This year’s Ultimate Boarder competition, set to kick off this weekend in Big Bear, has all the makings to be even bigger and better than its award-winning inaugural year in 2008.
For starters, the superstar-meter is off the charts this year as the new team-formatted division allows some big names to compete only in their area of expertise. Santa Barbara residents and surfing legends Shaun Tomson and Tom Curren have joined forces with equally-idolized skateboarders Steve Caballero and Christian Hosoi, respectively.
Luckily for Santa Barbarans, UB founder and CEO Tim Hoover is a Goleta native and has kept the surfing and skateboarding legs of the contest close to home in Ventura. The triathlon of action sports, Ultimate Boarder combines snowboarding, surfing and skateboarding into a week-long contest that eventually crowns the top three-sport athlete.
Aaron Astorga, who will be back, took down $30,000 for owning the first title last year. That version, with the snowboarding leg held in Lake Tahoe, was recognized by Sports Travel magazine as the best new sporting event in the U.S. for 2008.
As a result of the success, this year’s competitor list has swelled from 44 to over 90 and includes other big names such as Andy MacDonald, Christian Fletcher, Todd Richards, Omar Hassan, Jason Collins and John John Florence.
Santa Barbara area entrants Logan Preston and Robert Curtis are making a second go at it in the main event and a number of locals are getting their first taste of UB in the team competition.
Rincon Classic champ Kilian Garland will team-up with Nate Axline and Danny Thomas to represent Santa Ynez’s One Way Boardshop. Surfer Spencer Regan is on the Bravo Condom team. The squad put together by Goleta based board-riding company Trilogy Arts features Goleta’s Matt McCoy.
While the surfing and skating venues are unchanged from last year, the snowboarding leg has been moved from Lake Tahoe to Big Bear, making it easier logistically for both the athletes and organizers. Hoover will decide on Saturday which day to hold the surfing contest depending on swell conditions, which he said are looking promising.
While leaving his Goleta office on Thursday morning for the mountains, Hoover kept his expectations simple and down to earth.
“I just worry about guys getting hurt,” admitted Hoover. “I just want everyone to have a good time.”
Get info on everything at UltimateBoarder.com
