CURRENT EVENTS: Bodyboarding News

CURRENT EVENTS: Bodyboarding News

IN THIS EDITION:  FRONTON CANCELLED!, RAW Nationals Underway in Australia, Annaelle Challenge Results, Tamega Wins Kea'au Beach Challenge, Jimmy Hutaff Injured, Shark Bite in New Jersey, Bitzers Welcome Baby Girl.


FRONTON CANCELLED!

  SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA-  IBA Pty Ltd has officially announce the cancellation of the 2013 Fronton Challenge (Canary Islands, Spain), which was to serve as the season finale for the Men's Grand Slam Series world tour. With 2x World Champion Ben Player (Australia) and 2010 World Champion Amaury Lavernhe (Reunion Island) tied for the world title race, the international bodyboarding community must now wait for an official determination to declare who will be the 2013 IBA Men's World Champion.

  Amaury Lavernhe had this to say on his Facebook page, earlier today, "The IBA Fronton Pro is cancelled!  Like you guys, I can't believe it but it's reality!  The IBA had to choose between running the comp without prize money or cancel it.  Most of the riders from the Top 24 did not want to compete without prize money...
"So what happens next?  There [are] two world champs this year?  No, that will be too easy.  The new 2013 World Champ is based on the ranking from last year, so Ben Player is the new IBA World Champ!"

Stay tuned for more details as this story continues to unfold.

Official Press Release:
http://ibaworldtour.com/2013/11/fronton-cancelled/

For more information, please be sure to visit:
www.ibaworldtour.com

IBA World Tour on Facebook



RAW NATIONALS UNDERWAY IN AUSTRALIA

  NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA-  Nearly 250 of Australia's best bodyboarders have gathered in Coff's Harbour to compete in the 2013 RAW Nationals and Rebel Pro. The event runs this week, the 12th-16th, and features 10 amateur divisions along with the Rebel Sport Australian Pro Tour 2-star event offering 1000 points to the winner and a $10,000 prize purse.

For more information, please be sure to visit:
http://ibaaustralasia.com/

IBA Australasia on Facebook


ANNAELLE CHALLENGE RESULTS

  BRITTANY, FRANCE-  The massive North Atlantic swell that lit up surf spots across the European continent provided the necessary swell for the fourth running of the Annaelle Challenge.  The field of 16 competitors (14 by invitation and two from Trials) battled it out in 1.5-2.5 meter slabbing waves.  Here are the results:

1st- Jeremy Arnoux
2nd- Alex Uranga
3rd- Erwan Genre
4th- Borja Ganzarain

Official Press Release:
http://ibaworldtour.com/2013/11/jeremy-arnoux-wins-annaelle-challenge/

For more information, please be sure to visit:
www.ibaworldtour.com

http://www.annaellechallenge.com/

Annaelle Challenge on Facebook


TAMEGA WINS KEA'AU BEACH CHALLENGE

  HAWAII-  6X World Champion Guilherme Tamega has won the Kea'au Beach Challenge, part of the IBA Hawaii Tour.  Here are the complete results:

MEN'S PRO
1st- Guilherme Tamega
2nd- JB Hillen
=3rd- Matt Holzman
=3rd- Mike Stewart

WOMEN'S PRO
1st- Karla Costa-Taylor
2nd- Summer Hillen
3rd- Melanie Bartels
4th- Aya Ancheta

DK PRO
1st- Dayton Wago
2nd- Micah McMullin
3rd- Kawika Kamai
4th- Kyle Ching

JUNIOR PRO
1st- Tanner McDaniel
2nd- Kawika Kamai
3rd- Jared Gunnels
4th- Malino Ching

For more information, please be sure to visit:
http://www.ibahawaiitour.com/

IBA Hawaii Tour on Facebook



JIMMY HUTAFF INJURED

  HAWAII-  Bodyboarding legend Jimmy Hutaff was injured during a morning warm-up session at the IBA Hawaii Kea'au Beach Challenge.  He hyper-extended his right knee and hamstring, which required a visit to the emergency room.  Jimmy posted on his Facebook page, "Thank you to all that helped me out of the water and helped me yesterday.  I am very grateful.  God bless."  Here's wishing you a speedy recovery, Jimmy!



