- Jul 31
- 3 min read
By Jessikah Babe
July 2026
Our 20th annual Beat the Heat skateboard competition was a special one-- some were calling it one of the best in recent years! The vibes were great, the weather was optimal, Kin Coulee was buzzing with Canada Day celebrations, and competitors left the comp with a little extra cash lining their pockets and a lingering good feeling after what felt like, 'A good hang with the homies.' Perhaps not having the Tampa Am trip on the line anymore took some of the pressure off.
Our comp is made possible every year by the generous donations of time and money from many kind people and organizations! We're proud to say that we had $16,000 in cash prizes and $10,000 in product to give out. Running a competition that relies on grassroots support is not easy... but the trade-off is that many people who wouldn't necessarily cross paths can come together to create something in which we can all share great pride. That community spirit was certainly felt at our competition and at Canada Day in Kin Coulee, and we're proud to have been involved in both.
What do you think made Beat the Heat special this year?
For the first time in Beat the Heat history, we gave out not only $1,000 to competitors who landed tricks in our Best Trick competition, but an additional $1,000 to the 'Ultimate Best Trick.' Ren Ohba took home 1k in cash with his bigspin front hurricane. No surprise there, as he was landing hammers all day that made even the judges tell him on the mic to save it for the Best Trick competition. With $1,000 on the line, it'll be exciting to see what tricks await us in future years. Maybe we'll witness tricks that have never been landed on Medicine Hat soil.
Every year we host a 'spectacle event.' If you are not already familiar, you may have already seen our competitors on Hall of Meat. We've done a hill bomb, ring of fire, wall of death, drop of doom, a creek gap and more! This year Garison Babe from Babe Builders worked tirelessly to design and build a car jump. The setup featured a speed ramp into a car jump with a rail welded across the roof, followed by a landing ramp onto a VW bus painted by Sonz1. (Side note: the car we used was beat up last year by our skaters for some zany social media content).
I set foot onto the skatepark the morning of July 1st under-slept and over-eager for my work day at the comp. I greeted Garison first thing as he was perfecting the final touches on the set up he had spent weeks building.
"How long did you sleep last night?" I asked, which was quite lame because I was preparing to flex on him with the inadequacy of my night's rest. With comedic cheerfulness and standing in the wake of sawdust and tools, his response was, "I didn't." Later he could be found ripping the bass on the main stage in Kin Coulee.
Garison's work paid off and so did the work of the volunteers that helped assemble the spectacle through many hours of carpentry, painting, welding, and scaffolding setup (ginormous shoutout to Brock Canada). No Hall of Meat mentions and just pure fun. Skateboards, scooters, and even one fearless rollerblading chick.
We really hope Garison's sleeping now. In fact, we really hope all of our volunteers are sleeping now.
We'll see you next year at our comp!!!
------------------------------------------------------
Here’s a look at the full list of finalists from each category:
In Memory of Neil Balmer Game of SKATE:
Anthony "Chovey" Stefan
Reis Burrows
Bear Mechanical Beginner's Comp:
Carlos Gill
Raiden Koiko
Kade Pickford
Sunrise Rotary Intermediate Comp:
Aidan Ruurs
Austin Arsenault
Avery Peters
Boys on Third Kids Bowl Jam
Ruga Cedar
Kade Pickford
Elias Munroe Leroux
Boarderline/RailPro Bowl Jam
Anton Pedlar
Evie Pritchard
Devon Binnion
Powers and Jans Product Comp
Charlie Smith
Josiah Johnson
Jack Andrew
MH Brew Co Keg Jump
Lukas @couldnotfinditsorry
Big Marble Farms Box Jump
Dashell Willborn
Tourism Medicine Hat Women's Open Comp
Evie Pritchard
Léonie Marcotte
Madeleine @madaidunno
Janzen Builder's Men's Open Comp
Dylan Dillz
Dashell Willborn
Reis Burrows
Best Trick 'Ultimate Trick' Winner
Ren Ohba
