After finishing third on the United Skim Tour and a year full of adventure, team rider Lucas McCoy sat down with team manager Jason Wilson to discuss his past, present, and future in skimboarding.
JW: How you been?
LM: Pretty good, traveled a lot this past year. About to go to PR soon. Been good, feeling, good, and it was a good summer.
JW: How old are you and how long have you been Skimboarding?
LM: Just turned 28 and been skimming 21 years since age 7.
JW: How did you start Skimboarding?
LM: I am originally from outside Baltimore, MD but my parents had a place in Dewey that we would come down to stay. Growing up here in summer seeing and being around some of the older guys skimming and getting into skim camps locally I think is what really made me start to skim and try doing contests.
JW: What has kept you with it so long?
LM: I think Skimming is filled with a lot of interesting and unique people. It's not necessarily just the fun you have skimming but just through skimming I have met some lifelong friends. If it wasn't for that then I don't know if I would still be as into skimming. A lot of people that I grew up with on my street skimming don't still skim much anymore because they did not find that camaraderie that my brother and I found through camps and contests and stuff like that.
JW: Why do you think that camaraderie has happened in skimming and not other sports and activities that you have participated in? What makes skimming different as the activity that you have chosen to pursue?
LM: I would say skimming as opposed to other sports is like a community. In other sports you see the same faces and stuff like that but in skimming I have done a lot of volunteer work at contests with others that I see over and over again and those relationships mean a lot after all the years. It's easy to stick with something when you meet a lot of good people. It's also pretty much a free sport after you have your board. You can go to the water whenever you want. You're not on a team where someone is telling you what to do. It's an individual sport like skating or snowboarding where you have the creativity to do whatever you want on your own
JW: Speaking of creativity, what is your favorite thing to do on a skimboard? What feels the best?
LM: Growing up skimming in Delaware, when it's good in Dewey. When there are really long liners. When it is coming in continuously and everyone is getting good waves- almost 100 yard backside liners. I'm goofy. That is my favorite type of wave.
JW: Where is your favorite place to skim localy and for also for travel?
LM: Locally, West street in dewey because its the street I grew up on and where I skim the most, so when it's good right out front of where we live you really can't beat it. I do think around here I have gotten some of my better waves at the South Side of Indian River Inlet. It is a heavier, bigger wave that provides more opportunity for a big type of wave, like you could get out west or somewhere else. Out of town on the east coast I love the Outer Banks! Aliso beach definitely one of my favorite spots but to be honest when I have been out to the west coast I have not been lucky enough to score a really good sider so I can't really say some of those spots are my favorite because I have not experienced them? Cabo also holds a special place in my heart. I have been there five times now and it is pretty unreal.
JW: Favorite skimmers to watch right now and why? Your giving a lot of answers so you have to narrow it down to one or two. Maybe a pro and and amateur.
LM: Ok, ha, ha. I'll give you two pros. Two categories of pros. The John Webers, the Blair Conklins, the Gerardos. They just do stuff that no one else can do. If I had to narrow it down to one it would be John because just I love him. But recently I have to admit that seeing some of the guys skimming that I grew up watching like you and going to Oktoberfest and seeing Brandon Sears still being very dominant competitively is inspiring as well.
JW: I agree Brandon Sears was really fun to watch out there as well as Ben K so yeah... shout out to the legends.
LM: I did not mean to make that long but Weber, Brandon Sears, Jason Wilson and amateurs... My favorite was Eoin Lally who is now pro but there are now a couple local kids that I really appreciate skimming with so shout out to the Dewey local groms who keep me inspired as well.
JW: Tell us how you have been involved with Alley Oop and continue to work with Alley Oop.
LM: Started as a camper and went to camp at Alley Oop forever and then when I was 16 I became a counselor and transitioned to a head instructor after being there for a bunch of summers. Being with Alley Oop has meant a lot and it's given me the opportunity to continue skimming past college and have skimming as a source of income. It is also one of my favorite things to do so it's really become the best of both worlds. Not only a source of income but family, friends, and experiences that will never be taken away.
JW: I Agree... After being with Alley Oop for so long how do you feel about this last summer and teaching so many lessons and continuing to work with so many kids teaching skimming? You must have taught 75-80 days this year. What is that like teaching so much skim boarding?
