“By 2005 bodyboarding has all but vanished from surfing radar.”
http://vagabondsurf.com/Bodyboarding2005.html
Nels Norene- why so bitter? Why the hate?
i dig your site mate
i really like the info and photos on the paipo boards
i will make another soon…( i made two when i was a teenager)
got the link from ambrose post.
dont tell anyone
but i love body boarding
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By 2005 bodyboarding has all but vanished from surfing radar." Nels Norene- why so bitter? Why the hate?
Not so bitter, very little hate. Bodyboarding has all but vanished off surfing radar…which isn’t to say bodyboarding has vanished. Bodyboarding has become the Boogyman (Boogieman?) of the surfing world. It is portrayed by “surfing” as some sort of threat and as a source of wave contamination because that’s easier to do than accept the notion that making money off teaching standup surfing and creating new standup surfers by the hundreds of thousands to fill surf industry coffers might be adversly impacting the day-to-day surfing experience.
Bodyboarding in 2005 exists at a level much like standup surfing did after the “Gidget” bloom wore off. It isn’t secret anymore, it isn’t overexposed, it isn’t overdone or overloaded…I suspect it may be in a state of grace at the moment. One good accessable artistic and commercial success like “The Endless Summer” that captures imaginations and bodyboarding could reignite. As to the detractors, face the facts - do you want every new wave-rider on a longboard at your home break? Plus, as I’ve written frequently, the best surfers in the world have yet to complete manuevers that the top elite bodyboarders have been doing for years now.
The only thing I hate about surfing in any way, shape, or form is localism. I’m not thrilled by crowds, but I don’t hate them…
Nels, I see what you see here in Southern California, but I have to wonder about other countries like Brazil, Japan and Portugal. Did large numbers of women in those countries get “Blue Crushed” off their bodyboards? If so, then perhaps it’s only a temporary change. I can see bodyboarding as an Olympic sport someday.
As for the crowded conditions here in So Cal, perhaps these are the good old days. The “Blue Crush” effect could pale in comparison to racial integration of the surfing zone. Gang wars not simple localism. The retaking of California. Perhaps we are just one movie away…“Montezumas Revenge.”
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but I have to wonder about other countries like Brazil, Japan and Portugal. Did large numbers of women in those countries get “Blue Crushed” off their bodyboards?
Well, probably no, and same for the guys who don’t have the money for boards…and remember also a lot of the developing countries aren’t totally burdened by the traditions so many of us western countries are…they are merely in it for enjoyment. I normally try to hedge a lot of my comments by stipulating “western” or “North American” etc. What I have been referring to here is bodyboarding within the surf world “proper”, to put it most annoyingly…U.S., Hawaii, Oz, South Africa.
The Surfer’s Journal shapers “Soundings” thread is delving into the New Reality. What happens to the smaller surf countries when they get flooded with low-cost Asian import boards? Will bodyboarding in those lower profile areas survive that onslaught? If you think it won’t happen, change the commodity from “CD players” to “surfboards” and “surfing acessories” and tell me where you think that wave will stop…
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If so, then perhaps it’s only a temporary change. I can see bodyboarding as an Olympic sport someday.
Bodyboarding can still go either way. I can’t see it fading like kneeboarding. If looked at a certain way bodyboarding is at a really exciting time. As for the Olympics for surfing or bodyboarding, it will never happen except if competition is held on a wavepool or flowrider. I would argue technically that flowriders aren’t really enough like surfing as the experience appears related but not the same as it would be on a wavepool. Furthermore the equipment would have to be standardized - here we could have a lot of wicked fun by saying the 6’2" thruster has pretty much done that to pro competitive surfing 20 years ago- but for Olympic competition I’m talking standardized like the size and weight dimensions of a shot put or sailboat class. That actually would be fine by me - other threads around here point out how boring pro surfing currently is and complete standardization would only improve that by eliminating the distracting variables. It would also not inhibit free surfing as people could put in practice time on the standardized boards and free surf on whatever.
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As for the crowded conditions here in So Cal, perhaps these are the good old days. The “Blue Crush” effect could pale in comparison to racial integration of the surfing zone. Gang wars not simple localism. The retaking of California. Perhaps we are just one movie away…“Montezumas Revenge.”
