Skateboard season exceeds expectations

IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers A PAIR OF POSES- Josh Nichols, 15, of Simi Valley High flies off a ramp and over a barricade during a California High School Skateboard Club competition at Skatelab in Simi Valley. In the background, Bryce Mandel of Oak Park High gets in a little face time with the camera. The club's inaugural season concluded on Saturday with Santa Monica High taking home the first-place championship. Agoura finished second overall, with Royal and Simi Valley in third and fourth, respectively. Westlake was fifth, Oak Park sixth and Newbury Park finished in seventh. Created by Thousand Oaks resident Jeff Stern, the CHSSC was a huge success in its first season. The league received national coverage from The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and National Public Radio. According to www.lat34.com, Stern plans to change the league's name to National High School Skateboard Association (NHSSA) so it can expand beyond California in 2008.