Austin Keen has taken out the 40th Annual The Vic, at Aliso Beach, California.
The event has been organized by Victoria Skimboards, a company founded in 1976, in Laguna Beach. This year, The Vic was not officially part of the United Skim Tour (UST), but the contest didn't lose relevance.
"I do not think we could have asked for a better 40th. It was a plethora of waves, a dearth of sand, an intimate soiree of sand, shore break, and sun for all the die-hard skimboard fans of the world," expressed Tex Haines, who co-founded Victoria Skimboards with Peter Prietto.
The Vic Pro 2016 had a live scoring system and an online broadcast. Riders were competing knowing which scores to chase to overcome their opponents. The world's best skimboarders - including Perry Pruitt, Tim Fulton, Blair Conklin, Timmy Gamboa, and Sam Stinnett - colored the shore break with next-level tricks and maneuvers.
The final had Austin Keen and Brandon Sears battling for the event's trophy. The wave conditions were superb, and both riders put on a spectacular skimboarding showdown.
"The VIC holds a lot of sentimental value to me in so many ways and has been a huge goal of mine since I started skimboarding. This is the most classic, prestigious, and competitive skimboarding event in the world, and I couldn't be more stoked and honored to have my name next to the 39 other legends on that board forever," explained Keen.
"I'm also proud to be the first rider from the East Coast ever to do it! Big thanks to everyone who was supporting me the whole six rounds through, and my sponsors. Huge thanks to the Vic crew for doing a stand-up job running the webcast and new live scoring platform and making this contest happen for the 40th year in a row!"
40th Annual The Vic | Final
Pro Men
1. Austin Keen
2. Brandon Sears
3. Blair Conklin
4. Sam Stinnett
5. Teddy Vlasis
6. Tim Fulton
7. Jake Stinnett
8. Bill Bryan