ENCINITAS — Mastering one board sport is difficult enough, but remaining competitive in three of the most popular and technically difficult sports is a major accomplishment. From April 13 to April 19, 45 contestants sought the title of Ultimate Boarder as they competed in snowboarding, skateboarding and surfing.

Two Encinitas locals took top honors in skateboarding and surfing. Eric McHenry, 31, placed first in the surfing portion of the competition while Todd Richards, 38, rode to victory in the snowboarding stage and placed second overall. Chad Shelter, a Dana Point resident, skated to first place in the final stage of the competition.

Overall winner Aaron Astorga, a Carlsbad resident, outscored the pack to bring home the Ultimate Boarder championship title. “It was an amazing event and everyone had a great time,” he said.

Organizer Tim Hoover, 36, of Santa Barbara, said that although the idea of combining all three sports in a single competition was not an original one, his vision was to unite the communities of athletes that compete on a regular basis.

“I wanted to bring the exhilaration, the spiritual nature of the sports together,” he said. “These three sports represent the triathlon of our generation.”

Through grassroots marketing on a shoestring budget and by word-of-mouth, Hoover said competitors came from as far away as New Zealand and Australia. “Think Ironman and you’ve got the right idea.” The event was held in three stages over a one-week time period.

While each stage was highly competitive, the contest differed from individual sports competitions according to some of the contestants. “It was exciting to see all the guys from the individual sports so motivated to help each other out,” McHenry said.

Richards, a professional snowboarder and part-owner of O-matic Snowboards, said the experience was refreshing. “It really got to the soul aspect of the sport. We were really stoked on seeing those guys who don’t normally snowboard just charge.”

Hoover said he wanted the athletes to get the respect they deserve.

“I really wanted these guys to receive as high acclaim as any other professional athlete,” he said.

If the size of the crowds at the competitions were any indication of the level of praise for the competitors, then Hoover said he is satisfied with the results.

“The numbers of fans exceeded my expectations,” he said.

Approximately 30,000 spectators turned out for all three events.

The skateboarding and surfing stages were held in Ventura while the snowboarding took place at Squaw Valley. “I can’t say enough good words about our hosts,” Hoover said. “They were very accommodating.” He said he has been contacted by other towns and resorts interested in hosting events for the competition next year.

“The vision for Ultimate Boarder was always to set a tone,” Hoover said. “We wanted to bring love and unity between all three sports.”

The top 10 overall finishers will receive an automatic invitation to the next event but many of the competitors expressed an interest in coming back as well. “I think it’s just going to get bigger and bigger every year,” Shelter said.