As ForeverSkim rapidly approaches its 10 year anniversary, we find the popularity of skimboarding sky-rocketing. New and interesting ideas are springing forth from our board manufacturers, incredible talent is rising from different coasts and countries, and riders at the professional level continue to raise the bar. It’s an awesome time to be a part of our rapidly growing sport.
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At the forefront of this expanding surge, ForeverSkim has kept skimboarders the world over up to date and in the know. Always changing and reinventing, ForeverSkim has taken this growth in stride, expanding our content, our coverage, and the mediums through which we convey our message. A progressive idea from the start, our paperless content delivery system provides immediate access to ForeverSkim from anywhere in the world, whether you’re in a coffee shop in Orange County, California or a small hotel in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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ForeverSkim prides itself on showcasing talent both in front and behind the camera, and we are happy to work with the best photographers and writers in skimboarding, including legends like Joe Bailey, Tex Haines, Aaron Peluso, Bob Smetts and more. We have also nurtured up and coming talent since day one, including Ryon Graf, David Behar, Cam Oden and many, many more.
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ForeverSkim is the collective brainchild of Derek Makekau and Travis Zimmerman; back when it was simply a website for skimboarders in the Fort Walton Beach, Florida area. It featured photos, a creative layout, and profiles for what was then known as the "ForeverSkim Team". Derek and Travis took the time to carefully select friends and local skimboarders with good attitudes and likeable personalities, instead of focusing on skimboarding talent. The result was an extremely close group of friends, notably Adam Zimmerman and David Fazekas, who would help to nurture the growing scene in Fort Walton Beach.
Eventually, gaining some ground via a link from SkimOnline and the support of a local surf shop (Fluid), Derek Makekau and Travis Zimmerman discussed at length the future of the website and it's collective purpose.
Both Travis and Derek had a strong desire to have a hand in the growth of skimboarding, and in doing so, expose what they felt was a healthy and productive skim scene locally. They decided that instead of hoping to compete with information powerhouses like SkimOnline and other established websites, it was far more reasonable to tap into a different market. Using their combined knowledge of web and graphic design, they created the first version of ForeverSkim the Magazine: a light, flash-intensive predecessor to the content heavy magazine readers enjoy today.
Neither of them expected it to ever leave Fort Walton Beach, but with help from a large number of people already established in skimboarding, it slowly garnered a following. Celebrating a few hundred visitors a month, Derek and Travis, now with the added support of people like Chad Martel and Aaron Peluso, continued to create new issues. They featured interviews with the likes of Paulo Prietto, Jus Martel, Jed Currington and more. Without sending a single issue to print, the online magazine grew exponentially, and by the release of the fifth issue and new format, was set to explode.
Now, with the support of advertisers coupled with Derek and the first ForeverSkim staff photographer, Hank Snapp, making their first pilgrimage to California, issue 0205 was loaded with firsts. It was the first issue to feature simple, click to turn pages (unlike the processor-taxing slide featured in issues 1-4), a clean, new design and logo, easy to read pixel fonts, and sections mimicking a print magazine (table of contents, letter from the editor, things of that nature) and much, much more.
Here's to a hundred issues.
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Travis Zimmerman and Derek Makekau finalize plans and goals for a new website; FSM gets it's start.