Not about the money

The money wasn’t what drew Tosh and Jye Townend or Jonathan Warren to the first Ultimate Boarder competition.

The brothers Townend and Warren all said that having “fun” was what fueled the trio in their quest to enter a competition in snowboarding, surfing and skateboarding.

Yes, winning would be great — who wouldn’t want to lay claim to the $30,000 cash prize? — but each had specific goals they aimed to achieve.

All were looking to land a top-10 finish among 45 competitors.

Tosh Townend, 23, and Warren, 26, did just that, landing in a final placement of sixth and seventh, respectively, a mere point separating the two Huntington Beach athletes.

Jye Townend, 25, finished 27th.

“I’m stoked,” Tosh Townend said. “Getting the opportunity to travel and compete with my brother and getting all those athletes together was great.

“Everyone was having a good time, and nobody was too serious about the whole thing, and that’s what made it so much fun to do.”

Aaron Astorga of Carlsbad became the first champion of the Ultimate Boarder.

Astorga didn’t win any competition — he placed 17th in the April 13 snowboarding competition at Squaw Valley, eighth in the April 16 surfing competition at C Street in Ventura and was runner-up to professional skateboarder Chad Shetler of Encinitas in Saturday’s finale, the skateboarding competition at the Ventura County Fairgrounds — but he did come out with a low score of 27 total points to win the overall title.

In addition to a $30,000 check, Astorga also earned a longboard, a personal home fitness training system and an $8,000 audio system.

Across the board, Tosh Townend placed 21st in snowboarding, 13th in surfing and sixth in skateboarding. He finished with 41 points to garner sixth-place overall and with it $800.

Just achieving that finish was a victory in itself: Townend rolled his left ankle two days before the start of the snowboarding competition on April 13. The ankle had just healed from a previous injury, he said.

“I felt the rage in me, knowing that the contest was just about to start,” he said. “I was in pain through the whole competition. But I blocked it out. Wearing big ski boots helped keep my ankle in check, and surfing with a front booty also protected it.

“I just approached the competition taking everything one event at a time. I just went with the flow of things and didn’t look past any event.”

Warren placed 20th in snowboarding, seventh in surfing and 14th in skateboarding. His seventh-place finish earned him $600.

“I’m definitely stoked to place in the top 10,” he said. “On the other hand, the competitive side of me felt I could do better. But it was an awesome experience, and we all had a lot of fun.”

Warren, who drove out west with a friend after graduating from Florida State, has lived in Huntington Beach the past few years. The founder of the Florida State University surf club, Warren said he’ll be back in next year’s Ultimate Boarder competition.

He, Tosh Townend and the rest of the top-10 finishers, receive automatic entries into next year’s competition.

“I’m definitely on board for next year,” Warren said. “I now know what to expect in the competition, and I’m going to start training now.”

Jye Townend finished 27th in snowboarding, 19th in surfing and 34th in skateboarding, to place 27th, overall.