Early Influences

Early Influences

A Blog A Day 2017: Blog #4

Monday, September 4th


  During my early years as a bodyboarding grom, the pro riders I saw in BODYBOARDING MAGAZINE and in videos had a huge influence on me.  I wanted to try the maneuvers my favorite bodyboarders were doing.  I wanted to travel to the places I was reading about and watching in videos.  I wanted to try the products (boards, swim fins, wetsuits, clothing, etc.) that the top riders were sponsored by and promoting in magazine ads.  These are some of the professional bodyboarders that made me dream of becoming a professional bodyboarder back when I was a grom...

(In no particular order)

Mike Stewart. Gotcha clothing ad. Image taken from www.bodyboardmuseum.com.au

MIKE STEWART:  When I started bodyboarding back in 1988, bodyboarding had only three world champions at that point: Daniel Kaimi (1982), Ben Severson (1986), and then 4x World Champion Mike Stewart.  By the time I picked up my first copy of Bodyboarding Magazine, Stewart had claimed his fifth world title. Mike was the King of bodyboarding, almost unbeatable at the time.  Everybody wanted to be like Stewart.  Everyone wanted to be the person to take Stewart down in competition.  He was, and still is, one of my biggests idols...not just in bodyboarding, but in all of sports.

Jay Reale. Cover of Bodyboarding Magazine (Apr/May 1990). Image taken from www.bodyboardmuseum.com.au

JAY REALE:  Easily the biggest influence on me, from my grom days throughout three decades of bodyboarding.  The first issue of Bodyboarding Magazine that I ever bought had Jay on the cover (April 1989).  The first bodyboarding video I ever bought, 'Bodyboarding's Hottest Maneuvers' (1988) had Jay on the cover.  His ads for companies like Morey Boogie Bodyboards, Morey Boogie Body Wear, Flojos Sandals, O'Neill Wetsuits, and Posi-Trak filled the magazines.  The realization that he was from Ocean City, Maryland...an East Coaster like me...is what really got me dreaming, "I want to be a professional bodyboarder!" Watching him work as an announcer for the PSAA Bud Pro Tour on ESPN in the early 90's, also, has influenced me as a bodyboarding/surfing commentator.

Kainoa McGee. Viper Fins ad. Image taken from www.bodyboardmuseum.com.au

KAINOA MCGEE: A larger than life charger, whether he's riding Drop Knee or prone, watching Kainoa take on heavy Pipeline made me want to push myself into bigger, heavier waves.

Ben Severson. Airwalk ad. Image taken from www.bodyboardmuseum.com.au

BEN SEVERSON:  In photos, magazine ads, or video footage, Ben always had this infectious smile on his face and always looked like he was stoked. If there were any one bodyboarder in the world I wanted to be able to ride barrels like, it was Ben Severson.

Pat Caldwell. Aleeda Wetsuits ad. Image taken from www.bodyboardmuseum.com.au

PAT CALDWELL:  This one is a no-brainer.  As much as I loved the images of Stewart doing rolls at Pipeline, in print or on video, I wanted to learn to do rolls as smooth as Pat Caldwell.  He is the inventor of the el rollo, after all!

Keith Sasaki. Photo: Brian Bielmann. Image taken from www.bodyboardmuseum.com.au

KEITH SASAKI:  Drop Knee Style Master.  Sasaki's riding was smooth, fluid and innovative.  He was one of a handful of guys that made me want to learn how to DK.

Paul Roach. Quiksilver ad. Image taken from www.bodyboardmuseum.com.au

PAUL ROACH:  A screaming cacophony of speed, power, and aggression. Nobody rode Drop Knee like Paul Roach back then, and nobody has ridden DK quite the same since. Every Drop Kneer wants to throw tail as hard as Roach. Period. Roach was a game changer.

Hauoli Reeves. Off The Wall, 1988. Image taken from www.bodyboardmuseum.com.au

HAUOLI REEVES:  An Aerial innovator for the sport of bodyboarding. Hauoli's lip launches/ projected airs inspired me to attack the lip and take flight.  I had this poster plastered to my bedroom wall for nearly a decade!

Seamus Mercado. Bodyboarding Magazine cover (1989). Image taken from www.bodyboardmuseum.com.au

SEAMUS MERCADO:  I used to see photos and ads of Seamus Mercado in almost every issue of Bodyboarding Magazine.  It seemed like he was always attacking shorebreak waves like Sandy's.  Every other photo, it looked like he was screaming at the wave (like on this cover of Bodyboarding Magazine from 1989).  For a brief while, I had a habit of yelling at closeout waves while paddling into them.  Fortunately, I got over that habit, but "The Merc" still inspired me to be a little more aggressive out in the water (something that has always been a work in progress for me).

KAUAI CLASSIC BODYBOARD TEAM:  Formed by original team member Jason Brown in 1988 and coached by Bob Sato, the Kauai Classic Bodyboard Team lived together, trained together, and became known for using "Team Tactics" or "Shark Tactics" during competition (when two or more members of the Kauai Classic were in a heat together, they would surround the other competitors in their heat so that their opponents couldn't catch waves).  These guys were dangerous in competition, but what really made these guys noteworthy is how progressive they were in their free surf sessions.  When I first watched their home video, 'Kauai Classic: Future of Youth 1990,' I was completely blown away.  These guys were doing things I had never seen before, like Drop Knee airs, that were completely ahead of their time!  My friends and I took inspiration from the Kauai Classic and began training for competition as a team. We'd schedule practice sessions, run simulated heats, check out all of the latest bodyboarding equipment at the area surf shops, and watch videos on flat days.  It would end up paying off for all three of us...but that's another story for another time.

KYLE MALIGRO
HARRY ANTIPALA
CHRIS TENNBERG

(Left to Right: Chris Tennberg, Harry Antipala, Kyle Maligro) Image taken from imgrum.org

Kyle Maligro. Challenger Bodyboards ad. Image taken from www.bodyboardmuseum.com.au

Harry Antipala. PSAA Bud Pro Tour 1991. Image taken from www.bodyboardmuseum.com.au

Chris Tennberg. Challenger Bodyboards ad (1993). Image taken from www.bodyboardmuseum.com.au

  So, there you have a dozen of the professional bodyboarders that influenced me when I first started.  Trust me, these 12 guys are just a sample.  There are so many names from the world of professional bodyboarding...Men, Women, DK, and Standup... that have influenced me and continue to inspire me to this very day.  Which pro bodyboarders influenced you when you were first learning?


Please be sure to visit www.bodyboardmuseum.com.au to learn more about these riders and the history of our sport.