The final day of the 41st Annual Zap World Championships was one for the books. The day began with some slight offshore winds and glassy conditions that made for some fun skim. The first ones to hit the water were the pro men. Yahir Valencia came out swinging to take top honors in his first heat. His style was on point and his tricks were immaculate but when he got into his next head to head round, an unfortunate interference call kept him from advancing to the pro men’s final. However, his brother Gerardo stepped up in a big way and cruised his way into a finals appearance. Along with Gerardo, Bruno Sá showcased his powerful skim style to make it to the finals as well. Once the pro men’s final was set, it was time for the pro women to hit the water and showcase their skills. Casey McCullough and Sydney Pizza were locked into the same heat to determine who would be gunning for the top spot and who would be going for 3rd. Both ladies skimmed beautifully but Casey managed to edge out Syd moving into the finals where she ultimately placed 2nd and Sydney took 3rd. It was a strong showing for the women! After plenty of pro action, the amateur riders took to the beach as the conditions seemed to worsen. That didn’t hold them back as the Men’s division came out swinging with team riders Dylan Duncan, Nico Traykovski, and ET Beaugrand throwing down. Dylan was on point all day hitting wraps and tech tricks out to secure a spot in the finals along with ET bringing his smooth style that impressed the judges. Following the men was the Masters finals where Kaleb Perkins laid down some solid lines to secure himself a 3rd place finish. The Grandmasters final was up next where team rider Drew Fusco kept his skimming smooth and stylish that added up to a 2nd place podium finish for him. Following that division, the Senior Grandmasters came out with Chip Sanders looking nice and smooth. He laid down some solid backside lines with his signature style that put him into 2nd place by the end of the heat.
After a quick lunch break, we were back with the Semi-Pro division ready to tear it up. Dylan Duncan kept his hot streak alive as he secured his spot in the finals where he placed 4th overall. All his skimming in both men’s and semi-pro was impressive enough to give him honorary “Man of Steel” award as he showcased his drive and love for the sport. The younger divisions came up next where our youngest team rider, Gio Tomasi, left the competition in the dust as he rode into a first place finish for the Minis. The pro men came back out to shut down the contest and our boys Gerardo Valencia and Bruno Sá skimmed their way to a 3rd and 5th place finish respectively.
We would like to thank not only the 200+ competitors who made the trip to Dewey Beach but all the vendors, sponsors, volunteers, parents, and everyone else involved who made this event such a success! We can’t wait until next year!
Zap Team Results:
