Paulo Barcellos wonders where bodyboarding went
Mike Latronic of Free Surf Magazine asked me to do an article on the current state of bodyboarding. Being a longtime sponger, I happily obliged (this is an expanded version of that story). It was not intended to be a rant article, but I'm sure some people may perceive it as one. C'est la vie.
To get a better frame of reference of where bodyboarding currently is, we need to take a glimpse at where it came from. Here's a wikiwiki history of bodyboarding.
In 1971, Tom Morey took an electric knife and a clothes iron to some polyethylene foam and created the first bodyboard. He called his invention the "Morey Boogie," started selling them, and sales soon skyrocketed (note: a boogie board is the old-timers' name of a bodyboard; there is no distinction between the two). It became so popular in fact, that at one point, bodyboards were purportedly outselling surfboards in surf shops at a rate of six to one.
A bodyboarding "industry" followed, riding the coattails of the burgeoning surf industry of the 80s, with contests, sponsorships, magazines, and all the other commercial trappings. Throughout it all, there has always been resentment by some in the stand up waveriding community since some consider bodyboarding easy and inferior. So when the surf industry recession hit in the early 90s, it was an easy decision for the greater surfing industry to stop supporting bodyboarding. The bodyboarding industry has been eking out an existence ever since.
Has anyone been watching?
Part of the challenge of putting it in perspective is that bodyboarding transcends many levels of existence. On the one hand, you have the tourist who buys a bodyboard from an ABC Discount Store, drags it to the beach and "rides" the whitewater before using the board as a cushion for lunch. The polar opposite is the professional rider, pushing the limits of waveriding (bar none). For each individual, it may be considered an activity, a sport, an art, a lifestyle, or any combination thereof. Just like surfing, bodyboarding is different things to different people. We’ll focus on the serious aspect of bodyboard riding and the associated bodyboarding industry.
To get a better idea of where its at, I talked with a cross-section of people in the bodyboarding world, including:
Although I put to them the same questions, their responses were expectedly varied. Here are some snippets from the interviews.
Interviewee Jeff Hubbard boosting, photo courtesy SickShots.com
So where DID bodyboarding go?
Kelling: "It did not go anywhere. The popularity has just decreased. It will never go away completely (as an activity) because it is fun and easy to start. However, as a sport I have my doubts."
Stewart: "It's being participated in virtual obscurity."
Reale: "There are several factors ranging from a general change in the public eye about 'extreme sports', an increase in alternative activities for kids, and the lack of support from the surf apparel industry which had bolstered cash flow within our sport in the late 80s. Whatever the reason, the meat of our sport has always been the riders and the waves, and that is one element that has continued to evolve since day one."
Smoke: "Thanks to the Internet, serious bodyboarding is maintaining a strong fellowship."
Correa: "I think the sport itself is going strong, just not here in the United States; I think its due to the fact that we don't have the same media coverage as we did in the late 80s to mid 90s."
Waimea Bay madness, photo courtesy SickShots.com
What is the current state of the bodyboarding? Why?
Stewart: "It's actually really healthy. Bodyboarders are riding for the right reasons, definitely not for the money or vanity. They ride bodyboards for the simple reason we all started riding waves - for the fun. Think how much better the surfing experience could be if everyone cultivated this mindset when they shared a line up."
Reale: "Riders like Jeff Hubbard continue to push the limits of the sport, and influence the next generation in positive ways."
Correa: "If you talk to someone in Australia, they'll tell you that the industry is doing amazing, because in Australia it is! But if you ask a professional rider in the US, they'll tell you its never been worse. There is virtually no media coverage, contests seem to have lost their luster and most of our professional riders have to work day jobs just to get by."
Colwell: "It still has enthusiasts that really enjoy the sport and hopefully younger riders are taking it up."
Correa: "I feel it got a little too corporate with large conglomerate companies owning the top lines with no feeling for the sport itself. Many of these companies take the profits and don't put it back into the sport."
Kelling: "The current state of bodyboarding is bad because for a long time pros weren't focusing on what it really was about (fun). They were too busy trying to get a lot of money for little work, and complaining about how little they made. This negativity was passed on to the kids and now a lot of them are now surfing instead."
Colin Black, dropping da knee, photo courtesy BodyboardersHawaii.com
What is the state of the industry?
Hubbard: "The state of the industry is that large bodyboard manufacturers have moved most of their production offshore to increase profits. Rather than going back to the sport, much of these profits go into shareholders' pockets (which is basic corporate business strategy). The smaller manufacturers dedicated to the sport are not able to put an adequate amount of money to sustain the industry; they are too busy just keeping their companies afloat."
Colwell: "The low-end industry sells millions of cheap bodyboards but doesn't need to support the overall industry in terms of pro riders, contests, advertising, etc. The high-end industry (that Custom X works in, though I do sell a small volume of low cost products) supports the overall industry. However, this sector is small and currently does not get any support outside of the industry."
Stewart: "Riders like myself are taking the helm, with most (not all) of the corporate money-hungry leeches are slowly being eradicated from bodyboarding."
Bockman: "The industry is scattered into pockets of companies with no united front, no long term business plans, and no real push in the right direction. I'm all for support of the sport, but companies need to put their best foot forward, and show that the bodyboarding industry, when handled with care for the present and the future, can be positive, interesting, cutting edge, and lucrative."
Kelling: "The industry is turning right now. Most companies are moving production overseas to China, Indo, Thailand, etc. The quality of board is going down, along with the prices (Which could be good)."
Evil drop
How has globalization affected the industry?
