The earliest known record of skimboarding goes back to 1920 in Laguna Beach, California.[1] There are photographs from that time period of Laguna Beach lifeguards skimming along the sand on large plywood boards.
These boards were commonly circular in shape and not very well designed for controlled skimboarding. In the early 1970s skimboards started to take on a shape more similar to surfboards and began to be manufactured out of fiberglass instead of plywood. Tex Haines started the first skimboarding business which he named Victoria after his home beach in Laguna. With rising popularity, many others have sprung up and skimboards are now very easy to come by.
Although skimboarding is predominantly a recreational activity like surfing, it has also evolved into a highly competitive water sport and is now being taken more seriously. The Victoria Skimboards World Championship of Skimboarding is held annually in Laguna Beach where skimboarders from around the world compete in a number of age and skill division levels.
The skill level of a skimboarder is judged by his "rep power". Rep power has been defined by the skimboard elite like DTRICK as being your "Step power" "If you got more rep then you got more step, and you can pick up on more special lady friends". In order to become a great skimboarder you must study the ways of the former greats like Steve Taylor, Cash Von Walzer, and TxSkimmer. The progression of skimboarding has been well documented by sources such as Foreverskimthemag.com and Daily Dtrick.