SHARK BITE IN NEW JERSEY

  BAY HEAD, NEW JERSEY-  16 year old bodyboarder Quinn Gates was bodyboarding with a friend when he felt a sudden tug on his swimfin.  He looked down and saw half his fin had been torn off but, fortunately, he was not harmed.  Shark experts estimate that it was possibly a 6-8ft shark that took a bite out if the swimfin.  Read the news article below for more.

Shark Bite article


BITZERS WELCOME BABY GIRL

  HAWAII- Professional bodyboarders Jason and Roberta Bitzer announced the birth of their first child, a baby girl named Numa, on November 7th.  Congratulations, Jason and Beta!  Best wishes to you and your new family!



  That's all for now.  Until the next time, I'm Steve "Action" Jackson.  I'll see you out in the water...YEEEWWW!!!

BREAKING NEWS: Managers Resign from IBA Pty Ltd!

BREAKING NEWS: Managers Resign from IBA Pty Ltd!

  AUSTRALIA-  BODYBOARDING 101 has learned that Administration Manager Karen Tozer and Tour Manager Alex Leon have resigned from International Bodyboarding Association Party Limited.  In a message from the former Administration Manager, Karen Tozer stated, "I resigned from the IBA and ceased working for them last Friday 8th Nov. Alex also resigned."  Former Tour Manager Alex Leon confirmed with me this afternoon, "I have resigned from IBA Pty Ltd."

  An email sent to General Manager of IBA Pty Ltd, Richard Nimmo, has not been immediately responded to.  While we await an official response from the IBA pertaining to these resignations, as well as an official statement regarding the confirmation or cancellation of  the Men's Grand Slam Series season finale at Fronton (Canary Islands, Spain), an air of uncertainty lingers over the world of bodyboarding and the pending outcome of the 2013 Men's world title.

Stay tuned for all of the latest updates on this breaking story!

CURRENT EVENTS: October News Recap

CURRENT EVENTS: October News Recap

IN THIS EDITION: Dave Hubbard Wins DKWT Title, Isabela Sousa Wins WWT Title, Results from CBRASB Brazilian National Tour, Encanto Pro Puerto Rico Results, Bodyboard Pro Festival Venezuela Results.

DAVE HUBBARD WINS 2013 DROP KNEE WORLD TOUR TITLE

  HAWAII- Dave Hubbard has won the 2013 IBA Drop Knee World Tour. "Dubb" dominated this year's tour with four event victories (Peru, Portugal, Venezuela, and Puerto Rico). Dave is now a 5x DK World Champion.  Here are the final rankings for the 2013 DKWT:

For more information, please be sure to visit: www.ibaworldtour.com


ISABELA SOUSA WINS 2013 WOMEN'S WORLD TOUR TITLE

  BRAZIL-  Isabela Sousa has won the 2013 IBA Women's World Tour title.  Isabela scored three tour victories this year (Pipeline, Portugal, Venezuela) on her way to claiming her second consecutive world title, and her third world title in four years (she finished 2nd on the WWT in 2011).  Here are the final rankings for the 2013 WWT:

For more information, please be sure to visit: www.ibaworldtour.com


CBRASB BRAZILIAN NATIONAL TOUR RESULTS

EVENT #1: Farol de Sao Thome (Campos, Rio de Janeiro)
October 11th-13th

MEN'S PRO:
1st- Lucas Nogueira
2nd- Valdomiro Mirinho
=3rd- Israel Salas
=3rd- Bruno Araujo

WOMEN'S PRO:
1st- Jessica Becker
2nd- Juliana Freitas
=3rd- Maria Helena Tostes
=3rd- Patricia Setubal

