Skateboarders in Burnaby, B.C., gathered for a different kind of competition this weekend — a competition geared at competitors in wheelchairs.

"We're here to show you can still be active. You just have to find a different way to do these activities, whatever it may be," said Karim Ladik, the founder of the Nine Lives No Limits competition.

For the skateboarders in Saturday's competition, the real challenge is figuring out how to make skateboarding work for them.

"A lot of these guys haven't really tried any of this before, so this is really new, this is really unique," said judge Brad Jacobson.

"They were out here last week, once they heard it was happening, practising and doing all sorts of things, but you're gonna see guys taking some hard falls."

Aaron Fotheringham, a pioneer in the sport, was the guest of honour at the competition — the first of its kind in Canada.

"You only live once, so you gotta have fun and the adrenaline and — you know, the pain, it hurts, but it's so worth it when you land something or achieve something new, especially at first when you never imagined it being possible."

Matt Thola, who has been in a wheelchair since a car accident six years ago, says his competitive spirit hasn't changed.

"It drove me to do it more and more and more and more and more, because I wanted to accomplish it. My dream, my goal, is to actually jump out of an airplane solo," he said.

A total of 12 people entered the competition, which organizers hope will become an annual event.