Joey Cormack won the open division from a field of 78 competitors in the Rukkus skateboard competition in Mullumbimby on the weekend.
The strong field included eight girls and a total of 22 competitors in the under-12s, and was one of the biggest Rukkus events on record, organiser Flavio Biehl from the Byron Bay Skateboard School said.
‘Skateboarding is growing in popularity across the Byron Shire. There are just a lot more kids skating,’ he said.
It was also good to see more girls enter the competition this year, he said.
The skatepark at Bangalow meant there was now a good array of skate venues across the area, he said.
Skateboarding is also destined to become an Olympic sport in 2020 and the federal government had started to fund the sport through Skateboarding Australia. ‘There is a lot happening,’ Mr Biehl said.
The free event was presented in partnership with the Byron Bay Youth Service.
Results
Girls: 1 Haylie Powell (Moolooba), 2 Keona Pringault (Palm Beach), 3 Isabelle McPherson (Cabarita).
Under-8s: 1 Sumanyu Black (Mullum), 2 Oscar Southerden (Myocum), 3 Rex Jones (Pottsville).
Under-12s: 1 Karlin O’Halloran (Ocean Shores), 2 Josh Godward (Lennox Head), 3 Jedd Pickard.
Under-16s: 1 Sam Windhorst (Kingscliff), 2 Bailey Ryan (Tintenbar), 3 Jay Ogden.
Opens: 1 Joey Cormack (Byron Bay), 2 Isaac Roxburgh (Evans Head), 3 Don Tarr (Caloundra).w
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