Day One Highlights on Vimeo

EVENT #2: Praia da Tiririca (Itacare, Bahia)
October 23rd-26th

MEN'S PRO:
1st- Israel Salas
2nd- Luis Villar
=3rd- Israel Eduardo
=3rd- Ronieres Viana

WOMEN'S PRO:
1st- Kirtys Montenegro
2nd- Jessica Becker
=3rd- Juliana Freitas
=3rd- Maria Helena Tostes

For more information, please be sure to visit:

Official website: http://cbrasb.com.br/

CBRASB on Facebook


LOCAL RAFAEL RIVERA WINS ENCANTO PRO PUERTO RICO GQS

  JOBOS BEACH, PUERTO RICO (OCT. 23RD-27TH)-  Local Rafael "Rafa" Rivera became the first Puerto Rican to claim victory in the Men's Division of the Encanto Pro with his win over Moroccan Adnane Benslimane to score his first ever IBA GQS win.

MEN'S GQS RESULTS:
1st- Rafael Rivera (Puerto Rico)
2nd- Adnane Benslimane (Morocco)
=3rd- Guilherme Tamega (Brasil)
=3rd- Uri Valadao (Brasil)

  In the WWT portion of the event, it was an all-Japanese final with Minami Hatakeyama taking the win.

WWT RESULTS:
1st- Minami Hatakeyama (Japan)
2nd- Ayaka Suzuki (Japan)
=3rd- Emma Cobb (Australia)
=3rd- Neymara Carvalho (Brasil)

  In the DK final, Dave Hubbard (Hawaii) capped off a stellar championship year by defeating 2012 DK World Champion Sacha Specker (South Africa).

DK RESULTS:
1st- Dave Hubbard (Hawaii)
2nd- Sacha Specker (South Africa)
=3rd- Miles Kauhaahaa (Hawaii)
=3rd- Micah McMullin (Hawaii)


Final Day Video Highlights:

Official Press Release:
http://ibaworldtour.com/2013/10/rivera-wins-encanto-pro/

For more information, please be sure to visit:
http://www.encantopropr.com/

www.ibaworldtour.com

Encanto World Series on Facebook


BODYBOARD PRO FESTIVAL FINAL RESULTS

  ISLA DE MARGARITA, VENEZUELA (OCT. 7TH-12TH)-  Venezuelan Sergio Alonzo took the win in the Men's GQS, while Dave Hubbard (Hawaii) won in the DK division and Isabela Sousa won the Women's division along with the first ever Women's DK division.

For more information, please be sure to visit:
http://www.bodyboardprofestival.com/

www.ibaworldtour.com

Bodyboard Pro Festival on Facebook

  That's all for now.  Until the next time, I'm Steve "Action" Jackson.  I'll see you out in the water...YEEEWWW!!!

BEHIND THE SCENES: Rio Bodyboarding International 2013

BEHIND THE SCENES: Rio Bodyboarding International 2013

Posto 5
Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
September 3rd-8th, 2013

Men's Global Qualifier Series- $40,000 USD & 2000 points
Women's Grand Slam Series- $20,000 USD & 2000 points

2013 IBA World Tour event

EVENT SET-UP:
  Construction of the event set-up for Rio Bodyboarding International 2013 began a week in advance of the actual competition.  Work crews were on the beach nearly around the clock, beginning in the early morning and going into the late night hours.  On several occasions, I joined Event Organizer Flavio Brito on the beach in the late evening to help oversee construction of the competition site.  For the week leading up to RBI 2013, along with the week of competition itself, I don't think Flavio got much sleep.  When it comes to organizing and running a professional competition, there is never an end to the work that needs to be done...always directions to be given, questions to be answered, problems to be solved, and there are ALWAYS unforeseen circumstances that need to be handled!  The end result, though, was worth the countless hours and sleepless nights.  The event structure for RBI 2013 was one of the most professional layouts in the sport of bodyboarding!

