Bodyboarding Turns 40, Gains New Life

by John Vantine⁽²⁷⁾
http://www.johnvantine.com

The sport of bodyboarding is now officially 40 years old. Body boarding as we know it was invented by American surfer, entrepreneur, and musician Tom Morey on July 7, 1971. On that fateful day, Morey found himself with plenty of waves but no surfboard. The always resourceful surfer found some polyethylene foam and cut out a rectangular shape and covered it with newspaper. When he took his creation out onto the waves that day, he didn't know he'd be making history.

Morey enjoyed the unprecedented freedom and fun afforded by his new board, and realized it had the potential to be a game-changer for watersports because just about anyone could ride it - no special skill or athleticism was required. He developed the first bodyboards to be commercially marketed, and credited his inspiration partially to the Bahá'í Faith, a religion focused on the spiritual unity of all humankind. He sold his body boards under the brand name "Morey Boogie," so named for his passion for music and the boogie rhythm. Many people commonly refer to bodyboards as boogie boards to this day. Though Morey sold his Morey Boogie company in 1975, his influence on the sport was not diminished. By the late 1970s, tens of thousands of bodyboards were made and sold in the United States each year.

From a performance perspective, the sport of bodyboarding found its first hero in Mike Stewart, a blond-haired, blue-eyed Hawaiian who changed the sport forever. The eight-time U.S. champion was a dominant rider under any conditions. He won Pipe 11 times - more than anyone one else in the history of the event. Perhaps most impressive was the way in which Stewart absolutely manhandled the world's premier big-wave barrel, Pipeline. Revered and feared by even the best surfers, Pipeline became a personal playground for Mike, who rode the barrel deeper than anyone had ever dreamed of doing on bodyboards, or any kind of board for that matter. He could be seen launching unbelievable aerials and barrel rolls on sections that most people avoided completely. If the waves were too intense for ordinary humans, they were perfect for Mike Stewart. By the late 1990s, Mike was still among the world's top riders. After easing into semi- retirement, he came back to win the world title a total of ten times.

In 1995, Stewart finally passed the crown to Brazilian bodyboarder Guilherne Tamega, who became the first Global Organization of Bodyboarding World Champion. Compared to surfing, which has long been dominated by the United States and Australia when it comes to top performers, bodyboarding has become a worldwide community ofstar athletes. Many of the best riders in the sport come countries as diverse as South Africa, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Brazil, Venezuela, Panama, and the Canary Islands. In these countries, bodyboards and the sport of bodyboarding are promoted much more fiercely than in the United States, gaining top coverage on sports television and in magazines. In contrast, many (though not all) of the largest surfing gear companies in the United States stopped supporting bodyboarding during the early 1990s, when the sport's popularity diminished in this country. But now bodyboarding is one the rise once again, as the sport gains a following from a new generation, and new heroes like Jeff Hubbard.

To learn more about the history of bodyboarding and its rich past or to shop for bodyboards, visit the body glove website.

Article submitted Monday, February 20, 2012 & read 6 times.

Leave your comments through Blogz:

No comments yet.

1-0-0-0-4-ADSO

Most Recent