Skateboarders Shine at 8th Annual Haunted Competition at Laguna Niguel Skatepark

Electron music was blaring as hundreds of local skateboard enthusiasts flocked to the for its annual Haunted contest on Oct. 22. This was the eighth year for the event where the prizes were not just for the winners of the competition.

"We built this skate park for the community, and this is our chance to give back. The kids are able to come out here to have a good time and win free prizes throughout the day,” said Skate Park Manager, Brett Woodhull.

Various skateboard companies had booths set up in the parking lot giving away prizes to those that competed in the mini-games. Everything from socks to stickers was being given away at the event. The beanbag toss, and throwing a ring around a pair of socks were some of the more popular attractions.

"We are fortunate to connect with riders, and we get to hang out with them on a personal basis,” said EAK clothing founder Michael Custodio. "The experience brought forth a stronger following and an even greater appreciation to supporting the future of skateboarding."

The competition was broken up into two different divisions, Amateur and Sponsored, and within each division skaters were broken up into different age groups with 30 riders allowed in each group.

The competition was set up as a “Jam Style” as competitors were allowed to free skate around the park for five minutes as judges scored each rider by the tricks they performed.

After a hard day of competition the winners of each division were as followed:

Amateur Division:

10 and under:  Nate Vernia

11-15 years: Brandon Burleigh

16 and older: Tommy Fichter

Sponsored Division:

14 and under: Zack Taveritte

15 and older: Drew Agar

Winners of each division won skateboard decks, clothing and stickers from different skateboarding companies and of course, bragging rights amongst their peers.