Cy-Fair grad honors mom by forming nonprofit

Four years ago, while a student at Cy-Fair High School, Carey Seyler turned his love for skimboarding into the nonprofit Skim 2 Live in honor of his mother, who died from breast cancer in 2000.

"We took the sport we loved and started raising money for someone who meant a lot to me and my friends," he said.

In three years, Seyler's organization went from raising $250 in 2008 to more than $8,000 during 2011 for The Rose, another Houston-based nonprofit that supports women who are at-risk or diagnosed with breast cancer.

"It's not just my organization, because I've had a lot of help from others who joined because of my mother," Seyler said. "Everything we do is in memory of her."

Seyler began skimboarding in 2004 when he met several students who were part of the Cy-Fair High School team. When the upperclassmen graduated, they handed down the skimboarding team to Seyler, who decided to turn it into a nonprofit.

The sport is similar to skateboarding in that the tricks are the same, except riders are on water instead of concrete.

"The best way to explain it is that you're hydroplaning across water that is very thin, like an inch and a half deep," Seyler said. "You throw your board down, run after it and ride on it."

Three teams–split up by girls, guys and children younger than 15–represent Skim 2 Live at competitions. About 15 riders are selected each spring. For others who want to get involved, there are representative positions open at the high school, junior high and college levels.

"They don't have to skim board, but they need to have the same goals as our organization," Seyler said. "They help promote us at their school whenever we have events."

Skim 2 Live's first competition of 2012 is the fifth annual Skim Jam, which will take place April 21 in Cypress, but several more will follow this summer.

"There's a spot where Big and Little Cypress Creeks meet, and it creates a sandbar that gives us shallow water that looks like a beach," Seyler said.

Last year, Skim 2 Live took part in an urban skim boarding demonstration, during which it filled up a Slip 'n Slide with water and skated down the streets near downtown Houston. This summer the organization is hosting the Texas Skim Tour, which will feature competitions and demonstrations in Galveston and South Padre Island.

"I hope [in a few years] we're still doing the same thing and have the same mission," he said. "I see us being one of the leaders in our sport."

Skim 2 Live, www.skim2live.com, [email protected]