LAKEPORT — Even before the final numbers were in, it was apparent that attendance at BoardStock XII was down significantly from last year.
“If you get beyond the financial aspect of it everything was perfect,” said Rob Stimmel, the event”s creator and president of BoardStock Promotions Inc.
Stimmel estimated the total attendance for all four days of the weekend event at 5,500; an estimated 50,000 spectators attended last year.
“We won”t know until we review all the numbers,” Stimmel said. He said he was hopeful that any loss was “in the thousands rather than the tens of thousands.”
Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa president Greg Bennett announced in February that after two years hosting the event, the resort would not host it again because of underage drinking problems last year. The event was held for its third year in Lake County at Konocti Vista Casino.
Stimmel said a factor in the loss he is anticipating is that a large number of boaters did not pay to use the resort”s 150-foot tie line to see the show. Stimmel estimated that as much as 90 percent of the water-going spectators did not pay.
“Right is right fair is fair,” Stimmel said. “If people think they can come to an event like this for free, their perspective is way off.” Stimmel said it cost $250,000 to bring BoardStock to town. “It”s impossible to put up a gate in the water, and we were expecting people to be ethical, honest and fair … and most of them didn”t do it.”
David Arciero, marketing manager at Konocti Vista Casino, said BoardStock is welcome back next year, and that he hopes to move it back to mid-August.
Stimmel said he was undecided about bringing the event back. “We”ll make that decision, but it will take a couple months see where we”re going. I”d like to go back and have the opportunity to do it again and move to a summer date and have bigger crowds.”
After a series of Lakeport City Council meetings the idea was rejected to host the event at Lakeport”s Library Park. Lakeport City Councilman Buzz Bruns said he and his wife heard “language that would curl your ears” during a boat ride to the area where a 150-foot tie line extended out into the water for boaters wishing to view the pro wakeboarding and slalom skiing competitions. “I would hate to see that in our city park,” Bruns said.
Lt. Brad Rasmussen of the Lakeport Police Department said the department had boat patrols out, but “other than that it (BoardStock) wasn”t an issue.”
Stimmel said last weekend”s crowd was respectful, with families dominating the grounds and party-goers watching from boats.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com. Elizabeth Wilson, staff writer contributed to this story.
