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Home > Archive > Jul 12, 2007

Skimming Winning Over Fans, Participants
Richard Gardner and his brothers grew up skimboarding on the rivers around Sacramento.
When Gardner was still a boy, his family relocated to St. George, and the sport came to St. George about the same time they did.
In the years since, Gardner has seen skimboarding grow from an activity done by a handful of people to a citywide phenomenon, and he has seen the Virgin River become one of the premier places for skimboarding.
“It's pretty exciting to see because I didn't expect it to grow as it has,” Gardner said.
Skimboarding came to St. George in the early 1990s and started to catch on by the mid-’90s. To skimboard, a person runs in shallow water, throws down the board, hops onto the board and glides across the water.
The Virgin River Skimboarding Classic itself is a testament to how far the sport has grown in St. George. The Classic, in its 13th year, has grown with the sport, now a popular option for St. George kids looking to spend a summer's day.
This year, competitors came from as far away as Sacramento and Washington state. A crowd lined the river on each end of the run, some sitting on chairs they had plopped in the river.
For the most part, the event was as laid back and casual as its participants. The fans were quick to applaud any skimboarder who did any spin, trick or jump. The fans, the judges, and the participants all seemed more interested in the camaraderie than the competition.
“I think it's huge having everyone together like this, having a crowd,” Gardner said. “The competition part is pretty fun too: It pushes every rider a little bit.”
The competition included doing tricks on the rails – devices placed in the water that allow skimboarders to rise up out of the water and perform aerial tricks. During the other segment of the competition, the skimboarders showed what they could do when just skimming across the river.
One of the things that sets skimboarding in Washington County apart from other venues is the Virgin River, particularly along the portion of the river known as The Waterfall, where the Classic took place.
The Waterfall, which is two blocks south of Riverside Drive, occurs at a place where the river spreads out over a sandy basin. The shallow water, about six inches deep, creates an ideal location for skimboarding, Gardner said.  
“The Waterfall is the best spot for skimboarding,” Gardner said. “It's perfect all year – not too many places are this consistent.”
Skimboarders notice a distinguishable difference between skimboarding on the Virgin and skimboarding elsewhere, Gardner said.
“The flatland here is different from most places,” Gardner said. “It's pretty much a different sport here.”
Gardner said skimboarding serves as a fun activity he can do with his friends, and also as a good workout, so he can spend his workout time at the river instead of the gym.
Mostly, though, skimboarding is a big part of everyday life for Gardner's family and friends. In addition to their time at the Virgin River, they travel to places such as Sacramento or Newport Beach, to skimboard.
“We just have a passion for it,” he said. “It's about that feeling you get sliding across the water. It's kind of a hydroplane feeling it's all about the passion.”

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