26 August 2013: Event Organizer Flavio Brito discussing site layout on the first day of construction.

31 August 2013: Almost ready to go...three days before the start of the event!

Ready to welcome an international field of competitors to Rio Bodyboarding International 2013...YEEEWWW!!!
Photo: Flavio Brito

BODYBOARDING 101: Everything You Need to Know About Rio Bodyboarding International 2013

IBA Press Releases:
http://ibaworldtour.com/2013/08/rio-bodyboard-international-2013/

http://ibaworldtour.com/2013/09/2013-iba-rio-bodyboard-international/



RIDER CHECK-IN:

2 September 2013: Check-in day...the flag for each of the 19 countries represented at RBI 2013 were flying proudly in front of the event structure.

The most professional broadcast team I've ever had the pleasure of working with...Beach Reporter Isabella Feijo and bodyboarding legend Jay Reale as my co-host!  Working with Bella and Jay was an honor and a privilege!

Moroccan bodyboarders Reda Benhima, Anas Haddar, and Adnane Benslimane came straight to rider check-in from Galeao Airport after flying in from the Sintra Portugal Pro!

IBA Press Releases:
http://ibaworldtour.com/2013/09/2013-rio-bodyboarding-international-competitors-gather-rio/

http://ibaworldtour.com/2013/09/2013-rio-international-draft-draws/



DAY ONE OF COMPETITION:

3 Septmenber 2013: Alexandra Rinder (Canary Islands) and Emma Cobb (Australia).

Babby Quinones (Puerto Rico) with Posto 5 locals "Mudinho" (one of the first ever deaf bodyboarders to compete in a major international event) and Hermano Castro.

This was the office for Jay Real and me during RBI 2013.  We jokingly referred to the webcast booth as "The Batcave" and a "Glorified Broom Closet" because of the small space and no windows...but it was perfect for the job at hand!

Jay Reale and Steve "Action" Jackson ready to go live for day one of competition!

Jay Reale and 6x World Champion Guilherme Tamega at GT's birthday party.

Parabens, Campeao...Happy Birthday, Champion!

IBA Press Release:
ibaworldtour.com/2013/09/rio-bodyboarding-international-trials-complete/



DAY TWO OF COMPETITION:

4 September 2013: Legendary Brazilian beach marshal Vina Lisboa and commentator Steve "Action" Jackson.
Photo: Flavio Brito

Brazilians Lucas Noguiera and Nicholas Bastos.

IBA Press Release:
http://ibaworldtour.com/2013/09/iba-rio-bodyboarding-international-day-2-complete/



DAY THREE OF COMPETITION:

5 September 2013: Webcast transmission control room.

IBA Press Release:
http://ibaworldtour.com/2013/09/rio-bodyboarding-international-day-three-complete/



DAY FOUR OF COMPETITION:

6 September 2013: IBA Head Judge Chico Garritano (Brazil) and IBA Technical Director Alex Leon (Australia) contemplating the event schedule for day four of competition. 

IBA Press Release:
http://ibaworldtour.com/2013/09/rio-day-4-complete/



DAY FIVE OF COMPETITION:

7 September 2013: Some of the RBI 2013 event staff got together for a quick photo before getting to work for the day. Photo: Danilo Caboclo

Brasileiras...a bunch of the women's competitors from Brazil got together for this pic in the competitor's area...Nicole Calheiros, Paula Simao, Claudia Ferrari, Maylla Venturin, Juliana Freitas, and Patricia Setubal.

RBI Beach Reporter Isabella Feijo interviewing 2x Women's World Champion Isabela Sousa.

I snuck out of the webcast booth really quick to snap this pic of Brazilian Helliton Loureiro celebrating his win in the Men's GQS portion of RBI 2013! On the stage with him are (from right to left) 2nd Place Isreal Eduardo (Brazil) and in =3rd Brahim Iddouch (Morocco) and Diego Roberto (Brazil).  Congratulations to all of you...amazing performances!

