This weekend, a fundraiser for the Wahkiakum Family Practice Clinic brought the world-ranked slalom competitor — and dozens like him — to the small riverside community of Cathlamet.

Addison Fox, a 14-year-old Portland resident, helped organize the two-day event to raise money for the cash-strapped clinic. His grandfather, who has heart problems, is a patient at the clinic, Addison said. The teenager said he wanted to help the clinic stay afloat so his grandpa wouldn’t have to drive to Longview or Astoria to see a doctor.

The two-day longboarding tournament, which drew competitors from around the world but only a handful of spectators, featured two tournaments Saturday and wraps up with a downhill speed race today.

Longboarders describe their sport as snowboarding on wheels. Boards vary in shape, size, weight and material. Slalom riders use smaller boards, which they fine-tune to carve between cones spaced less than 6 feet apart. Downhill riders, who travel 40 mph and faster, use heavier boards, which are easier to control at faster speeds.

Addison had wanted to set up a push race around Puget Island for quite a while, his mother, Judy Edmondson, said Saturday.

She and her father, Cameron Edmondson, decided a tournament could be possible if the community was willing to get involved.

“I approached the town with the idea, and they were very receptive,” Judy Edmondson said. “It just seems like it was meant to happen.”

Addison and Judy Edmondson partnered with Billy Meiners and Casey Morrow, two Portland skateboarders, and the Wahkiakum County Chamber of Commerce to get the tournament wheels rolling.

The city agreed to shut down several downtown streets during the weekend event.

The races brought a diverse group of competitors: longboarders from as far away as Australia, and ranging in age from 18 to 53, competed in Saturday’s push race and slalom course.

Three boys from Wenatchee drove more than six hours to compete alongside some of their favorite professional riders. Ward Larson, 18, Kole Galbraith, 19, and Kale Galbraith, 18, were excited to watch international riders hit speeds over 50 mph today in the downhill race, which starts near Wahkiakum Middle School.

“It’s cool how diverse the age group is,” Kale Galbraith said, “Tad (Drysdale) is like a grandpa and he stomped us in the last competition.”

Drysdale, 53 from Kirkland, Wash., said he’ll take it easy today because he plans to compete in next week’s Maryhill Festival of Speed, which also attracts boarders from around the globe, many of whom will compete in today’s tournament.

“My whole thing is to be cautious tomorrow and not hurt myself because I want to race next week,” Drysdale said Saturday.

Drysdale said he and some downhill competitors were worried about today’s course because it contains three turns, the last of which is a 90-degree corner that could see some bloody crashes.

“There is a corner called Carnage Corner at (another tournament called) Danger Bay,” Drysdale said. “This turn will make Carnage Corner look like small potatoes.”

Entry fees for the push competition and slalom were $10 each. Entry fees for the downhill race were $80. Experienced riders can still sign up for today’s race.

Judy Edmondson hopes the tournament will raise about $2,000 for the clinic after expenses, which will total about $800, she said.

The longboarding tournament continues today with a race through downtown Cathlamet. The event, which spectators can watch for free, starts at 9 a.m., with finals around 4 p.m.