Johnny Weber!!!!

Photo by Skyler Wilson

To say that John Weber is amazingly skilled right now after winning the World Skimboard Championships is misleading.  He has been killing it in the water for years now, and he is only sixteen.  You can spot him catching the longest rides on a skimboard or surfboard and does tricks effortlessly.  He stands out in the water and with his charming personality he wins his peers and public's respect and appreciation.    John is a world class surfer and he is still getting better every day.  Plain and simple he just flows.

Name: John Weber

Nickname: BooBoo, my dad calls me that because when I was little kid I used to have scratches, scars and cuts all over me.

Age:16yrs old, 17 in two days!

Weight:146lb

Stance:Goofy

home town:Lewes< DE

home break:naval jetty , or rehoboth, depends on the waves and if I have school that day.

board: Hague fish I ride a lot and Exile skimboard

Sponsors: Exile Skimboards, Dewey Beach Surf Shop and Skim City

Questions:

You skim and surf what did you start doing first and how old where you?  I started skimming when I was 8 or 9 and I started surfing with my dad, he used to paddle with me on the front of the board when I was two or three and he would hold me and surf.  Pretty much after that I surfed and skimming came about one day, I met a few people that skimmed and I started doing it.

Do you have a favorite, skimming or surfing?   I like surfing more, the waves  are longer and can surf bigger waves, but skimming  is still fun, you can skim when there are no waves, instead of being bored sitting at home, you can go out and skim.

How was your summer?  My summer was good, I worked on a fishing boat, I worked pretty much every single day, but I still caught some good waves.

 heard you got first place in the World Skimboard Championships?    it was in Laguna Beach, at Aliso Beach, yeah I got first, I went out there with my friend Max Wheeler, me and him are best friends, he skims too.  He got 2nd in his age group and I got 1st in mine.   

 best skim session ever? Probably days at the Naval Jetty when the waves are really long and a bunch of friends there.,

best surf session ever?  I remember one time going to Mexico and surfing this point with my dad, all alone and we surfed for hours and hours.  It was a right point break, you walk ten miles out to the end of this point, that would have to be the most fun.

worst wipe out?  I hurt my knee one time in Dewey, skimming, I hyper extended it, still hurts today, and that was four or five years ago.  But I've never had any incidents where I was held under or witness death.  Nothing crazy

what other sports do you do?  I used to play Lacrosse, I've played since I was five, all the way to last year and then last year I didn't want to play because it just got to serious, it wasn't for fun anymore.

Who has influenced you,  any favorite surfers or skimmers?  For surfing definitely my dad, cause we always surf together.  If I didn't go out cause it was too big he would encourage me to go out, which has made me better.  Skimboarding, Blair Cherico, owner of Dewey Beach Surf Shop, he kinda got me my first board got me up and running and Jeff Dearie, which was one of Blair's friends and one of my friends, we used to skim Gordon's Pond.  They are the two that have really influenced me the most.

any skimboard tricks that you are working on?  Not really, I want to go to different spots, catch different waves, bigger waves, I want to be able to say I skimmed or surfed that wave.

do surf and skim in the winter?  I surf more in the winter because skimming with a wetsuit its slower and can't get out as far and its not as fun. I like to surf in the winter 

can you describe the feeling of riding a wave?  Its fun, there is nothing like it, kinda like roller coaster, once your done you want to catch another one and another one. Keep doing it.

how would you describe your personality?  I'm easy going, I like to skim contest but I rather skim with friends alone somewhere, just me and them and perfect waves, no one else.

your plans for the winter and the coming year?  I get to go to California this month on the 28th to Balboa, for a contest, near the Wedge in Newport and I hope to go out there and do well and other than that going to Mexico with my dad on a surf trip.

are you going pro?  I'm not sure yet, I haven't decided, I still got a long ways to skim amateur.

anything you would like to add?  Yeah, keep the beaches clean, keep going in the water and respect the ocean......and to the lifeguards, let us surf when there are waves lifeguards didn't let us in the water today!!!

Photo by Gel Clemmer

Photo by Gel Clemmer

• Thanks for the interview Johnny and Happy Birthday!