Skaters from 5 on up grind rails and catch air at Mills Park

Brad Naugle won first place in the 13- to 14-year-old category at Saturday's Carson City Recreation Division skateboard contest with a backside grab, backside transfer. The Carson Middle School student's frontside board slide and 360-degree flip were just icing on the cake.

Naugle didn't let it go to his head.

"I liked watching other people's tricks too," he said.

Organized by Jimmy Koyama, owner of the 702 Skateboard & Snowboard Shop, the competition was held at the Mills Park skatepark. It was the eighth one he's organized there, with one in the spring, one in the fall each of the last four years.

There were 85 entries in five different age groups. Competitors vied for about $400 in prizes donated by the recreation division and the 702 skate shop. Top finishers in each category won a new skateboard while second- and third-place finishers won T-shirts, trucks, wheels and other skateboard gear. The competition cost $5 to enter.

Even non-competitors came away winners Saturday.

Nine-year-old Seeliger Elementary School fourth grader T.J. Vansickle was happy with his collection of freebies after the event.

"I got a broken skateboard out of the trash," he beamed.

He also got DC posters and stickers from Tensor and Lakai which he put on his Minilogo board.

"It gets better every time we have it," Koyama said.

"There's a lot more people here this time," said the "lead cook" at Koyama's shop, Joe Schmidt.

"We're trying get it blown up, you know, get the kids a little more pumped up about skating with summer coming," said Schmidt, also a member of 702's skating team.

The Mills Park skateboarding facility has seen recent improvements.

"We've been having tournaments for years but this is so much better now the kids are enjoying it so much more," said Joyce Lancaster, special events coordinator for Carson recreation.

Koyama agreed.

"The city put metal coping on the stair rails and metal coping on the manual pads and over the mohawk, which was supposed to be done two years ago, but they did a really good job so the park's a lot more fun again," he said.

Koyama said he is trying to organize a summer skateboarding series with Douglas County.

A Carson resident for 13 years, Koyama said he still skates -- but not as much as he used to.

"I roll around a bit," he said.

Out of Bounds Board shop will be hosting a skateboarding competition on June 14 at the skatepark in Gardnerville, according to store manager and O.O.B. team manager Corey Koniniec, 20. He said the Vans Skate Team demo on June 19th at Burgess Skate Park in Sparks will be a big deal, too.

Top three finishers for each age group

9 and under (youngest 5)

First- Vincent Mays, 8, Carson City

Second- Michael Mays, 9, Carson City

Third- Preston Pheasant, 5, Carson City

10-12

First- Jesus Roque,12, Carson City

Second- Casey Good, 12, Carson City

Third- Ian Brower, 12, Carson City

13-14

First- Brad Naugle, 13, Carson City

Second- Charlie Donnatin, 13, Carson City

Third- Justin Starks, 14, Silver Springs

15-16

First- Wesley St. Louis, 16, Dayton

Second- Jeff Hildebrand, 16, Gardnerville

Third- Cubby Saulque, 15, Bishop, Calif.

17 and up

First- Denny Howard, 20, Carson City

Second- Richard Dilley, 19, Gardnerville

Third- Billy Wilson, 22, Carson City