Ah, so you read that post on the other thread, eh? ;-). I wonder what people like Munoz think when/if they read about the “Board Retailers Association” making presentations on “expanding into the Hispanic marketplace”? Even that statement makes it sound like they aren’t viewing people but either statistics or cattle. Just in case anyone reading this post thinks I was kidding on the other, please note I wasn’t - text was quoted and attributed verbatium from page 25 of the July Transworld Business magazine.
Here’s an ISA chronology of the efforts put into making surfing an Olympic sport. Bodyboarding is also mentioned.
Surfing’s Olympic Chronology
November 1992 - International Surfing Association (ISA) President Jacques Hele lobbies for surfing
April 1994 - Lobbying continues for Surfing to become an Olympic sport. Jacques Hele attends several international sports meetings.
May 1994 - Fernando Aguerre is elected Chairman of the ISA and crusades effortlessly for surfing to be included in the Sydney 2000 Olympics Games.
August 1994 - ISA files application for recognition by the International Olympic Committee.
March 1995 - Aguerre rallies support of the U.S. surf industry and brings the ISA World Surfing Games to Huntington Beach, USA
August 1995 - WSG comes to California-October 5-13, 1996 for the first time in 12 years.
April 1995 - IOC Executive Committee grants provisional recognition to the International Surfing Association.
June 1995 - The International Olympic Committee’s Annual Congress ratifies the Executive Committee’s decision officially recognized the ISA as the International Federation for surfing and bodyboarding, thus formally welcoming the sports to the Olympic movement.
Sept. 1995 - ISA reaches decision to make a special donation to the IOC museum in honor of becoming a recognized federation.
March 1996 - Letters are exchanged between IOC Sports Director Gilbert Felli and the ISA Public Relations Director Maile Aguerre, helping to arrange a meeting between IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch and ISA Chairman Fernando Aguerre.
May 1996 - Mr. Joao Havelange, President of FIFA (Federation Internationale Football Association-the world’s largest sporting federation), becomes an ambassador for surfing, writing letters to Mr. Samaranch requesting he consider admitting surfing into the Olympic Games.
June 1996 - ISA Chairman Aguerre concludes an historic meeting with IOC President Samaranch at IOC Headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland on June 13, 1996. Accompanied by his wife, Maile (ISA PR Director), Aguerre met with Mr. Samaranch and IOC Sports Director, Gilbert Felli, for nearly one hour. Aguerre presented surfing’s case for inclusion in the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The IOC President indicated to Aguerre, referring to the ISA and surfing in Sydney, that the door is not closed yet.
June 1996 - IOC President Samaranch, at the conclusion of his June meeting with ISA Chairman Aguerre, Unexpectedly announced the creation of a special “IOC President’s Trophy” to be given to the team winner at the ISA World Surfing Games. He further directed IOC Sports Director Gilbert Felli or Pere Miro (IOC Deputy Sports Director) to attend the World Surfing Games’ Opening Ceremony on October 5th and report back to IOC Headquarters.
June 1996 - The Olympic “Questionnaire for Admission” into the Games is received by the ISA.
August 1996 - The Olympic “Questionnaire for Admission” is completed and sent back to the International Olympic Committee.
August 1996 - Invitations are sent to International Olympic Committee members and United States Olympic Committee members, inviting them to attend the ISA World Surfing Games in October at Huntington Beach.
Oct. 1996 - The International Surfing Association held its World Surfing Games October 5-13 in Huntington Beach, CA. The 1996 ISA World Surfing Games was the world’s largest-ever surfing contest, featuring almost 600 competitors from 36 nations.
During this event, the President of the IOC Mr. Samaranch sends the “IOC President’s Trophy” to be given to the winner of the competition. Furthermore, Mr. Samaranch sends an IOC Member Mr. James Easton (from USA) to visit the event and make a report about it to the IOC Mr. James Easton comes to the World Surfing Games, attend to the Opening Ceremony and makes a very positive speech about surfing and the organization of the event (we have his speech on video-tape).
Jan. 1997 - ISA produces a promotional video-tape about the World Surfing Games '96 and sends a copy of it to all IOC Members.
Sept. 1997 - IOC grants “outright recognition” to the ISA as a “Recognized Federation.”
