimmers at the Skimfest, along with a slew of other talented riders, will return to 26th Ave. for the region’s premier skimboarding contest, the O’Neill Skimbash, on Sept. 20-21. The Skimbash is the penultimate stop of the 2008 United Skim Tour, the world’s only international professional skimboard tour.