Duncan Wins Skim Jam 2025

A beautiful Naples beach day with temperatures in the mid-80s and a south wind from seven to 10 mph welcomed skimboard enthusiasts to Skim Jam 2025 on Saturday, May 3. It was the eleventh running of the popular skimboarding event, held on 13th Avenue South, at the foot of the Naples Pier. When all the points were totaled, it was Dylan Duncan of Venice, Florida, who finished atop the Pro division, seven points ahead of runner-up Gerardo Valencia of Mexico, the 2021 world skimboard champion. Duncan also won the Best Trick award with a 720 Big, a maneuver where the board does two complete rotations while the skimmer hovers in the air.

The event is proof positive that Naples, despite all of its changes, still has a vibrant beach scene. The Skim Jam, sponsored by Old Naples Surf Shop, is a shining example of the closeness of the Naples beach community.

“We've been holding this at 13th Avenue South since 2012,” said Sharda Spah, owner of Old Naples Surf Shop, "and it's competition between boys 10 and under all the way up to pros. We also have the same thing for girls, 10 and under, all the way up to women. We have a lot of local competitors, but we also have a lot of people that come from out of town as well. This has been a fantastic turnout. I'm thrilled that there are so many families and kids that participate. It's a very family-friendly event, and we've got a beautiful day.”

One of the most popular competitors is 10-year-old Giorgio Tomasi, whose father Mark Tomasi said is ranked number one in the United States in his age group. Gio, as he’s better known, has been making waves as a skimmer since he was seven.

"He loves skimming,” Tomasi said. "And he loves competition. He also likes surfing, skating, fishing, and art. And he wants to be an architect.”

Known on the Skim USA Tour as SkimGio, young Gio already has an arm’s length of sponsors.

“He’s appreciative of all his sponsors," Tomasi said as he rattles off his son’s backers. "Old Naples Surf Shop, Zap Skimboards, Hammer, Traction, Wave X apparel, Wavy Wonders, Skim Army."

Skim Jam is not part of the Skim USA tour, but attracts some of the top skimmers nonetheless.

"We're not part of the USA tour,” Spah said. "This is a totally independent competition. We've got some pro riders from Zap that are here competing today, and then some of our local pros. Alex Brevard is who actually first came up with the idea for this event. I think if it wasn't for Alex, I wouldn't have come up with this competition. I'm going to give him credit."

Spah also singled out the contributions of Connor Bowden, who won the Skim Jam several times in the past. Bowden, 30, finished fourth in the Pro division this year.

Audubon Western Everglades is the beneficiary of this year’s Skim Jam.

“All the proceeds from this event are donated to Audubon Western Everglades,” Spah said. "They do a lot for Marco. They do the burrowing owl program. The gopher tortoise program. Shorebirds. They're very heavily invested in Marco."