On Sunday, Aug. 7, the eighth annual Aidan Acton Memorial Skate Comp went off without a glitch, as hundreds gathered for a full day of skateboarding, music, food and giveaways.
First place in the 12-and-under category went to Jordan Van Gryzen, second place was Mattie Hyde, and Jean Marc Poirer captured third place. Karl Wilson claimed first place in the 13-to-16 category with Lucas Meggitt finishing second and Nigel Ruston a close third.
The 17-and-up category has never been more exciting. Two-time winner Jesse Berg came out with a huge first run, but couldn’t complete due to a broken foot. Hayden Kelly finished third, but deciding the overall winner would be almost too close to call, as Jordan Murray and Shay Sandiford were deadlocked in a tie.
There can only be one winner, and the judges decided to go to a third round tie-break. Murray finished strong, but when Sandiford did a crooked grind down the eight-set first try on someone else’s board (after losing a wheel on his own), it was clear that Sandiford would take home the $1,000 cash prize.
"Huge thanks to the City of Courtenay and the Comox Recreation Commission, as well as Onethirtythree, Boardwalk, Freakin Coffee, DJ Souls, and all the volunteers who made Sunday such a huge success," an event spokesperson said.