LM: Just like doing anything alot, one could say its tiring or you can get a little burnt out at the end of the summer. But that's really only at the end of summer. I come back every year and realize why I want to keep doing it. Seeing the joy on someone's face when they skim for the first time and doing lessons with some kids for 3-5 years that are now doing contests! This past summer after the Covid-19 scare I think that there are a lot of people that just want to be outside again and it is great to see new faces in the skim game. There were a lot of new people skimming this summer that were actually really talented. It is really encouraging.
JW: It does seem like many more people are getting into skimming these days. We have been making a lot of bards at zap! How did you get sponsored by Zap?
LM: I had always been around people riding Zap. My brother got on at an early age and then just going to camp being around you who has always been a big rep for Zap and being one of the biggest pros for Zap when I was growing up. It was always there. Always a board that I was riding or a board I wanted to get on. At 17 or 18 I had some more success at contests and finallt got my first win in Dewey and was basically like "Whats up? Can I get on?" and it happened and it was the coolest shit. I don't know? That's my memory of it. I think it was 2012 when I was a senior in high school.
JW: Is that your best memory? Your first win in a skim USA event.
LM: Yeah, there were some local contests where I may have taken a win but I had never won a Skim USA event. For those of you who may not know, my brother has cleaned up in all Skim USA events growing up. I was around him with a lot of when he had a lot of first place victories so that first one was the most meaningful especially being in Dewey Beach. I had a few guys in that final that are still close buddies. Kyle Calandra, Chris Brown, Guilherme Vaz from Brazil. Geo Ryes was in that contest. There were a lot of good friends as well as good competitors that made it really fun.
JW: Speaking of Sam, tell us about your involvement with Surfcooker, the brand you guys created and working-being so close to your brother.
LM: Sufcooker came to be when we were in cabo cooking food down there and making tacos. We just had a funny idea that we were going to make a youtube channel and that's pretty much how it started. We started documenting all of our travels from Cabo and most recently to the contests that we have done this past summer. We have always liked to cook food and taken pride in cooking good food. So that is really how it came about. We have just been making little youtube edits here and there ever since. A lot of time I'll be filming and Sam is cooking but we really just try to get as many clips as we can whether it be skimming, skating, surfing, lifestyle, and especially cooking. It has been a blessing to not just work with Sam but travel and have experiences with my brother. I feel really lucky to be able to do that. Just to have someone else to travel with and go to contests, skim spots, and places. To do it into my late twenties is pretty cool.
JW: Where can you get a Surfcooker t-shirt?
LM: For right now were working on a website and we have some Christmas merch about to drop in a few weeks. We usually just do some shirt drops in the summer locally. If anyone wants one let us know and hop in the DM.
JW: Do you accept Bitcoin or any crypto currency?
LM: Honestly, I'm not too hip on the crypto. I need to get into that expand my knowledge on that.
JW: I just dropped some cash in my coinable account and invested 2 days ago. I'm in. I got in the game. I don't want to miss the boat.
LM: It's on my list for very soon.
JW: What other hobbies are you into aside from skimboarding, eating, and traveling with your brother?
LM: Ha ha. Recently I have been working at home. My family owns a few rental properties locally. I have been doing some property management type stuff. It is actually really fun and I have been learning a lot. I am working towards getting my real estate license and its one of my goals for the end of the year into 2022.
JW: Right on. How about you favorite music, movies, or shows? What do you do to chill out at the end of the day?
LM: I am not the biggest movie guy but I did see Dune and that was pretty good. I'm more of a Netflix guy. Been watching Narcos lately. I am usually a show guy not necessarily movies. Always down for a good show. For music Hip Hop. Anything upbeat and new.
JW: Any favorite artists right now?
LM: Shout out to Young Dolph, who Just passed away. RIP. Been bumping him. I have been really been into some Slim Thug and Project Pat lately. Always good vibes with them. H-Town - Memphis!
JW: Alright... I think that is just about it. Any trick goals or skim goals? Do you have your eyes set on anything right now?
LM: I am going to Puerto Rico for the month of January and would like to find some cool waves there. If I was to do a new trick I have always thought flat ground tricks were pretty cool. I would like to stomp a flat ground 7 one of these days.
JW: A 7... 720?
LM: Yeah. Well see how the ankles can take it. A flat ground 720 shuv it. I have never landed one of those. I have given it a bunch of tries so well see how that one goes...
JW: Ok as my son is about to bust in the door... Any shout outs? Sponsors?
LM: Alley Oop, Zap, J-Dub for the interview and all the homes in Dewey. Shout out to my girlfriend Dylan. The people I traveled with last summer and..... My boy Ashton right here.
JW: Ok, that's a wrap. Were done.