Nov 1997 - IOC requests two ISA flags to be placed at the IOC. One for the IOC Headquarters and one for the IOC Museum
April 1998 - ISA’s Executive Director Mr. Cadu Villela visits the Italian Olympic Committee and the Portuguese Olympic Committee and gets support to our Olympic quest.
July 2001 - Maile H. Aguerre, ISA Director of Public Relations attended the 112th IOC session in Moscow, Russia
October 2001 - ISA Vice President, Jacques Hele attended the GAISF Congress and General Assembly, Singapore
May 2002 - Maile H. Aguerre was elected as ISA Vice-President and will continue with Jacque Hele’s efforts as liason with the International Olympic Committee and other major sport organizations.
August 2002 - Maile H. Aguerre attended IOC’s, ARISF’s and IWGA’s annual meetings in Lausanne, Switzerland. On this trip, the ISA received a letter saying that surfing would not be considered for the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. The reason being that the ISA has not yet fulfilled the requirement of having 75 NGB’s.
October 2002 - Maile H. Aguerre met with Mr. Vazquez Raña of President of PASO (Pan American Sports Organization) in Mexico City to present the formal application for the sport of surfing to be recognized by PASO for both PASA (Pan-American Surf Association) and the ISA.
November 2002 - Maile H. Aguerre attended the GAISF Annual Meeting in Colorado Springs, Colorado on behalf of the ISA
December 2002 - Surfing was officially put on the South Pacific Games Programme
May 2003 - Maile H. Aguerre attended SportAccord in Madrid, Spain, where all of the different Sporting Associations meetings (GAISF, ARISF and IWGA) were combined into one setting, one meeting. At this meeting, IOC President, Jacques Rogge told the recognized IF’s not to spend money on lobbying, but instead on developing the sport. He also confirmed that the new IOC policy states that the IOC will review the Programme after each Olympic Games, on which sports can / can not be added. Finally, he confirmed that in order for one sport to get in, another must be removed.
November 2003, ISA filled out and submitted a re-evaluation document for the IOC records.
Througout 2003, ISA worked with WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) to fulfill the IOC’s requirements of signing on with WADA. All documents were submitted to ISA’s attorney for approval first.
December 2003 - the ISA signed the contract with WADA, conforming to the IOC’s Anti-Doping Charter.
March 2004 - Maile H. Aguerre attended the IOC’s Women in Sports Congress in Morocco. IOC President commented on the fact that there were only 8 IF’s out of all IF’s (on the Programme and recognized) that had complied with the IOC’s requirement of having 20% of Executive Positions in the hands of women, a target established by the IOC in 1996, for IOC, IF’s and NOC’s to reach by 2005. The ISA was (and continues to be) one of those 8 IF’s.
March 2004 - ISA awarded the 2004 IOC Presidents Trophy to the Team Australia, the winning team at the ISA World Surfing Games 2004 in Salinas, Ecuador. [Photo here: “OLYMPIC IOC Presidents Trophy WSG 2004”]
April 2004 - ISA Vice President Maile H. Aguerre attends the XLII Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) General Assembly in San Antonio, Texas, USA. The ISA / PASA still need another 5 countries to be recognized by their Olympic Committees before the ISA’s solicitude for inclusion in the 2007 PASO Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil can be considered.
June 2004 - Maile H. Aguerre attended SportAccord in Lausanne, Switzerland, a joint convention of IWGA, ARISF and GAISF Meetings.
Poobah,
Didn’t I read recently that baseball or softball is getting tossed from the Olympics? That’s a sport with rules and minimal equipment which is actually cheaper than complete surfing outfits, which can be played indoors or outdoors in any weather. The variables will keep wave riding out without artificial environments - like whitewater canoe/kayak competitions have evolved into.
I had a whole bunch more but I think I was confusing a guy named Gary Filosa with Fernando Aguerre (Reef?)…going insane in the membranes of memory…and it’s still early yet.
I’m happy to take my bodyboard out from time to time. It’s lots of fun on the shorebreak.
Dave
i’m with dave,
There are times when a good grinding shorepound is just begging for a sponge session. We’ve had plenty of days when the tide peaks and the shorepound picks up. The last thing I want to do is trash one of my boards in the sand, or myself. So we pull out the bodyboard and make it a game to see who can get the deepest coverup. Good clean, errrr…sandy, fun!
Image used without permission.
