A Blog A Day 2017: Blog #17
Sunday, September 27th
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| Kauai grom Sammy Morretino with US East Coast DK legend Ryan Rhodes back in 2010. |
Back in 2010, a scrawny 13 year old from Kauai (Hawaii) started showing up at USBA (United States Bodyboarding Association) tour events and turning heads with both his prone and drop knee bodyboarding skills. Sammy Morretino finished 2nd in the Drop Knee division at the 2010 Jenks Pro (New Jersey), behind East Coast legend Ryan Rhodes (North Carolina) who went on to refer to young Sammy as, "The Future of Drop Knee."
Over the next couple of years, Sammy continued to develop his skills on both the USBA national tour and Hawaii regional tour events. In 2012, Sammy accomplished some major feats during the competition season. At the Sandy Beach Pro, the 15 year old defeated both Jeff and Dave Hubbard...two of his bodyboarding idols from his home island of Kauai. Also during the 2012 USBA season, Sammy made history at the US Open of Bodyboarding (Huntington Beach, CA) when he pulled off a three division sweep by winning the DK Pro, Open Amateur, and 14-18 divisions. For more information on those events, please check out these press releases:
Sammy Morretino: US Open of Bodyboarding
Sammy Morretino: Sandy Beach Pro
Known as "The Meerkat," Sammy Morretino has remained a constant threat on the Hawaii Bodyboarding Pro Tour over the past several years. Just in case there was any doubt, Sammy reminded everyone how versatile he is by winning 2015 season titles in three separate divisions on the Hawaiian regional tour...Men's Pro, Drop Knee, and Stand-up.
Sammy Morretino Takes Three Hawaiian Bodyboarding Titles
Well, seven years after the Kauai "Supergrom" was declared to be "The Future of Drop Knee," Sammy Morretino claimed the 2017 APB Drop Knee word title at the Sintra Pro in Portugal today. Now 20 years old, "The Meerkat" dominated his heats during competition and defeated his friend and hero, 8x DK World Champion Dave Hubbard, in the final to become the youngest Drop Knee World Champion in bodyboarding history! Stay tuned to www.apbtour.com for the official press release, video highlights, and photos.
Congratulations, 2017 APB Drop Knee World Champion Sammy Morretino!!!
You did it, kid!!!
Yeah Steven! Awesome what you've done for Sammy. He deserves it for sure. From a great kid to a great young man with a savage work ethic, Sammy always tries to raise the bar, and does it with ease. #meercatMAGICtino. I love you bro come back home to keoneloa. #kug
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