Paul Camenisch in OC

Paul Camenisch is back in town from his latest surf trip to Bali, and lucky for him he found these cool waves in OC, MD last weekend.   Click pic to enlarge!! 

MUST SEE VIDEO- ZAP EAST COAST AM World Championships of Skimboarding!!

 Erik Christensen- Delaware

Click here to watch the 2011 East Coast AM world championships of skimboarding recap and a little history about skimboarding in Delaware !!!!

Summer Pictures

CLICK PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

Corey Mahoney Interview

Corey Mahoney is a professional skimboarder  that has been leading the wave of new skimmers on the east coast.   He owns Alley Oop with his business partner and childhood friend Jason Wilson.  They both have contribute to changing the lives of many kids with their summer skim camps and clinics.   Corey has mad steez (style) on his board making huge waves seem effortless.  Summers in Delaware, winters in Florida,  Alley Oop is a way of life!   

Corey skimming North Side-  Photo by Gel Clemmer-

Name:  Corey T. Mahoney

Nickname:  There are a lot of those, but Ramon or “Moe-nee”, I forget why but Carter Schmidt threw that out there one time and I kinda accepted it and everyone else called me that from that point on.

Age: 29

Weight: from 180lb to 195lb

Stance: I’m regular

Home Town: Dewey Beach, DE

Home Break: South Side, DE

Board: My new exile

How long have you been skimming?  and how did you get into it?

Coming up on 20 years, I was friends with Jason (Wilson) and Joey (Vavala) growing up,    I tried Geoff Shupard’s  board, one of his old Sand Pipers from back in the day and just went on from there, kinda got hooked and started doing it and wanted to get better than them  although it will probably never happen!  (laughs)  my parents used to let me ride the Trolley to Dewey every day from Rehoboth and it just developed like that.

How would you describe your skimboard style?

I’m more of techy skimboarer for a big guy, my ideal wave is something that's about waist high, with a nice open face that I can bust a trick on, my favorite move to do is a front side slash,  that way I can put my whole big 6 foot frame into it.

Your thoughts on Grinching?  The greatest creation in the world!  Even though I haven’t gotten a gem of a wave on it .  It’s just so much fun the effortless work, its more of concentrating into riding a big wave than getting out to it, you lose a lot of your energy trying to get out to waves like that.   There are so many days where is a little to far out to  get to for skim and too close to the beach to surf, the grinch takes that out of the equation.  

Do you skim everyday? 

I try to, had a little injury, I’ve been rehabbing the knee, a dancing accident (laughs)

 Your best session ever?

probably the first time I won the east coast, I call it a session cause I was skimming with three of my best friends Geoff Shupard, Connor Schmidt and Jamie Celano, think it was 2004, just tyring to out do all my buddies.

worst wipeout?

L:Corey Mahoney and Jason Wilson checking the waves.

when I was 16 I cracked my head open, I was skimming with Greg Catts and Joey Vavala, who were not 16 yet, we were at South Side on this really big day, we were playing a game called suicide, you just throw your board down and slide into any wave that was coming, it doesn’t matter if it is a 6 foot wave slamming into the shore, when you are told to go you go.  The wave I went to, I timed it perfectly , I went up and I  was going wrap it but the board slipped out and I went under,  I came up, and though where is my board and boom on top of my head.  I came out of the water holding my head, it didn’t really hurt that bad, I was just holding it and looked down and there was blood running down my chest and I looked at my hands and they were covered in blood.  Called the lifeguards over, they were freaking me out, the one life guard says “woah” .  There are only a few ways to wrap your head, around your temple or like you have a tooth ache, they started to warp my head like I had a toothache, Greg and Joey lost it laughing. Life guard tells me I need to get to the hospital because if I lose a lot of blood I can pass out, then I started thinking I had to drive myself to the hospital because Joey and Greg didn’t have a license. Long story short, 4 staples in my head, you can still feel the bump on my head.

favorite trick?  Front side big spin! 

Favorite place to skim in the world? Cabo, lovers beach, its a cross between cabo and 

a place up towards Todos, I can’t name the beach, people wouldn't want me doing that. Nice reef break in the middle of nowhere.

