For Weber State University alum Shaun Hancock, owning one of the only indoor sky-diving/surfing facilities in the country is hard but satisfying work.
Thanks to his unique business, Hancock and others were able to host The Trifecta of Shred this weekend, where athletes competed in three events: skateboarding, surfing and snowboarding.
The surfing competition was held at the Salomon Center in Ogden, which Hancock runs and manages.
“I have a passion for the sport of flowboarding,” Hancock said. “I want to share it to continue to grow the sport. The Trifecta is a great way to meet new friends and find new hobbies.”
Flowboarding can be compared to surfing and wakeboarding, though most athletes said the sport is still very unique. Instead of being pulled behind a boat or riding waves in the ocean, boarders can “surf” right in Ogden.
“It’s unlike any board sport,” said competitor Jessie Morgan, 24. “Wakeboarding and surfing are probably the closest, and knowing how to do either of those helps, but it requires a lot of a different kind of balance.”
Morgan said her favorite part about participating in the Trifecta last weekend was the chance to get out and do something.
“I like to do adventurous things,” she said. “I’m not as good at flowboarding or skateboarding, but I try and I think that’s pretty cool.”
The skateboarding section of the competition was held at the skate park in Harrisville, and the snowboarding section was held at Wolf Mountain. The Trifecta brought in athletes not only from the Ogden area, but from around the country.
“We have competitors from five different states this year, as well as many local competitors,” Hancock said.
One of those who flew in from out of state was 22-year-old Sean Silveira from Orlando, Fla.
“I’m excited for the snowboarding,” Silveira said. “Obviously, there’s not much snowboarding back home for me. The snowboarding is the most challenging for me, just because I don’t get to do it very often. But I have lots of background, so things like that come really easy to me.”
Silveira has been competing in flowboarding for a couple years, and came out to take advantage of the unique competition offered in Ogden.
“It’s been fun hanging out with some homies and just having a good time overall,” he said.
Eric Silverman, originally from San Diego, also came into town for the event.
“I’ve been competing mainly in flowboarding for three years,” he said. “I’ve traveled to a bunch of national competitions. I just compete for the fun of it.”
Divisions included grom (5-11 years old), juniors (12-17 years old), men’s 18-plus and women’s open, and the master’s division of 35-plus.
“We start planning . . . six months in advance,” Hancock said. “It takes a lot of work and many phone calls to put on these events to make them successful. We get satisfaction knowing that everyone has a good time and all of our hard work has paid off.”