IBA Press Release:
http://ibaworldtour.com/2013/09/helliton-loureiro-wins-rio-gqs/



DAY SIX OF COMPETITION:

8 September 2013: 5x Women's World Champion Neymara Carvalho making use of the massage therapists on staff at RBI 2013 before one of her heats on the final day of competition!

Brazilian Jessica Becker celebrates her win after a dominant performance at RBI 2013! Photo:RBI

Jay Reale and Steve "Action" Jackson signing off..."That's all for this year.  We're outta here...YEEEWWW!!!"

IBA Press Release:
http://ibaworldtour.com/2013/09/jessica-becker-wins-rio-wwt/



THE DAY AFTER:
  For most of the competitors and event staff of Rio Bodyboarding International, the day after the conclusion of competition is a day to unwind and relax.  Many of the local Brazilians will show the international competitors around the area, taking them to such famous tourist destinations as Pao do Acucar (Sugarloaf Mountain) to ride the world famous cable cars or up to Corcovado Mountain to see Christ the Redeemer.  I may not be a "Carioca" (local), but for the first two years of RBI I have played tour guide..and I love it!  Last year I had the privilege of taking then-IBA Tour Manager Terry "Teza" McKenna (Australia) up to Corcovado.  This year, I brought Emma Cobb (Australia) to Corcovado to meet up with several others...local Hermano Castro, Moroccans Reda Benhima and Anas Haddar, and Canary Islander Alexandra Rinder.  I'm looking forward to seeing who I end up cruising up to Christ the Redeemer with next year!

9 September 2013: Visiting Christ the Redeemer with Anas Haddar (Morocco), Hermano Castro (Brasil), Alexandra Rinder (Canary Islands), Reda Benhima (Morocco), and Emma Cobb (Australia).

Cruising up to Corcovado Mountain to see Christ the Redeemer after the comp is becoming an annual tradition!
Photo: Emma Cobb

Obrigado, Rio. Ate 2014...Thank you, Rio.  See you in 2014.

For more information and plenty of photos be sure to visit:
http://www.riobodyboarding.com.br/

RBI on Facebook

I would like to thank everybody who helped make the success of this event possible:
  Event Organizer Flavio Brito, the government of Rio de Janeiro, the Secretary of Sports and Leisure, IBA, CBRASB, FEBBRJ, Chico Garritano and all of the judges, the RBI Security team, Danilo Caboclo and everybody in the Press Room, Natalia Jalecky, Beach Reporter Isabella Feijo, Jonathan Cardoso, my great commentary co-host Jay Reale, Beach Marshals Vina Lisboa and Sandro Barros, the SurfCore production team, all of the bodyboarding fans watching on the beach and tuned in to the live webcast from around the world, and...most importantly...all of the competitors who always put forth an amazing athletic performance out in the water!  Thank you to all of you for being such incredible ambassadors for the sport of bodyboarding!!!

Eu gostaria de agradecer a todos que ajudaram a viabilizer o sucesso deste evento:
  organizador de evento Flavio Brito, o Governo do Rio de Janeiro, o Secretario de Esportes e Lazer, IBA, CBRASB, FEBBRJ, Chico Garritano e todos os juizes, a equipe de seguranca de RBI, Danilo Caboclo e todos na sala de imprensa, Natalia Jalecky, reporter na praia Isabella Feijo, minha co-apresentadora grande comentario Jay Reale, equipe de producao do SurfCore,todoas o bodyboard fas assistindo na praia e santonizado paro o webcast ao vivo de todo o mundo, e...mais importante...todos os competidores que sempre estendeu um incrivel desempenho atletico fora na agua!  Obrigado a todos voces por serem tao incriveis embaixadores para o esporte de bodyboard!!!

  Until the next time, I'm Steve "Action" Jackson.  I'll see you at Rio Bodyboarding International 2014!  YEEEWWW!!!