First, this year the Southside Shootout has replaced the East Coast Skimboarding Championships as Delaware's only UST stop in 2008.  Consistent  solid conditions at southside have prevailed over the last few years and the UST has taken notice.  This move has been made in conjunction with the UST's long standing goal of spotlighting the best that skimboarding has to offer.

Secondly, the West Coast Championships in Laguna Beach will no longer be worth 2000 points.  Due to the high level of competition at this event, more points have been traditionally weighted toward it.  That tradition will continue as the event will be worth a reduced 1500 points in 2008.  Read more about how this breaks down here.

10.17.07
Ladies and gentlemen boys and girls. 

The United Skim Tour is pleased to announce final rankings for the 2007 Season!!!  This years announcement comes with a nice little surprise:   Zap, Victoria, and Exile Skimboards have all stepped up to the plate and put together a $10,000 purse for the Top Six UST Riders.  We apologize for the late announcement, but better late than never.

The top 10 looks like this.

Paulo Prietto was again able to squeak out a first place victory.  Paulo knows the formula: make it to the finals in nearly every event and win a couple.  Easier said than done.  This third consecutive world title was also his closest.  After an early exit at the Oktoberfest contest, 2nd place finisher Brad Domke had a brief opportunity to snatch it away.  It was not to be however, as he was soon edged out in the same round of competition.

After a partial rookie season in 2005, and then an injury last year, this was 18 year old Brad Domke's first full year on tour.  Ending up only a solid wave or two from the world title is certainly not a bad way to start. 

Morgan Just has been a top UST contender for years and shows no signs of slowing down soon.  What looked like it would probably be a fourth place finish this year quickly turned into a third place as Grady Archbold was eliminated early this past weekend.

Grady Archbold is no stranger to the top UST rankings.  Going into the final few events he appeared to be well positioned to recapture the number two spot.  Solid last minute performances by Brad and Morgan made this a difficult task however, and he slid one spot to number four by the slimmest of margins.

Brendan Stevens made his first appearance last year at seventh and improves upon that record this year with a fifth place showing.  Solid work from one of the most powerful skimboarders in the world.

Sam Stinnett is the 14 year old super-grom to beat.  After skimming only 5 of the 8 events, he has earned himself a sixth place finish, some cash, and a feat that may never be topped: the youngest competitor to make it to the top 10 ever.

Skimboarding legend Bill Bryan only skimmed three events this year but still racked up enough points to earn 7th place on the tour.  Will we see him compete on the circuit again?  He isn't saying if a Slater like comeback is in the works.

Brandon Rothe is possibly the essence of style on a skimboard.  After some lackluster finishes and missed events early in the season, he came on strong winning the last two events and securing a top 10 spot.

Jason Wilson is one of the tour veterans who simply knows how to get it done.  Traveling to all the events and earning solid finishes on both coasts makes it happen.

Jaime Lovett is the wildcard of skimboarding.  Clearly one of the most talented riders out there, he has yet to commit to a full tour.  Even with just two events under his belt, he was able to barely squeak out a 10th place.  We want to see more Jaime.

Thats it.  The 2007 season is in the bag. 

Be sure to check out the Final 2007 Standings for all the details..

10.08.07
Things just got interesting.  After a second round loss in Santa Cruz by top ranked Paulo Prietto and a third round loss from Grady Archbold, Brad Domke was able to pick up significant ground by placing second at the event.  He leapfrogged Grady into second place and is now just 384 points behind Paulo, and the 2007 world title.  Not bad for a 18 year old Floridian in his first complete year on tour!  However it turns out this weekend, congratulations on an amazing performance Brad.

While Paulo, Brad and Grady are the only competitors in striking distance of the top spot, Morgan Just who is currently in fourth could easily hop into the 3rd or 2nd place position.  But those four are isolated from the rest of the pack.  Whatever the order is, those four guys will take the top four spots.

After that we have a race for 5th place, which is currently occupied by Bill Bryan.  Right on his tail are Brendan Stevens and rookie year wundergrom Sam Stinnett.

James Lovett, and Austin Bleiweiss are technically within striking distance of the 5,6 and 7 spots but will have a tough time unless one of the current occupants no shows this weekend.

Beyond that almost everything is up for grabs as the point spreads for 10th place down are very very small.  So any thing could happen.

If you are in the California area, head on down to Balboa to witness the end of the 2007 United Skim Tour season!

Please visit the Updated Standings for all the details.

09.05.07
Paulo Prietto further strengthens his grip on the top spot after taking first place in Delaware.  Brad Domke and Grady Archbold further distinguish themselves from their competitors, but not from each other, after taking second and third.  Meanwhile Bill Bryan and Morgan Just solidify their placing's with solid finishes while Austin Bleiweiss and Jason Wilson reappear in the top ten.  Check out the updated results for all the details.

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