Do you practice any other sports?  Skate a little bit, and my background I played La Cross all through college.

You are positive influence to a lot of skimmers, who were some of the people that influenced you while growing up?  My friends influenced me a lot and I looked up to George Bryan a little bit. Everybody was into the Beaker  and he is ridiculously good, but I’ve never picked the best person in the sport as my influence I look for different qualities, Goe is a big guy, I’m a big guy.....kinda just looked up to him a little bit more

How did alley oop come about? We had an idea, that basically nobody was getting taught how to skimboard, when I was in my senior year of high school I thought why isn’t anybody doing this.  No body was even giving a lesson, maybe people thought no one would pay for it.  I saw an opportunity and all it took was a poster and a flyer, skim lessons $20 a pop, and then the teaching aspect of it developed.  The name came from Jason (Wilson) we had the idea sitting around and pitched it to Harry, hoping that he would get the idea and run with it and I would work at it, but he flipped it on me saying “no I want you to do it, this is something you should do as your business”   We had all the tools, Dewey Beach, everybody skims the element is there, had the promotion for the store Dewey Surf and Sport and everybody around to be the counselors.  First year didn’t really get much attention, next year we got 18 kids,the first year was a sleep over camp.   It has eleven years now and now we are at 294 new campers for this year.  It has grown.

When did you guys open the FL alley oop and where is it ?  We opened last December,  because this is such seasonal town, and we want to do this as a main way to make a living that was the best place to do it.  Besides half of our online business was coming from FL.   It was more of a question  of  where not if we should do it.   Its in Lauderdale by the sea, Ft Lauderdale.  Another cool thing that has happened is that all of our employees were campers.  In 2002 Dave Grok came to camp and now he has been our head counselor for 2 years. It all comes full circle.

What are some of the most rewarding things that come from having the camps?  Getting the kids into something positive, showing them another way of life at the beach.  Spreading the passion for skimboarding, making it infectious.   

How was this years Championship Contest?  It was awesome. It was Jason and Harrys theory on how they could make this an amateur world championship pan out.  This year was the skimboard championships 30th year, and it started as an amateur event with 20 competitors.  Not having the pros there was a concern in the skimboarding community, that maybe it wouldn’t be as competitive but the fact that we kept the semi pros,  those guys that are in that division are driving the sport right now.  I was on the mic and there was a point in the super heat that I couldn't talk fast enough, it was wave after wave, John Weber, Sam McCoy, Sean Kenny.  The riding level has gone up so much that some of these riders should be going pro already.  The other aspects were having Joe Bonk come back for his last hurrah as an announcer and Harry's last year too.  We dedicated an award to Harry, the H-Dub Professional Volunteer award, there are people that go to all the contests and are there from the time you set up to  the time you break down, and that's what Harry does he is dedicating all  of his time to something he is not getting paid for , and being the main sponsor this year it was the culmination to something we have been trying to accomplish, trying to give back to the sport as much as we can.

What are some of the other events you guys will be hosting this year?

In Delaware we have the Coastal Clean Up ,September 17th, we invite everybody to come help out clean the beach, we are responsible for all of  Dewey, 9am-12pm  and we are doing our Halloween contest October 29th “ Sea Witch competition” , that one is always fun, seeing what everyone will come up with for costumes and if you win the costume contest you get to be on the Tshirt for next year, last year we had Kiss and those turned out sick and for this year we have the little rascals by Nate and Syd Phillips with their dog.  We'll possibly have some skateboarding things going on, working stuff out with Epworth church,  that's the church Jason and I attended, we have some good ties there.     Oh yeah and we have huge sale on Labor Day weekend!

What do the kids around here need to do to get sponsored?   Put media together, photos, videos, and hounding people like myself.    We find you, go skim have a positive attitude, if we feel like you can be a good representative to Alley Oop we will put you on the team.  It’s really a false since of what being sponsor really is, being sponsored is really all about representing a company, and that's the first thing you should ask yourself, how can I represent this company well, it's not just a sticker on your board.    Delaware kids have a lot of potential, they need to find a good wetsuit and skim year around. 

Thanks to?

