ULTIMATE
BOARDER
By
Michael Vidor
Photos By Ruben Sanchez, Matt Vidor, and Jimmy Callian.
June
2008
The only event of its kind in
the United States, Ultimate Boarder™ determined
the first athlete to conquer the art of surfing,
skateboarding, and snowboarding in one triathlon
event.
Held in two venues in April, this one-week-long extreme inaugural event marked
a major shift in the paradigm of sports competition. The Ultimate Boarder™ Competition
(UBC) was created in response to the growing popularity of these sports and
as a way to promote healthy, athletic lifestyles among young athletes in
a competitive environment. With the success of the UBC, it can be said that
the necessary skill set and ethos of these athletes transcend those of traditional
sports.
 Opening
the field to amateurs and professionals, Ultimate
Boarder™ gave relatively unknown riders a
chance to compete alongside the pros. The champion
would walk away with bragging rights to the first
ever title and a hefty first place prize of $30,000. “I’m
honored to have had such a unique blend of action
sports pros and amateurs representing this event,” said
founder and CEO Tim Hoover. “The
response from the athletes was amazing.”
The
dynamic roster of 45 included riders from Australia,
North America, Norway, and
South Africa. Among them were Californians Todd
Richards, one of the more decorated snowboarders
in competition history, and Andy Finch, boosting
some of the biggest air in the world; Omar Hassan,
one of the few skaters who can perform on both
street and vertical terrains, and Chris Senn, considered
one of the fastest and most aggressive street skaters
in the last 10 years; surfers Mike Morrissey, a
Volcom surf team rider since 1992, and Tosh Townend,
son of legendary Aussie surfer and 1976 world champion,
Peter Townend.
 In
the initial stage of the event held in sunny Squaw
Valley, a panel of World Cup certified judges,
including celebrity Jim Rippley,
arbitrated competitor skills on a slope style course.
In stage two, held at the C Street Beach in Ventura,
surfers competed in a traditional four or five-man
heat format scored by ASP (Association of Surfing
Professionals) sanctioned judges and celeb Shaun
Tomson. The final stage, also in Ventura,
was comprised of a masterfully crafted half-pipe
and judged by a World Cup panel led by Christian
Hosoi. In a style similar to the Tour
de France, a blue jersey was awarded to the overall
leader at the end of each stage. The one-of-a-kind
athletes battled for a combined $50,000 purse.
Wily veteran Todd Richards (Encinitas,
CA) saved best for last by drilling back-to-back
900s in the finals and winning stage one. “We
saw some real quality coming out of the finals
today,” said judge Jim Rippley. Aussie brothers
Clint and Mitch Allan and Andy Finch (Truckee,
CA) were in with Richards, who was ready to rip
into stage two. “I’m passionate about
my surfing right now, so I want to have a good
showing down in Ventura,” Richards said.
 The
riders made good on their billing as the “athletes
of our generation” by producing consistent
scores and performance maneuvers throughout the
day at the famed C Street break. “Everyone
was pushing so hard. I was just excited to make
the finals,” said blue jersey winner Eric
McHenry (Encinitas, CA). As conditions deteriorated
in the second heat, Shayne Pospisil (Manasquan,
NJ), who dominated in the first, cracked the finals
and provoked a spectator uproar by finding the
wave of the day—the contest’s only
barrel linked into a huge front side floater.
A
jaw-dropping day of nine heats of half-pipe skateboarding
concluded the UBC in
dramatic fashion, leaving the crowd of thousands
thrilled and anxious to know who would be named
overall winner. Aaron Astorga (Carlsbad, CA) was
the man.
“ It was an amazing event
and everyone had a great time,” said Astorga. “The
organizers did an incredible job of bringing everyone
together, and a lot of us are already looking forward
to next year.”
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