There came a point in our skimboarding progression when we realized we had reached the limit of our hand made, plywood, polyurethane boards. We still have a few of our original boards, and they will always remain close to our hearts, stickers, sharpie surf art and all. However, it was time to make a move to a stick that could take us to the next level. Once again our Dad came to the rescue. During our family spring break trips to Sarasota Florida to visit our legendary Grandma Shirley, my Dad made a connection with the original Zap Skimboard Factory (before they moved into their much larger Glasspro Facility). I still remember my dad walking me into the small belm board section of the factory and helping me choose my first fiberglass skimboard! After much deliberation we decided on a red and yellow medium wedge with just a little bit of pink over spray along the white bottom of the board. This was a big day for me and my dad, and little did we know this board was just the second step on a path leading us to big air, epic adventures, and eventually Land Locked Surfing. During our first session with the wedge, Dad & Mom proudly watching from the beach, we were finally able to explore the surf style of skimboarding we had dreamed about after memorizing all our favorite skim videos.
Fast forward to 2007, and the award ceremony of the second annual Third Coast Surf Shop Skim Jam in New Buffalo Michigan (pictured above). By this time Karter and I had out grown the original Zap Wedge, and with our own larger boards there was no need for the 3 of us to squabble over who got to use the fiberglass board. Now it was Keenan’s board to master, and you can see him standing behind it on the far right. As we progressed into the world of composite carbon boards and eventually surfing, its bittersweet this would be the last competition the board would be ridden. Even though material things are just material things, there is something special about “the first” that represents a special memory, a bond strong enough to pull people together and set a new course in motion. The family memories and bonds we shared through the medium wedge will always be held close, and never lost.
Do you have a special first board story? If so, email your short story and a picture of your first board to info@landlockedsurfing.com We would be happy to feature you and your story on our instagram page @land_locked_surfing
Keep the Stoke Alive!
