HISTORY

Mike Stewart and Keith Sasaki competing in Rio De Janairo in 1988 photo by Fernando Martin

Original vintage OWEN CHURCHILL swim fins.  These are some of the first pairs to come out of the plant in Los Angeles.

Patti Serrano is one of the unsung heroes of the sport of bodyboarding . Patti was the first  contest organizer, promoter, a mag editor and was there at the very beginning of bodyboardings humble beginnings. Heres just a brief insight into a life of incredible dedication of the sport. Below photo of Patti late 70′s during beach promotion.

Tom Morey and Patti met on the island of Kauai, Hawaii in 1970. “He used to come into my Health Food Bakery after surfing sessions” Patti remembers.Tom eventually moved to the mainland at Carslbad where he and Patti reunited when he was starting the Boogie Board company in 76 . Patti’s sister, Debbie Colwell (now of Custom X fame) and Patti began working for Tom in the factory. Patti’s early role was to just answer the phones, but Tom wanted her to take ove a marketing role by seeing accounts and selling. Patti went into promoting events with the shops as sponsors

The first comps were just Patti and 30 boards, a string of flags to rope off the area. Her goal was to introduce people to the “Boogie Board”.

The first compettion arena was the Western Boogie Association where many of the first Pros were launched. Names like Mike Lambresi, Tony Prince, Scott Evans and Roger Waller became the first Hot shots” and earned rewards like travelling to out of state events with me as the PRO Ambassadors.

Patti  went on to publish BIM - Bodyboarder International Magazine and Hard Core Bodyboarder Magazine (a newsprint pub) It became the mainstream mag after Western Empires BODYBOARDER mag folded in 1991. Patti wanted a mag that was published by bodyboarders. People like Pat Caldwell, Jay Reale and Regina Monetti helped create a mag for the masses.A few years later, Patti created the BIA - Bodyboarder International Association.

 Patti believes Tom Morey is the most inspiration surfer/inventor of all time. Never has anyone introduced more people to the ocean. And, that is of all ages. He is considered a genius and very “spacey” (in a good way)! He has created other products and today is in a jazz band playing the drums in Dana Point, California. (2012)

 “ In my wildest dreams I would have never thought the sport would get this big. Sometimes I stand out over the Pier and see all the boards on the beach and in the water and it is just really hard to wrap my head around the popularity. I feel so blessed to be an early pioneer of the sport.” Patti said.

Above Patti talking up the Morey Boogie at Cocoa Beach Pier. circa 1979

PODCAST:   http://www.talkshoe.com/tc/36729 < some historical interviews

FACEBOOK:   http://www.facebook.com/BIMwebTV

TWITTER:    http://www.twitter.com/BIMwebTV

 

Check out this piece of the history of surfing in Japan,  they were riding Paipo  boards back in the 1800′s. This  70’s Japanese hollow wooden surfboard, was called “Float” .

Paul Roach  love of Thrash music in the 90′s ensured almost every video clip during that era he starred in had a death metal song attached to it.

 

Mid 90′s Dave Ballard brought out a model with Hydro swim fins who where making an assault on the bodyboard manufacturing market.

Clip of Mike Stewart from Tom Boyles “Ultimate Wave Riding Vehicle”

South African Alistair Taylor wasn’t your average hyped up bodyboarding fanatic. For a start he was quiet, deep,unassuming, religious and never had a bad word to say about anyone. That all changed when the waves turned on and another side of Alistair would come out. The guys a full on charger, who loves it the bigger and heavier the conditions are. This shot competing at the SIC comp in the early 2000′s I remember he went to hospital this day after a back slamming on the reef photo CSP.

 

Alex Leon grew up at Cronulla surfing Shark Island and soon grew a taste for powerful waves. Inspired by the likes of Dave Ballard, Matt Percy, Wazza and Nugget young Alex learned that unless you were going to takeoff and pull into the heaviest pits the Island had to offer you might as well surf somewhere else or face the wrath of the locals who didn’t tolerate blow-ins  in the lineup. These days Alex runs the Shark Island Challenge. Photo of Alex below surfing another of Cronulla’s heavy reef waves by Macca.

 

 

 

Intro clip from Chris Stroh’s 16 Chambers video Circa 90′s.