HISTORY

Chris Anne  is the longtime partner of Ben Severson and sister to Danny Kim the standup bodyboarder. It was only natural she would end up growing  up on the beach on the Westside bodyboarding. In the late 80′s she was one of Hawaii’s top female competitors along with Shawnee Oide. Chris Anne  excelled at Pipe when the Women’s Comps were held. This pic was taken down the South Coast around ’89 when she was out in Oz competing and free surfing with Sevo. photo Stroh

When Guilherme Tamega won the World Title in ’94 he instantly put Brazil on the bodyboard map. Up to that time it was still Hawaii and The Mainland that were the main influences in bodyboarding. Once Aussie Eppo in ’93 and then Tamega took the title the following year ending a decade of Hawaiian domination the sport blew up world wide. Tamega went from virtual obscurity to national hero back home. Along with the fame came the rewards and Tamega was well supported by Wave Rebel and Redley. The following adv. by Redley came out in early 94 celebrating Tamega’s historic win.

Mark Sutton was one of the first bodyboarders from Newcastle. He competed in the early 80′s in Australia and had the privilege of being one of the first Aussies to get sponsored with free boards and compete in Hawaii. Mark ended up moving to Adelaide and helped promote the scene there with his influence and photography. Today Mark runs a Surf Shop on the Goldcoast. This pic snapped by fellow Novacastrian Dave Kelly and was taken at Blackrock in the early 80′s. It was a full on all star pro surfer day with Robbie Bain and Occy out. Mark still managed to sneak a few for himself.

Here’s Sasaki in serious contest mode at the Pipe Championships in the early 90′s.

Heres a look at the grassroots Bodyboard scene in ’83 in Australia.

In the later half of the 90s Avalon’s Teal Nippard blew minds with his Dropknee turns. Teal had ballistic moves. Ripping it up like he was riding a surfboard instead of a soft sponge. Teal quickly made a name for himself and was popular in the US where DK was strong. After hitting Hawaii and making his mark he soon quit the sport to ride standup. Another lost talent before reaching his peak. Photo Stroh of Teal shralping Beach Park.

Sunshine Coasts Kira Llewellyn first got the bodyboard bug when she was introduced to the sport by her two brothers. In no time at all she rose to the top of the Womens sport in Australia and dominated comps for many years. Next she made he mark on the Internaional cuircuit.With a World title in her hands she continued to push the limits as well as promote the sport to new heights. She charged hard and could pull the new school moves that the guys were doing. Photo Kira by Chris Stroh.

When Lanson Ronquilio busted onto the Northshore scene in the early 90′s he quickly became the “next big thing” in the sport. Lanson had smooth textbooks moves and charged hard. While his comp results didn’t reflect his natural ability it was his free surfing and clean style that gained him world wide respect. He was signed to Morey, pulled the move that sparked the rise of the gymnastic era , was apart of No Friends and almost drowned once at Pipe. Lanson is typical of the Hawaiian bodyboarders, all about getting the job done without banging his own drum.Pic Stroh ’96.

Brett grew up at Avalon with The Player Brothers. While his mates scored all the media push Brett was content to just hang in the background and get pitted. After following the usual path to the Northshore it was a chance trip to Tahiti that really changed his direction in life. Along with Simon Thorton the pair fell in love with Teahupoo in Tahiti and for many years dedicated their life to surfing that wave. No hardship could deter the pair who roughed it often penniless just to surf Chopes. Brett ended up well respected even by the standups for his fearless charging and taking the drop without the aid of a jetski. After many years of Tahitian barrel perfection Brett reluctantly had to move on and join the human race once again back home. Pic Stroh getting shacked in the late 90′s

Jordan Hetrick busted on the international bodyboard scene from California in the mid ’90s and instantly made a huge impression. He rode for Custom X , Premier and Outcast wetsuits and was heavily featured in Pit Magazine. He was regular in Hawaii during the winter seasons and was a standout along the Backdoor to OTW strip pulling big airs and deep tubes. A few years later Jordan seemed to just disappear off the bodyboard radar. Hetrick moved downunder for a while and continued to bodyboard but just lost interest in the whole scene. Jordan carving photo Stroh