Dec 24, 2021
How Austin Keen became a World champion skimboarder Superstar
Born in Savannah Georgia, and raised in the waters of Tybee Island, Austin Keen has made a name for himself through his bona fide personality, and unsurpassed wave-riding skills. In 2007, Austin drove his 1975 BMW from Tybee Island, GA to Laguna Beach, CA to follow his dream. 2 years later Austin competed in his first professional skimboarding contest, and went on to travel all over the world for skimboarding events. In 2013 he was crowned World Champion of Skimboarding after competing in his first (and only), full, 8 stop international, United Skim Tour Circuit. In 2014 he was listed in SurferToday’s Most Influential in Wave Sports next to Kelly Slater. Then, In 2015 He branched out into a new sport – Wakesurfing. In one year of wakesurfing, Austin Signed with the world-leading wake brand LiquidForce and created a viral video hit - “hijacking a boat wake” that debuted on “The Ellen Show”. Austin has completed commercial photo/video shoots for an array of companies such as Jeep, Subaru, and has appeared on TV Shows such as MSNBC’s ‘Make Me A Millionaire Inventor, Comedy Central’s ‘Tosh.0’, and many other cameos. In addition to multiple action sports and lifestyle magazines, He has been featured in publications nationwide. In 2016 AK won the 40th Annual Victoria World Championships of Skimboarding in Laguna Beach. In 2018 AK made the SportsCenter Top10 list 4 times, became the first skimboarder to skim into the Kelly Slater Wave AKA Surf Ranch, and has won the GoPro Million Dollar Challenge for the past two years since it began. AK has been virally shared on social media more than any other athlete in the world. Currently, with close to 1 million fans worldwide, He strives to push his talents to new limits and help promote and grow skimboarding around the world. in 2019 AK went on to restore his 1975 BMW with one of his latest partners Gumout - the leader in Fuel additives. Moving forward: "I truly believe that if you visualize your goals, AND put in the work, you can make any dream a reality. My goal is to continue to inspire others and defy the odds of creating a living with my talents through creativity and innovation" - AK