Every year we look forward to going up to Panama City Beach to take part in the PCB Skim Jam. The skim scene in the Panhandle of Florida is always stoked to welcome everyone with open arms. It is one of the most energetic skim scenes to be around and it is fun to hang out with the crew! Everyone was amped for the 3rd Stop on the Skim USA tour.
We rolled into town Friday afternoon and dropped off some fresh sleds to our valued dealers- Bombora Surf, Salty Dog Surf Shop, and Mr. Surfs.
The first day of PCB Skim Jam started out with some amazing weather and fun waves. It was a great turnout for the event overall as there was close to 90 contestants. The day kicked off with the Amateurs showcasing their skills. It is always fun to see how far the up and coming groms progress from event to event. They sure put in a lot of time at the beach practicing. Some standouts from the Amatuer division were Dylan Duncan, Zeke Williams, ET Beaugrand, Chip Sanders, SkimGio aka Giorgio, Graham Shelton, Trent Moranda, & Colton Ettwein.
After the Amatuer Divisions, we got the Professional division under way. Boy was there some fireworks. Lets preface this by saying the whole beach couldn't stop watching Gerardo Valencia and Yahir Valencia warm up for their heat. Unfortunately for them, they got paired together in the first man vs man heat and they did not hold back. They brought an amazing energy to the beach and the crowd filled in to watch go back to back on nearly every trick. At the end of the heat, Yahir Valencia barely edged out his older brother by completing a gnarly inverted air at the end of the heat. It could have easily been the final but the draw was not on their side. Max Smetts came out of nowhere and surprised all the boys with his skimboarding which saw him advance to all the way to the Finals where he met fellow team rider Yahir Valencia.
Finals day brought more of what we saw from the first day of the event. Beautiful weather and similar waves! The very first heat of the day was the Pro final where Yahir Valencia faced off with Max Smetts. It was a heavily contested heat which saw Yahir Valencia focusing on highly technical maneuvers versus the old school style of Max who was using his power and wave riding to impress the judges. At the end of the heat, Max pulled the shocker and beat the young gun for his first Professional Victory. Crazy things happen at skim contests!
After the Pro final, we finished the contest with the Amateur finals where the standouts from day one prevailed as winners in their prospective divisions!
We want to thank Skim USA, Shore LB, and Mr. Surfs Surf Shop for putting on such a fun event! We are always stoked to support. Do not miss the next stop on the Skim USA tour which is the Spring Fling Skim Jam on May 14th!
Link to full results: PCB Final Results