The 19th annual 2025 Beat the Heat Amateur Skateboard Competition took over the skate park at Kin Coulee on Tuesday.--News Photo Anna Smith
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
At 19 years running and still going strong, skateboarders from around the country gathered at the skate park at Kin Coulee Park for the 2025 Beat the Heat Amateur Skateboard Competition.
To see this level of enthusiasm not just from those competing but from the general public has absolutely blown the Medicine Hat Skateboard Association away, said Davie James.
“Oh my gosh, it is crazy,” said James. “We have our bowl comp, we have beginners, intermediate, all of our normal stuff, but we also have a really special spectacle this year.”
James explained that they try to create a new and exciting spectacle event every year, and for those brave enough this year, that meant braving a roughly 16-foot gap to try to jump the nearby creek.
Between this and the festivities within the park, MHSA is thrilled to be putting on a day to remember despite the weather, truly challenging residents and visitors alike to attempt to have the competition live up to its name. James estimated that they had roughly 6,000 visitors between the two events, and over 200 competitors, as well as over $25,000 in cash and prizes being given out.
“This is a preliminary points system for people who want to go into the Olympics, and this competition has just grown organically so out of hand to the point of where it’s putting Medicine Hat on the map,” said James. “We’re just so proud and grateful that we get to be a part of deciding who the nation’s greatest skateboarders are.”
James expressed gratitude to all of the sponsors and over 200 volunteers that made the day possible, calling the day a testament to the community as a whole that it was even possible, including Medicine Hat’s first drone show.
However, James promises that with the 20th anniversary coming up in 2026, “Next year is going to be even crazier.”
