Outer Banks skimboarder is making waves at early age

By Jeff Zeigler

KITTY HAWK

If there was ever a prototype Outer Banks kid, it might be Perry Pruitt.

The Kitty Hawk native, with a shock of blond hair, has been skimboarding since he was 4. His practice and prowess have landed him several national sponsorships and a trip to California that children his age only dream about on their best days in the water.

Perry, 12, will compete this weekend in the 32nd annual Victoria Skimboards World Championship of Skimboarding in Laguna Beach, Calif. He was invited to the competition by Victoria Skimboards, one of his sponsors.

After winning the Outer Banks Skim Jam for his age group the weekend of July 11, he will also compete in the Skim Jam East Coast Championships Aug. 16 and 17 in Dewey Beach, Del.

According to Joey Antonelli of Skim City in Indialantic, Fla., Perry finished second in his age group in the Skim Jam tour standings, 66 points behind leader Trey Rhoten.

"He went to one less contest and still finished second," Antonelli said.

His second-place finish guaranteed him a spot in the East Coast championships. He is hoping for bigger waves, like the breakers the Outer Banks had last weekend.

"The contests in Florida, the waves aren't good, and I'm really used to riding waves," Perry said. "Sometimes the kids aren't as good as I am, but they can win the contest just because I can't ride the little waves," he said. "When it comes to waves like we get here, I usually end up better than them."

Although skimboarding gets less publicity than its better-known cousin, surfing, it takes coordination. A skimboarder waits for a wave and runs toward it with the skimboard. When he or she reaches the wet sand, with maybe half an inch of water, he or she drops the board and jumps onto it, skimming across the water toward the ocean. The skimboarder then glides into the oncoming wave and tries to bank off it and ride it back into shore. It takes skill to choose the right wave, especially in a contest.

Even the best can have a bad day. Perry recalled a time when things didn't go so well during one contest.

"I was trying to go into a far wave, and I ran as hard as I could. The board just stuck to the ground, and I fell flat on my face in front of everyone."

He began watching the skimboarders on the Outer Banks at a young age and started skimming "because it looked fun." After a few years, he learned to turn on the waves.

"One year for my birthday, my parents got me a decent board. I started progressing every year, and each year I got a better board," he said.

Today, he practices all year long. When school is in, he hits the ocean after school and practices until almost dark.

Children involved in board sports in the Outer Banks talk about being "sponsored" like a badge of honor. Besides Victoria Skimboards, Perry is sponsored by Wave Riding Vehicles, Skim City at the Pit in Kill Devil Hills, and Everglide Speed Wax.

When he started, he said, he had "no clue" about his rise in the skimboarding world.

"Neither did my parents," he said. "I was just having fun."