My First Bodyboarding Video

My First Bodyboarding Video

A Blog A Day 2017: Blog #3

Sunday, September 3rd

Bodyboarding's Hottest Maneuvers (1988)

SPRING 1989:

  Not long after having gotten my hands on my first copy of Bodyboarding Magazine, I stumbled across my first bodyboarding video.  I had ridden my beach cruiser to one of the area surf shops to check out the boards and swim fins. While I was looking around, I noticed a bodyboarding video on a shelf behind the shop counter.  I thought to myself, "Oh my God! They have a bodyboarding video!"  I asked the guy behind the counter if I could look at the video. "Sure, kid. Here you go," he replied, handing over the VHS cassette that was more like a block of gold to me.  I took a long moment to gaze at the cover, reading it out loud to myself, "Bodyboarding's Hottest Maneuvers. Radical Moves Taught By World Class Bodyboarders Jay Reale, Keith Sasaki, and Cameron Steele."  Then, I turned over the video and read the back cover.  All I could think was, "I HAVE TO GET THIS!"  I placed the video down on the counter. "I'll take this, please."  I could barely control my excitement!

  As soon as I had paid for the video and left the store, I raced home as fast as I could! I tore off the plastic shrink wrap packaging, slid the cassette out of it's sleeve, turned on the TV, and pushed the tape into the VCR.  I was so excited to watch this, so excited that the mandatory FBI Restriction Warning at the beginning of the video seemed to take forever.  Then, there was that moment of extreme anticipation when the opening title came on.  My mind was screaming, "YES!!! FINALLY!!! THIS IS IT!!!"  I was glued to the TV screen from start to finish!  When it was over, I hit rewind and went downstairs to make a Cup O'Noodle soup.  As soon as my ramen noodles were ready, I went back upstairs and watched the video again, this time hitting rewind, periodically, to re-watch some of the maneuvers.  Over the next two years, I would re-watch that video innumerable times.  I studied that video.  Keith Sasaki's section taught me the importance of stretching before a session. I practically dissected the maneuvers and where the maneuvers were being performed by all three riders...for prone and for Drop Knee.  It was with 'Bodyboarding's Hottest Maneuvers' that I developed a habit of using bodyboarding videos not only for entertainment or helping to kill some time during summer flat spells, but for training as well. That's a habit that has remained consistent, for me, for nearly three decades now.