Scott Copeland from Akwa Industries took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to talk with us.
Check it out…
What’s your name?
Scott Copeland. Some people call me scoco for short.
Where are you from?
Roberts Creek, BC Canada.
How old are you?
30 years old
How long have you been skimming?
Not that long. I grew up a skater and snowboarder and then got into surfing. I skim now alot because it doesn’t hurt the same as skating.
Where do you skim normally?
Any of the spots here on the Sunshine Coast.
Who do you skim with?
Uhhh CJ, Rory, Bryce R, and a bunch of other fair-weather guys we see in the summer here. Just anyone friendly I guess.
What is your favorite skim spot?
Right now I would have to say Whitaker beach here on the coast, it’s just perfect sometimes.
Where have you traveled to skimboard?
Just around here and Vancouver island. We’ve gone to some pretty rad beaches.. Just way out in the middle of nowhere. It’s great.
Where do you want to travel to skim? Well, all the wave Mecca’s of course. Right now I’m planning a trip to Nova Scotia to check out that whole scene. It looks pretty amazing over there.
What board(s) do you ride?
Right now I’m mainly on an akwa 53” sniper in e-glass. And for flatland I ride a foam board actually, called the “city hybrid” from akwa. And for a woody I’m on a “coast” by akwa as well, this feels way to plugged haha.
Do you compete?
Not nearly enough, I do compete in wave contests from time to time. I’m hoping to compete in a few contests in the states soon.
If so, what competitions have you competed in?
We had a contest here at Roberts Creek beach. And one or two skim jam style events out in Port Renfrew, Vancouver island.
And what are some of your contest highlights?
The triple threat bitches. Big shorepound and a crew of rad peeps just having a good time.
Do you have any sponsors? What companies?
Not really, I’m sort of self-sponsored through building my own boards. I’m currently looking for a wetsuit sponsor.
What other board sports do you partake in?
ahhh well I’ve pretty much skated my whole life, Snowboarding, I competed in Longboard racing for a short time, right now I’ve been having a lot of fun riding a snowskate.
What skimboarding goals do you have?
Ride more, write more, travel more, explore more beaches and just enjoy this beautiful ride we call life.
Where do you see the skimboarding going in the future?
Far. It has all the raddest aspects of other board sports.
What riders influenced your skimboarding?
Hahah! Name dropping could go on for hours, there are so many solid skimmers from the U.S. right now…I would say the guys who took on a heavy load to help build the scene by filming or shaping or whatever, thus offering more for the athletes to progress at their sport.
What riders are pushing the sport right now?
Well, in flatland you have all the kayotics guys, they really step it up, and I’m a huge fan of the DB kids, they are all really amazing and do a great job of representing themselves. I dig PD from skullskates and the whole sbank mello styles. All the top UST guys are pretty much the essence of the wave scene right now, as far as progression goes. There are so many, this shit is exploding!!!
If you were stranded on a desert island that already has a plentiful resource of skimboards what three things would you bring?
Wax, sunscreen, and a bad ass Rambo knife
What is the best advice you can to a skim grom trying to get recognized?
Be professional when contacting a company, get a photographer and or filmer, be yourself and nurture your own style, have a positive attitude, skim like mad and keep it fun.
What is the skim scene like in BC?
It’s pretty chill, pretty natural, it’s full of talented riders, artists, companies. Has great beaches with every style of skimming.
Is the skim scene in BC growing?
I would say it is. The average person over 35 still thinks skimming is a beach toy. But the number of people upping the game is crazy. I meet new kids all the time who are hooked on the sport. Plus there is a lengthy history of it here, I’ve met some old timers who used to skim here like 30 years ago, big round discs and that whole thing.
How is Akwa Industres?
Akwa’s good, we are just getting ready to drop the 2009 line-up. And of course the door is always open for custom boards so we’ve been busy enough.
Who is a part of Akwa Industres?
Myself, Bryce Casselman, and all the cool people who have supported us.
What can we expect from Akwa in the future?
Well, for 2009 it’s all about new ideas, more sustainable forward thinking. As long as I’m riding, I’m constantly testing our product and making it better all the time. Lighter, stronger boards with good flex and feel is what it’s all about. We’ll be hosting our annual Roberts Creek Contest, DateTBA. Demos, partying, antics, and a few Team trips.
Be sure to stay updated here on this site, great job skimboard culture!