Shout out to Jdub, Harry and the Wilson family, my parents for supporting me in everything that I do,  my friends, and all the counselors.  

Thanks for the interview Corey. Alley Oop is located on New Orleans St,  Dewey Beach Delaware

Skip Savage

Skip Savage is a Rehoboth Beach native.   He joined the military in the 60s and got stationed in FL, he wanted to be stationed in Dover to be closer to home but FL turned out to be a fortunate experience, thats where he was exposed to surfing.   Many friendships were made at that time, allowing him to surf legendary spots and be part of the evolution of surfboard design. After the military he headed back to Delaware, opened up a surf shop and continued to spread the surf stoke in our area.  Skip was a  top rated ESA competitor for many years and was inducted to the East Coast Legends Hall of Fame 1996.

name:Thurman Franklin Savage

nickname:Skip

age:67

weight:170 lbs

stance:Switch foot

home town:Rehoboth Beach, De.

home break:Indian River Inlet

board:long board

When did you start surfing?

Started surfing in 1964

How long were you in the military for? did you get a lot of surfing time while in the military?

In the U.S. Air Force for four years and being stationed in Orlando, got to surf every day I was off duty. Ended up renting a place in Cocoa Beach to make it easier to stay over.

How did “surf shop east” come about?

Before I was discharged from the service, I started thinking about what I was going to do. Since I loved surfing so much, it was inevitable that it had to be something related to surfing.

that was in 1966.

How many people surfed in rehoboth at that time?

Hard to put a number on the people who surfed there then, but it certainly was not that many. Basically just all your friends or soon to be friends. There were quite a few in Ocean City though. That was a long drive back then.

Have the waves changed a lot since those days?

The waves have not changed since then, but the beaches and breaks have. And of course the amount of people in the water. Our biggest problem back then was dogging weights from the surf fishermen!

..

What was the best spot to surf at that time?

The BEST spot was the Inlet....both sides. Also the jetties in front of Henlopen Hotel and the Cove.

How much has the ESA changed with the years?  How many years did you surf competitively?

The ESA has changed and evolved just like everything in surfing. At one point it was getting so big membership wise it failed to keep up with the age groups especially the girls and woman's divisions. But, all in all, I don't think that there are contest run on a more  predictable time schedule. I have surfed the ESA in both De. and Fl. and the contest that was most fun was the HO-HO Surf Off. At the Inlet in December by Harry Wilson. That was a dedicated bunch of surfers and spectators!! I started surfing in the ESA in 1971. My best years were 2001  and 2002 when I won the district, regional and east coast championships and placed second in the U.S. Championship.

I still compete, but only selected local charitable events.

When were you inducted in the Surf Legend Hall of Fame?  

The official word went out in late 1995 to be in Orlando at Surf Expo January of 1996. Twenty two surfers were inducted during that event. The two days before the induction were certainly filled with nervousness. After the show ended on Saturday, we went to a hall that was a brand new part of the Convention Center. As we entered the hall, soft Hawaiian music was playing, lights were dim, we all relaxed and it turned into surfing history.

Do you still surf all the time?

I live right on the beach in Cocoa Beach and usually surf right out front. It's never crowded. It might be better some where else, but proximity breeds contentment.

Your all time best surf session in Delaware?

Hard to remember the best sessions up there. There were so many, but one instance was surfing in the Cove. I remember taking off on a wave, riding it and looking back at another person riding a different wave behind me, THEN a third person riding yet another wave. Those rides were so long and perfectly peeling off up  the beach.

Worst wipe out or experience in the water?

I'd have to say the worst problem I've had in the water was being stung by a Portuguese Man of War.

What type of board  do you think works best in Delaware waves?

I've always been partial to long boards so.......

Can we say that you love Delaware?

Born and raised in De. There are many other places, but I always say I'm from there and proud if it.

Rehoboth Beach Museum has a surf exhibit, going on  have you checked it out?

From every thing I've heard, it sounds very nice. I sent some things up there.

What is something that you are most proud of?

I am proud of being involved in a sport that has been my life for the past forty seven years.

What is some advice you can give to all the surfers in the area?

