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You’ve seen the good ones. You’ve certainly seen the bad ones. What are the secrets to picking up skimboarding? Pensacola News Journal

Skimboarders have a home on Pensacola Beach anywhere between a wave’s crash and the rip tide’s return.

Anyone who’s spent time on Pensacola Beach has seen them: Boarders, typically in their teens or younger, sprinting head long down the beach and jumping onto a thin wooden board that will hopefully carry them into the crashing waves.

It isn’t hard to spot those who are learning. Whether tumbling head long into the water or falling backwards without stepping foot on the board, it’s clear the sport is a lot more difficult to do than explain.

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But those who have mastered the skill are just as easy to spot, effortlessly gliding onto incoming waves with cuts and spins before calmly coming to a rest.

So how does one make the jump from novice to skilled with as little injury as possible? One could simply pony up a little change and enroll in a class.

Waterboyz hosts skimboarding camps on Pensacola Beach throughout the summer. It’s 10-session schedule is nearing its end, with the second to last running this week and the final session from July 30 to Aug. 2.

The camp’s website said it is open to anyone interested in learning the sport who is older than 6 and a capable swimmer.

For those who don’t own skimboards, fear not. Waterboyz claims it will provide one as long as you’re willing to jump on for a ride.

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If beginner classes are too formal or not in the budget, however, skimboarders on Pensacola Beach have tips on how to get going.

Wyatt West, 14, of New Braunfels, Texas, has been skimboarding while on vacation for four years, picking up the sport after growing a bit tired of boogie boarding in the waves.

While not an expert by any means, Wyatt rode comfortably while on Pensacola Beach on Friday, throwing 360-degree spins and shove-its (a trick where he spins the board underneath him) in the shallow waves.

First and foremost, Wyatt said it’s important to know what type of stance you’ll feel comfortable using before ever attempting to hit the wave. Whichever lead foot feels natural decides the riding style: Left foot forward is known as regular, while right foot forward is goofy.

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On the run-up, Wyatt prefers to take one to two steps before placing his dominant front foot down first in order to continue his momentum into the waves, though some might recommend stepping back foot first.

Wyatt’s most important advice, however, was to run hard and without fear. Similar to riding a bicycle, riders who attempt to engage with a slow-moving board may have more difficulty maintaining balance than those who carry momentum into the ride.  

“Getting fast run-ups and watching the wave,” Wyatt said. “The times that I mess up, I’m not watching and feeling what I’m doing.”

Surfer’s wax is crucial in maintaining a grip on the top of the board, especially on the cheaper wooden models on which beginners and tourists typically learn.

More experienced riders like Wyatt usually upgrade from wood to foam models which are often made with carbon and fiberglass materials.

Understandably more expensive, but easier to control, many of these boards even have traction pads which give riders greater control and a target on which to aim their feet.

“I got the bigger pad (at the front of the board) because it covers more area of my foot,” Wyatt said. “That way I can just throw it down wherever I want. (On the back of the board where it curls up) on the track pad, you can push up to go into the wave and turn. When you go in, it’s controlled.”

Skimboarding is far from a new sport. Its origins date back to lifeguards on Laguna Beach in the 1920s according to most in the sport’s small community.

Though a small community, it’s a sport many beachgoers are still willing to pick up and try, though the brave tend to be younger.

Knox Stephens, 8, and Griffin Wiggins, 9, of Magnolia, Arkansas, were prime examples of that Friday, skimming along on wood boards after just a day of practice. Their parents said they were all too willing to leave the fun to them.

Eric J. Wallace can be reached at ejwallace@pnj.com or 850-525-5087.