Fulton and Gucwa-Bucasas win pro titles at World Championships of Skimboarding; more updated results

Aliso Beach in Laguna Beach again was the scene of competition as local and international competitors vied to win at the 39th annual World Championships of Skimboarding.

The much-anticipated event, known as The VIC, started Saturday and ended Sunday.

Twelve division champions were crowned. Among the top winners were Tim Fulton (Pro Men Division) and Keiao Gucwa-Bucasas (Pro Women Division).

Tex Haines, owner and co-founder of Victoria Skimboards, said 147 of the top skimboarders, including contenders from Brazil, Mexico, Japan, Portugal and the East Coast of the U.S., performed in “quite possibly the best-ever waves” for the competition.

Swells of 3 to 5 feet with an occasional 6-foot combination west/south swell and very little wind made for “prime conditions for skimboarding,” Matthieu Thibaud of Victoria Skimboards said.

“I’ve worked at Victoria for about eight years now and traveled to many contests, and this was the best skim contest conditions I have ever witnessed,” Thibaud said. “We love the skim community very much. We thank all the volunteers, judges, competitors and spectators. We were extremely happy about the 39th annual VIC, and we are very excited about the 40th VIC celebration coming up in 2016.”

Haines called the coverage of the two-day contest a “super-human effort by the live broadcast crew and contest staff.”

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The VIC (top placements)

Pro Men Division: 1. Tim Fulton; 2. Austin Keen; 3. Blair Conklin; 4. Max Bourne; 5. Sammy Stinnett; 6. Teddy Vlasis; 7. Johnny Salta; 8. Perry Pruitt.

Pro Women Division: 1. Keiao Gucwa-Bucasas; 2. Casey Kiernan; 3. Alexandra Badie; 4. Pipa Pinto; 5. Silvia Garavito; 6. Alex Yokley; 7. Jen Jacobs; 8. Diana Cordova.

Amateur Women Division: 1. Jordan Sitea; 2. Devyn Linder; 3. Grace Gilles; 4. Naz Mir; 5. Rebecca Maessen.

Amateur 8-Under Division: 1. Zach Van Meter; 2. Zen Mir-Scaer; 3. Keanu Mir-Scaer; 4. Jack Bryan.

Amateur 9-11 Division: 1. Dane Cameron; 2. Max Brown; 3. James Paracuellos; 4. Jude Young.

Amateur 12-14 Division: 1. CJ Schenk; 2. Zacary Henderson; 3. Griffin Kristensen; 4. Aidan Stevenson.

Amateur 15-17 Division: 1. Liam Bryant; 2. Eddie Dixon; 3. Billy Howie; 4. Noah Webb.

Amateur 18-21 Division: 1. Nate Flanagin; 2. Beryl Besseau; 3. Jared Green; 4. Matthew Hammond.

Amateur 22-24 Division: 1. Daniel Norris; 2. Beau Heussenstamm; 3. Cameron Gruwell; 4. Brandon Rolland.

Amateur 25-29 Division: 1. PJ Musico; 2. Steve Seime; 3. Jon Reyes; 4. Andrew Acosta.

Amateur 30-39 Division: 1. Steve Taylor; 2. Mike Yunich; 3. Kelly Hawlish; 4. Hiroyuki Hayashi.

Amateur 40-and-Up Division: 1. Brad Dickey; 2. Paul Wade; 3. Lance Brooks; 4. Chris Henderson.

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Special Awards

Best Wave: Austin Keen

Best Wipeout: Jen Jacobs

Sportsmanship Award: Fabiana Badie (dedication to skimboarding/photography).