Kimberley local Kevin Honeyman is currently promoting the release of a feature-length film documenting the Sullivan Challenge Skateboard Race, which after 20 years is now the longest-running annual skateboard race in the world.
The film is entitled Twenty Years of the Sullivan Challenge and will premier July 1, 2022 at the Kimberley Conference Centre, with tickets available from the Berley Skate storefront or from
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Kimberley-based Berley Skate is one of the presenting sponsors of the documentary film. The company has been making longboards for Landyachtz since 1997 and in 2014 opened a factory storefront in Kimberley. The film follows Berley owner and race organizer since the first one back in 2002, Jody Willcock, during the buildup to the 20th Sullivan Challenge.
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Honeyman, a local musician, handled the production and editing of the project and created its soundtrack, no small feat to say the least. First he had to dig up all his footage and contact other racers and spectators to get theirs from the past two decades, sift through all of it for the best shots and then edit it all together into an hour and a half long feature film.
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He can鈥檛 be exactly sure, but Honeyman suspects he鈥檚 into the thousands of hours for this project
鈥淚鈥檝e been wanting to do something like this for a while so I spoke to Honeyman because he鈥檚 capable and an old friend and he took the challenge,鈥� Willcock told the Bulletin. 鈥淚t was all him, he put in so much effort. And of course it鈥檚 featuring all his music, he鈥檚 been hard at work making tons of original stuff lately, so this is a big compilation of his last couple years of work.鈥�
There鈥檚 always been at least a couple of cameras rolling at this race, an extremely popular attraction that always coincides with Kimberley鈥檚 annual July Fest. Willcock remembers at the very first one there was four people who shot some footage of the race, so he put together a 20 minute movie with it on his ancient computer.
鈥淓ver since there鈥檚 always people with footage, it鈥檚 just hard to get it out of their closets,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 easier to get it now. Because there was such a small group of us in the early days, we all knew each other so we knew who had footage and it鈥檚 just a matter of convincing them to dig it out.鈥�
Honeyman said the idea of putting together some media and starting to post on YouTube is something they鈥檝e talked about for years. This new film is a jumping off point for that.
Throughout the 20 years the race has been held, a lot of different skateboarders have participated, the gear has improved and the race has gotten faster, but there鈥檚 always been a fairly familiar atmosphere that comes along with it.
鈥淲e鈥檝e had three generations of skateboarders really come through, but it鈥檚 always the same thing. I don鈥檛 even know what to call it,鈥� Honeyman said. 鈥淛ust the camaraderie of the skateboarders and how it works with the town at the time, it works really well together. So that鈥檚 always stayed the same, but you can really see the progression of downhill skateboarding throughout the film.鈥�
Willcock鈥檚 involvement with skateboarding goes well beyond organizing the first race in 2002. In the late 1980s at age 14, he applied and was approved for a loan from the Kimberley Credit Union to start a skateboard retail shop out of his bedroom, because there was nowhere to get boards locally at the time.
A couple years later the Credit Union gave him an award for being the youngest person to receive a business loan from them. Flash forward to 2014, he, alongside partners Noah Wesche and Aaron Christensen, bought the building that formerly housed the bank and transformed it into a retail and manufacturing space for their innovative skateboard designs, which they make for longboard giant Landyachtz out of Vancouver.
He has a great crew working right now, who churn out around 30 boards a day, with 80 per cent of their product going to China and Korea and the rest to North America, Brazil and Germany for the most part.
Over the many years he鈥檚 been in love with the sport, skateboarding has had many ebbs and flows, usually a big cycle every decade, Willock thinks. For example, at the races he鈥檚 been involved with on the Sunshine Coast some years they鈥檝e had 150 racers, others they鈥檝e had 12.
鈥淚f you quit on the bottom it鈥檚 gone, but if you survive the bottom of the gully it goes back up,鈥� he said. 鈥淯sually it鈥檚 every ten years, kids drag their dads鈥� boards out of the closet, is what I think it is. And now there鈥檚 way more girls in there, so it鈥檚 a pretty even split of people buying skateboards right now, so girls are dragging their dad鈥檚 skateboards out of the closets and that seems to be this next wave.鈥�
Willcock said he鈥檚 very excited to premier the film to Kimberley later this summer. He said that not only is it a great time capsule of the race itself, but of the people of Kimberley and July Fest. He can鈥檛 wait to watch people鈥檚 reactions to it and he鈥檚 personally not sick of it after countless viewings over the film鈥檚 development.
鈥淭he one test we did, I try not to show it to too many people to keep it special for the day, but showing it to people who don鈥檛 know any of this crew and aren鈥檛 skateboarders, to see their reaction and they seemed glued to it as well,鈥� Willcock said. 鈥淪o I think Kevin hit the mark. If you know nothing about us or skateboard racing and you still find it entertaining then yeah he did a good job.鈥�
As far as future of the Sullivan Challenge, Honeyman said he hopes to see it go on forever and that it likely will as long as Willcock is involved. Willock seemed to agree.
鈥淚t would be nice if someone stepped up to take over one day but I doubt it, it鈥檒l go down with me I鈥檓 sure,鈥� Willcock said. 鈥淏ut that鈥檚 why these events last so long, because we鈥檙e the weirdos that keep doing it no matter what.鈥�
paul.rodgers@kimberleybulletin
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