Floatboard competition makes waves

MOSES LAKE - Jesse Garza, 7, of Moses Lake, flipped a 360-degree turn on the bodyboard, then flipped a second one. When he got out of the Flowrider at the Surf 'n Slide water park, Jesse explained how it's done.

He lifts his legs, "and then you slam your hand in the water." To stop, he slams his legs in the water, Jesse said. He was one of 18 contestants in the Floatboard competition Saturday.

Results were not available at press time.

The event replaces a stop on a floatboard tour that had included Moses Lake the last two years, said Tom Los, the city's recreation supervisor. Competitors ranged in age from 7 to 30-plus; most were local, but a team made journeyed from Idaho.

The goal is to do tricks like Jesse's: spins, rolls, flipping the board. The tricks come from skateboarding, snowboarding, surfing, wakeboarding, and similar sports, said Chester Lenz, of Moses Lake.

Lenz has been floatboarding since the Flowrider opened five years ago. It's a great sport, he said.

"The feel of it," said Jesse Humphrey, of Moses Lake, standing beside Lenz watching the competition.

"The competition, the tricks, " Lenz said.

"You learn new stuff," Humphrey said.

"It's just addicting. It's an addicting sport," Lenz said.

Mercedes Smith was competing for the first time. At first it's all about "just trying to stay on. Trying to stay on and win," she said. Mercedes hasn't been riding that long, she knows how to carve, which is boardspeak for making a turn. "That's all I can do I can't do any tricks," she said. She thought Jesse Garza's 360s were pretty cool "That was awesome," she said.

The judges were Los, Eric Gruber and Roland Gonzales. Daniel Carpenter was the announcer.