The 2024 Skim USA Tour kicked off last weekend with Melaque Skim Magia on January 13-14.The pro/am skim competition was hosted by professional team rider Gerardo Valencia in his hometown Melaque, Mexico.
Reports from our team and others in attendance were an immaculate chill vibe and super fun international event. The local community and youth have embraced the competition and visiting skimboarders the past year making it one of the most fun competitions on the Skim USA tour. Sunny weather with a light breeze and cloud cover throughout the weekend made for enjoyable temperatures. Wave conditions were sloppy small speed run liners in the morning with improving conditions and larger waves during the afternoon for professional heats. The Mexican skimboarders stood out all weekend with Gerardo Valencia and Bryan Lopez scoring the biggest cleanest barrels of the competition.
For the Zap team, it was the Valencia brothers who took top honors with Yahir in first and Gerardo in second. Rookie pro Dylan Duncan killed it all weekend before suffering a minor injury and elimination in round 3 of competition. Veteran Dave "Monster" Armstrong put on a good show with crazy airs and vibes reminiscent of 2005! Chip Sanders, another amateur team rider who recently turned pro, continued to push himself in larger waves and heavier competition, representing the Gulf Coast of Florida to the fullest!
For the pro women, it was mostly chill, friendly, competition, with extremely tight scores that made every heat a great show! Sydney Pizza finished in second place, less than a point behind reigning World Champion Chabe White who won the competition. Syd was also awarded for the best female wave of the competition! Right behind her was team rider Alex Yokley, who is back on tour after a year off, showing poise and confidence as she slid into a 3rd place finish. Her and Sydney are definitely two women to watch this year as they begin their 2024 skim campaign!
For full event results check Live Heats: https://liveheats.com/events/192173
Next competition for team Zap is March 9-10 in Melbourne, FL: https://www.skim-usa.com/schedule/shorelb-throwdown-2drce-brx2w