Advise for surfers every where; be friendly, be respectful and have fun.  Pretty simple. Carpe Wavem

Vince Boulanger

Vince Boulanger is one of the best surfers in OC, Maryland.   He was part of the Nike 6.0 Expression Session at the Dew Tour this year and got 2nd place.    Boulanger surfs year around and is an areal master with a powerful cutback.    

Name: Vince Boulanger

Age: 22

Weight: 160

Stance: goofy

Home Town: ocean city

Home Break:  inlet

Board: 5'11 18 3/8 2 1/4

Sponsors:  Quiet Storm surf shop,Brian Wynn surfboards, Reef and Dragon

What have you been up to? 
just hanging out with all my friends who are here for summer

What made you start surfing and when?

some kids I went to school with invited me to surf with them when i was about 13 and i was hooked right away

When did you realize that you wanted to take your surfing to the next level?

probably when I was about 15 and started doing well in the local contests. I saw that if i progressed I would get the chance to surf more and surf better waves

Do you remember winning your first contest?

I don't really remember it that much...I remember that it was the beginners contest though so I didn't feel like it counted. I remember the 1st contest that I won my division in ESA was when I was 15 in the Malibu's contest. I was just stoked to get some prizes!

Over the course of your surfing career, what are a some of your personal highlights?

for me the best highlights are just the memories of great waves and the people I've met from traveling as far as contests or media or whatever, the best thing I've put out is my part in a surf video called Patience. It was my first video part and I felt like I put a lot of work into it and I was just stoked when it finally happened.

Who are some of your role models or surfing influences?

my favorite surfers to watch are Andy Irons and Dane Reynolds...I don't feel like I'm following another persons path though so I cant really claim a role model. I think there is good in a lot of people, role models are everywhere

Favorite surf travel destination?
New Zealand

Best surfing session?

I got to surf a good left in Hawaii with 2 of my friends, Mick Fanning, Bede Durbage, Joel Parkinson and Andy irons. It was really cool to trade waves with those guys, they put on a show and were class acts in the water. I was just tripping because i was surfing with the guys I always watch on video and stuff and they were destroying waves right in front of me.

Worst wipe out?

last fall I fell on a wave, broke my board, and my wetsuit got blown out, it was a really cold swim in!

A lot of people say you can’t get good at surfing in our area, what are your thoughts about surfing Delmarva?

We get waves, just not that often. especially June and July.

Winter surfing in OC? the cold is brutal but its usually not crowded and sometimes the waves get really good

What are your favorite surfing maneuvers?

big backside airs

Are you working on any new tricks?

oh yea I'm always trying new stuff, right now I'm trying flips and stuff but really I want to get some different grabs documented, it doesn't count if I don't have proof!

Any other hobbies?

skateboarding

How do you stay balanced and grounded?

I gotta girl that does that for me

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

I'm still trying to decide where exactly i want to go. i want to finish the east coast contests and then move somewhere in October where i can get some better waves

What is some advice for the young surfers out there?

just enjoy surfing and all the relationships and opportunities that come with it and remember the reason you surf is to have fun

Thanks and shout outs? Moms Pops Brothers, all other family, Brian wynn, Chris makibbon, all my friends and anyone who has helped me out anytime THANKS!!!

Mauricio Schmidt!

Mauricio Schmidt is a professional Chilean bodyboarder  that has been traveling the world in search of waves.    His down to earth personality makes him charming, and his adventures around the world are captivating,  he even made it to Cape Henlopen State Park a few years ago  and thought they waves were great.  He is living in Hawaii at the moment planning his next trip.

Name:  Mauricio Schmidt

Nicknames: Pitifi, just a funny names given by friends when I was 14 years old.

Age: 34 yrs old

Weight: 165lb  (80)

Stance: goofy

Home Town:  Concon, Chile

Home Break:  Reñaca, all around Concon in Chile, in Hawaii all of the North Shore,

Board: 42”- 11” nose 19” tail

When and how did you get into body boarding?

Started with friends around 11 years old, doing body surfing, then the bodyboards got to Chile and we started bodyboarding, I went everyday until I caught my first wave, then I never stopped.  I would go everyday early morning by myself, without a wetsuit, the ocean was cold, but I didn’t care. 

