Conklin takes Oktoberfest skimboarding title at Balboa Pier
Blair Conklin captured the men’s final at the 12th annual Oktoberfest skimboarding event, which was held Oct. 1-2 at the Balboa Pier.
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FOR THE RECORD: An earlier version of this post was accompanied by a photo of another contestant misidentified as Blair Conklin.
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(Susan Hoffman / Susan Hoffman)
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For the 12th year, Exile Skimboards presented the open skimboard competition known as Oktoberfest on Saturday and Sunday at the Balboa Pier.
About 500 people came out to enjoy the 170 competitors participating in what is the final tournament of the year for the United Skim Tour.
“This is a world-class skimboarding event that culminates the year on a high note,” said Hank Snapp, the operations manager at Exile Skimboards. “It’s a great way to end the season.”
“Oktoberfest is the premier skimboarding competition in the world,” added Steve Taylor, who is also an operations manager with the San Clemente-based company. “In the 12 years it has been running, it has developed into the most traveled event for riders from across the globe.”
No. 1 world-ranked rider Blair Conklin won the men’s final, which also allowed him to secure the United Skim Tour championship.
Snapp was pleased with the ocean conditions, saying, “We saw the best skimboarding conditions at Balboa as any tour. I think we’re pretty blessed.”
Kaori Oda won the women’s pro title, according to Taylor.