Reale: "I think the fact that bodyboards are being made overseas now is something that was bound to happen. Much of the manufacturing sector has moved offshore, but if you go back to the early days, Morey Bodyboards started manufacturing their boards in Mexico 25 years ago! It has made bodyboards cheaper for the consumer while maintaining the quality that existed by US-made boards."
Colwell: "It is very hard to manufacture here in the USA and keep up."
Hubbard: "With decreased trade barriers worldwide (lower tariffs, cheaper shipping, etc.), bodyboard manufacturing has shifted to the lowest cost producers overseas. Most of the boards are made much better in these countries (e.g. Indonesia, Taiwan and China) for a cheaper cost then they could be anywhere else."
Kelling: "Globalization has dropped the price of boards slightly, but (board) quality has decreased also. But it is getting better."
Jacob VanderVelde, another underground Hawaiian, drives through an OTW tunnel, photo courtesy BodyboardersHawaii.com
Are there new up and comer bodyboarders from Hawaii?
Reale: "Absolutely. I think it's a struggle for some of the guys that don't have the means to get in front of the cameras, but any visit to a hot spot on any island, and you can see guys riding as good as any of the pros."
Kelling: "Tucker Bontecou from the Big Island just recently had an amazing heat where he defeated some of the top Hawaii pros. They all surfed great but he came out on top. If there are any more up and comers I think they will come from the Outer Islands, where they do it for the love and nothing else."
Correa: "There is quite a few of great riders coming out of Hawaii, especially from the outer islands... Jacob & Jonah Romero, Kona Kuailani and Shea Sevilla from Maui, Tucker Bontecou from Kona, Reis Yonehiro and Kailon Tyndzick (10 yrs. old) from Oahu and David Phillips from Kauai."
Stewart: "Of course. Unfortunately, many young riders get suppressed with the senior pressures of society to be rich and famous."
Miyake (author): "There are guys like Colin Black, James Clancy, Reese Yonehiro, Brandon Perreira who kill it in the amateur ranks. But the cool thing is that there are tons of semi-underground guys who rip. Chris Olayon and Herman Ano immediately come to mind, with many more out there, especially on the Outer Islands."
Where are we going? Photo courtesy SickShots.com
What does the future hold for bodyboarding and the bodyboarding industry?
Colwell: "I see people everyday doing something new FOR the sport; giving, not taking. For manufacturing, it is still unknown. With oil prices going up, and all our material being made with petroleum, it is hard to keep prices down."
Hubbard: "The future is what people make of it. If bodyboarders are positive and try and make a better future for what they want, then things will happen."
Reale: "I think we’re in a time of 'survival of the fittest.' The industry is saturated, and the small guys will start to feel the crush first. At some point, the strong companies will be left standing and they will be able to make enough money to put more back into the sport like they used to be able to. Hats off to guys like Corey Correa and Paul Cooper, along with Shawn Backus of the IBA/Hawaii and BIA for coming together to bring a US Tour back to life. It's a step in the right direction. As far as the sport itself, I see the materials getting better and the moves getting more risky."
Stewart: "Better equipment for access to new experiences, more buzz ultimately will lead to more fun. More time in the water will lead to more experiences, knowledge and renewed perspectives."
Kelling: "I'd like to think it is coming around; it is due for a positive turn. Because it is a great activity, one that everyone can enjoy, that is why people do it. When that happens the industry will follow. We just have to be patient."
Correa: "I hope it can get back financially where it was in years past, but that is solely up to our large companies."
Happy Zurowski, doing it, photo courtesy BodyboardersHawaii.com
What can bodyboarders do to help?
Stewart: "That's the thing; they don't have to front anything. They don't have to do or be anything other than true to themselves. Just to have fun enjoying the full spectrum of the oceanic realm that bodyboards allow access to."
Hubbard: "Have fun, stay positive, get their friends to experience bodyboarding with them, and just plain enjoy the ocean experience as it evolves into the 21st century."
Reale: "I would say (bodyboarders should) represent our sport in a positive light. Don't bring negativity to bodyboarding. We enjoyed our heyday when the sport was marketed as an easy-to-learn, 'family' sport. Though that image might not fit with some riders' ideas of bodyboarding, it makes our sport more marketable to the masses, and that helps all the way around."
Colwell: "Support the companies that support bodyboarding. I was told that in NASCAR the enthusiasts support companies that support NASCAR, like buying Tide products. In our small industry that sort of loyalty would help. The other thing is trying to get younger riders involved and introduce people into this great sport. Get more people introduced to bodyboarding on the enthusiast level."
Kelling: "Stay positive (sounds dumb, but its true). Tell people how fun it is, how it is easy to learn but impossible to master. Don't try to be to core; that stuff turns people away."
Correa: "Get out there and support the companies that are supporting our industry."
Smoke: "UNITE, and stop all the trash talk!"
Pull in or go straight? Photo courtesy SickShots.com
So where did bodyboarding go? It is alive and well, albeit somewhat underground. Participants are still blowing minds in the water, pushing waveriding limits to new heights. And they are out there just having fun. The industry is struggling, but there is some optimism and hope.
Mike Stewart had some insightful last words to ponder. "There is no fame and fortune (for bodyboarders) right now," he said. "But you can still learn the true meaning of balance, rhythm, perseverance, natural progression, dedication, and fear - common traits to all great waveriders, and to life."
Had some big barrels in the contest!
Postscript: The Rockstar Games Pipeline Pro presented by Mike Stewart Labs was completed on January 12, in excellent surf. Congratulations to Damian King (AUS) for winning the event and Ben Player (AUS) for taking the IBA tour championship.
Stay stoked!
Neal Miyake