How was the bodyboarding scene in Chile at that time?

If you compare to USA, Australia, it was relatively new, it started in the 80s, at that time there weren’t that many people bodyboarding, I’m probably first generation bodyboarder in Chile.  We would travel a lot and make videos, surfing waves that at the time no one new about.  We would have to lend our bodyboards to other team members because not everybody had one, so we would take turns in the water.    We had a clan, we would go to the beach together and ride waves.

What is you favorite wave in Chile?

I like all the waves in the north, they are reef break, its very consistent there.  Very similar to Hawaii, they are powerful and rock bottom. Good contour.

and fav wave in the world?  That's a hard question, There are good waves everywhere but if I had to separate from cold water, my country has great waves, and warm water probably would have to be Hawaii.

What are some of the places you have traveled in the past year to bodyboard?

In south America, Chile, Peru, Ecuador.   Australia, I went all over Queensland, golf and south, USA, Cali, Hawaii, Europe, canary island, Portugal, France and Mexico

why did you get into competitive bodyboarding?  Chile has always had surf competitions but when bodyboarding became more popular they started to run the bodyboarding competitions together.   It was a good thing for me, you can compare yourself to other riders, and keep pushing towards the next level.  Checking new spots, and that's when traveling starts.  

I started in the Latin American circuit, then moved to the  USA circuit.

fav maneuver you like to do?  All barrels, back flips, areal inverts, reverse rolls, ars  (air, roll, spin)

working on any tricks?  yeah, double back flip, looking for the right wave that will give me enough air time for the rotations.

lefts or rights?  rights

worst wipe out?   One time at Punta de Lobos,Chile, faces were about 18 feet, there was a set coming, I didn’t make it to the line up and a wave broke in front of me, I was under for about 45sec probably, I couldn’t get out,  my whole life went through my eyes, my parents, kids and I don't have any (laughs)  My friends, I was having flashbacks. I thought I was dying, I didn’t want to die,  I realized I was swimming towards the bottom, so I swam the other direction and made it to the top, took two more waves in the head  and got out through the rocks. That was definitely my worst.  I’ve had others but that was the most shocking one.

Best session?   Here in Hawaii I’ve had some amazing session, and Arica, Chile

Is bodyboarding big in Hawaii?  Bodyboarding was born here, thanks to Tom Morey, so there are a lot of people that bodyboard.  Super bodyboarders here!

How about the Chilean waves for bodyboarding?  they are great, lots of power and good shape, heavy waves in Chile.

Other hobbies?  Mt bike, snowboarding, rock climbing, I like to do all sports but those are my favorite.

What are your plans for the rest of the year?   I’m gonna be in the north shore , Hawaii, catching waves and working, waiting for good waves, even though its not the season right now for big waves you can still find some and I’m planning a road trip with a couple of friends, leaving CA and driving all the way to Chile searching for waves the whole way down the Pacific coast.  

What is some advice you can give to bodyboarders in our area?

Always have a connection with the ocean, you have to respect it, you have to understand it, know how it works, the mechanics of it, currents, types of waves, types of bottoms.  You have to know the ocean a little bit before you start taking it to the next level.  Practice and get to the point where the board feels like an extension of your body,  balance, positioning of the board and just how comfortable you feel with the board are key.   Practice and perseverance, being consistent will make you a good bodyboarder.

Have you ever been to Delaware?

Yeah, one time, I was lucky to be there for a 4’ to 7’ swell, and the waves were so much fun, all rights at Herring Point.   I had a blast.

Any thanks?

I’ve been traveling around the world for the past few years.... I would like to thank my friends, the people I’ve met, the friends from my childhood, my friends in Hawaii, my friends in Europe and America, they have always helped me,  without them my dreams of searching and boadybaording new waves would have been very hard also my family for the support and help, and you for the interview!  a shout out to Rehoboth Beach Surf Shop and Alonzo,  hope to see you guys in Hawaii soon!!

JEFF GOMEZ

Jeff Gomez is a Californian skimboarder, editor and owner of Skimboard Magazine a quarterly publication available by subscription and pre orders only. Skimboard Magazine was created by a group of skimboarders and photographers that believed  the sport  needed some form of print media. The magazine features the best that the sport has to offer. Their goal is to help the sport of skimboarding grow, and bring the readers a high quality publication.  

