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Brief revival for skimboarding

Clearwater Beach opens its waters Saturday for competition.

CLEARWATER - Nobody really wants to be the bad guy. So when Skip Maxwell put away his whistle and his flag after 15 years of chasing off pesky skimboarders from his lifeguard watchtower, he felt compelled to go back and do right by them.

"To me, having to sit up there and tell a kid "no, no, you can't,' that has a negative tone to it," said Maxwell, 35, of Clearwater. "These kids live here. This is their beach. They should be able to recreate on it."

He is a changed man since leaving his post as a Clearwater Beach lifeguard and opening Double Barrel Surf Shop on 1867 Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard in February with longtime buddies Kari and Dan Carpenter, also of Clearwater. He has spent the past three months convincing city officials to let local skimmers have at least one day in the sun.

That day is Saturday.

At 8 a.m. at the south jetty of Clearwater Beach, Double Barrel will host Summer SkimFest, the first board-riding competition on the public beach since anyone can remember. The shop-prepared flyer calls it the"rebirth of skim."

"I'd say at least not since either the real early '80s or earlier has there been a water competition of anything on Clearwater Beach," Maxwell said. "It's a step forward for skim-boarding for sure. And I think it's a step forward for the beach, too."

Skimboarding is allowed on Clearwater's Sand Key Beach and most waters' edge, but not until the lifeguards leave their towers at the trademark beach, usually around 4:30 p.m., can skimboarders sashay along the public shore. The city's marine department stressed the public safety concern as the special event application process began in May. When the initial plan to have the contest by the crests of Pier 60 was turned down, Kari Carpenter met with the department. "They were very cooperative," the marine department's Bev Buysse said. "When it was originally denied, they did a good job of coming down here and addressing our concerns." In skimboarding, a rider (ranging from youths to adults) must throw a hard-surfaced board on inch-deep water (usually where beachgoers tend to walk) and ride the skim either out to a wave or straight on the smooth skim, sometimes flipping tricks. Though some riders are conscious of their surroundings and abilities, others are not.

"We needed to make sure they had an area that if something flipped out, there would be no cause for concern to the public. We moved it to the south jetty where it sort of makes its own barrier," said Buysse, who plans to attend the event.

"I'm very interested in seeing how it works. To my knowledge there hasn't been any competition almost ever. We are looking at it as a trial run for the future."

The contest is in age group format and entrants must sign a waiver, as well as read the city ordinance Double Barrel attached to registration forms, which are available at the store. The entry fee is $25 and the first 100 will be accepted. As of July 16, more than 50 had entered.

"When the shop opened, we knew there was a scene out there," Maxwell said. "We just didn't know the skim scene was as big as it is. And I mean bigger than a lot of people really think it is.

"People have called in from up the Panhandle and from the East Coast. This is the kids of Clearwater's time to come out and show themselves off, and hopefully show some people that it's not taboo to skimboard."

WHEN/WHERE: Saturday, at 8 a.m. Clearwater Beach, south jetty by the rocks.

ENTRY: Registration forms can be picked up at Double Barrel Surf Shop on 1867 Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard, just west of Clearwater High School. Registration takes place until the start of the contest. Entry fee is $25. For more information call Double Barrel at (727) 467-0169.

AGE GROUPS: There are 10 divisions - minis (8 years and younger), menehunes (9-11), boys (12-14), junior men (15-17), men (18-21), senior men (22-24), masters (25-29), grandmasters (30 and older), girls (14 and under), women (15 and older). Prizes are awarded to the top three in each division.