Name:  Jeff Gomez

Nicknames: Mez, given to me by George Bryan when I was about 16.  One day surfing trestles, I went flying by him on a right, and I just remember hearing "GO!....Mez!"  It just stuck.

Age:   34

Weight: 170

Stance:  regular foot

Home Town:  Laguna Beach California

Home Break:  Aliso beach

Board: medium carbon grape

When and how did you get into skimboarding? 

 I think i was maybe in like the fourth grade so maybe ten years old. My dad had a place down from Aliso Beach and it was just what everybody was doing. My first board was home made wood painted white cut from a boogie board template. You can actually see my first day in one of the tenth street bros videos (Vortex Children)

Who did you grow up skimming with? 

When I was young it was mostly my brother.  We also met  Chia (Andy Chiavetta) and Aaron Peluso. Once got a bit older  I started skimming with Bill and George Bryan, Chris Rudolph and Dan McMillan.  Skimming with the best in the world was a blessing and a curse the same time.  On the one hand they really oust you to be better, but on the other hand with all of that talent around it becomes incredibly tough to get noticed.

What is your favorite place to skim? 

I think Aliso will always be my go to spot. I hope to one day call sununga Brazil my favorite spot but we'll have to see about that.

What made you want to start a magazine?

Well when I first started considering it there were no print mags out there. The sport needs one and the timing is just right for it.  For me wanting to be a part of the sport that I have done for so long was the main factor.  

Where can you buy skimboard magazine in Delaware?

You can pick up a copy of Skimboard Magazine at Alley Oop Skim Shop. Or you can go to our website  www.skimboardmag.com to subscribe.  Numbers are usually limited so that's the best way to ensure you don't miss an issue.

What is a typical Jeff Gomez day?

My typical day starts at 5 A.M. I get up and go to work where I program a cnc (computerized numerically controlled) router for a custom cabinet shop.  After spending eight hours covered in saw dust, I head home to my wife Casey and two daughters Nyah and winter 2 years old and 6 months old.  Usually there is some kind of project going on at home whether its one of my furniture projects or my wife's crafting business, there's always something to be done. Between dinner and bath time for the girls, the evening seems to just fly by and before I know it its bed time. I get up and do it all over again. Five days a week. If I'm lucky a squeeze in a few hours a weekend to get in the water.

Has the skim scene changed in California over the past couple years and if so How?

I took about seven years off from the skim scene, so to me I see a big difference. There so many more kids that are doing it these days, and they come from all over the place.  It seems like it is way more cliquey than it used to be. Maybe there is just more of them. Overall I'd say the California skim scene is pretty healthy.

Favorite Trick?

Well since getting barreled or a sic soulful liner is not really a trick, I always dig launching a big air.  

Any trick that hasn’t been done on a skimboard that you would like to see?

I think bringing in some big business sponsors would be a pretty cool trick.

Have you ever been in competitive skimboarding?

I competed for many years, my best result was a second place at the 2000 Victoria World championships.

Your thoughts on this year’s world skimboarding championships?

I think this years WCS was amazing from the live webcast to the all young guy finals, I think its great where the sport is headed

Skate, Surf, Or Snowboard?

Skim!!!!

Favorite thing about having your own magazine?

All the amazing photos I get to see from all over the world, and the support I've received

Worst thing about having your own magazine?

Trying to collect from advertisers

worst wipe out?

During an air drop to dry sand my back foot slipped off and I pogo sticked off the tail.  The board got me right between the legs, luckily it missed all the vital parts. Or it could be any number of lame little turns that resulted in dislocated shoulders.

best session?

Anything at Aliso between September and December.

Thoughts about Delaware skimmers?

I love how stoked on skimming they all are. I think that's something I share with them these days. I don't get to skim much so when I do I'm so stoked, even though its usually less than stellar. Seems like any Delaware guys are the same way, just stoked to be skimming, no matter what the conditions may be.

Any Shout outs?

Just want to say thanks to all the readers, supporters, subscribers, and contributors. This magazine wouldn't be possible without all of you.