Hardy smokes Pipe…

In clean 4-6 feet surf Australian Bodyboarding legend Ryan Hardy has won the first event of the 2009 International Bodyboarding World Tour in Hawaii.

The Turbo Bodyboards Pipeline Pro was held over three days in what can only be described as “Perfect Pipe” with the worlds best riders all vying for the 2000 Championship points up for grabs.

“I am stoked to win the first ever Grand Slam with the guys standing next to me” said the elated Hardy.

“It can be pretty nerve racking sitting on the beach for a few days waiting for your heat to come up, watching guys getting the best waves of their lives”

“But surfing against guys like this made it easier to relax and push myself at the same time”

Second place went to Frenchman Pierre Luis Costes. He opened up the final with a solid mixture including an 8.50 that saw the other riders needing a two-wave combination to get the lead.

Hardy waited until the 18th minute of the half hour final to strike.

A long deep tube ride followed by a gigantic roll netted him a 9.43 average that left him still lingering in second position and then within a few minutes he found another tube and this time back-flipped out of the end bowl.

From that point on he was always going to be hard to beat.

Third place went to Brazilian Guilherme Tamega and fourth place was Dave Winchester from Australia.

The IBA World Tour now moves to Brazil in April for two events back to back.

Make sure you’re watching live as BSC’s favourite son Dave Winchester joins the contest in Round 8. With Hubb and a couple of european contest guns in his heat it’s bound to be one to watch. Tune in to http://ibaworldtour.com/ to see all the action and find out who the next Pipe champion will be!

Been in Hawaii for a while now, waves have been pumping as usual for this time of the year, and the action from all the riders has been amazing to see, id rattle a couple of names off but there really are too many to mention, even standup’s are giving it a go on the foam!! Been working on a Podcast eppy with Chad Waldron while over here which is coming along great so far, i attached a couple of framies to have a peep at. Couple of days back Pipe had a solid swell roll over it, Tom Rigby recounted to me his first true 2nd reef clean up, ” I seen it coming and I just turned to Bunting and asked what do we do now??” haha, he admits he’s all the wiser for the experience and has also turned many heads this season so with some outstanding riding so far.
The contest began yesterday with a groomed 6ft swell with the occasional larger set. I started off in the 3rd round and managed to surf a couple of heats that i was happy with to progress to the next day of competition in round 5. Not quite sure when they’ll run the next day as every second person’s surf prediction vary between flat and 6-8ft offshore, so stay tuned into ibatour.com/live and support the aussie competitive push!!!!

Aloha,
Dall.

Hey Guys just a quick reminder that the Port Stephens Bodyboard Club has its rego day on this Saturday the 21st of Feb at 10am box beach carpark.
Rego is $70 and you get nswbb affiliation/insurance and a psbc hoodie.

First comp of the year will be held on March 1st.

Hope to see you all there,

Matt Palmer,President.

Sponsored by

Bodyboarders Surf Co
Fourplay
Essence Cafe

Unfortunately we had to cancel the first event of the year last Sunday the 15th of February due to safety concerns for all our GCBC members. Treacherous surf conditions plagued Dbah beach on Sunday as a huge storm swell and strong winds made conditions simply too dangerous to hold a successful day of competition.

We would, however, like to thank all GCBC members for an outstanding turn out - it was a great way to start the year seeing so many keen faces despite the setbacks on the day. As a reward we will be awarding every member that signed on on the day one competition point.

We look forward to seeing you all at the next competition on Sunday the 15th of March, where you will all receive your official GCBC club member tee!

This Sunday the 15th February marks round 1 for GCBC 2009. All members are to meet at 6.30 am at Dbah for briefing and the start of the Comp.
This year will be the largest with 120 competitors joined, We expect the event to finish at around 5pm, so please do not be late as it will be a long day for all.

We also have the pleasure to announce the sponsors for 2009.

Major
Bodyboarders Surf Co

Minor
Onelife Health & Fitness Centres
Bakers Delight Coolangatta
Milt Cromptons Meats Tweed Heads
Ella Baché Coolangatta

Support sponsors
NOMAD- NMD - VS - UNITE - GRAND FLAVOUR - BZ - LMNOP- CUSTOM X -
4PLAY - MANTA - CHURCHILL - POD - LTD EDITION - SCIENCE - HB - PRIDE - MOREY - NO FRIENDS - DUNES - AGENT 18 - HYDRO - ELIT - I AM NONE - ZION - RIPTIDE

But that’s not all, another major and minor sponsor have shown a lot of interest and are expected to sign up this weekend, so we will let you all know at the comp.

Official 2009 Club tees will be available at comp 2 on the 15th march.

See you all at 6.30am sharp for the start to 2009.

Regards
Mick Parkhill
President
Gold Coast Bodyboard Club 2009.

so far so good over here, yesterday arvo was abposultely flawless except for the 4,000000 people out, lines stacked to the horizon and just a perfectly groomed offshore with 12ft  tubes coming in, but that doesnt mean i got many! i got a few fun ones but nothing exciting, there is such a defined pecking order out there and you just gotta accept that for what it is, and try get some medium sized ones under your belt…. saw the gnarliest shit ever.. you know those stand up paddle boards all those clowns use at collaroy? well kainoa was out there taking off on second reef on one, SOO MENTAL he was fully getting the biggest pits ever with it, he even threw in a few paddles in one pit, and got a mega closeout at backdoor with it!
but yeah yesty arvo was the biggest waves ive seen in a long time, you see em coming from a mile away so you start paddling early and then they just bombard the pack, there was one set bigger than 12 ft that cleaned everyone up just oin dark and there was bodies everywhere, its so scary/hectic but at the same time its kinda humourous because theres so many dudes getting smoked whereas if you were on your own you’d be losing it..
accommodation is awesome, overlooks sunset and is roomy as, free wireless, cable tv and all the other bells and whistles….. basically just been surfing this wave nearby called BACKYARDS, it is like a poor mans pipeline, with sick ramps and pits and NO ONE out  so we just surf that in the morning for a few hours each day then cruise up to pipe later and try surf between the heavy crowds….
hope all is well back home, i’ll try get some happy snaps off some fellas to show

In one of the most extraordinary twists in modern Pro surfing, Pipeline local Jamie O’Brien has been granted a start in the seeded rounds of the Turbo Bodyboards Pipeline Pro.

This is the first event on the International Bodyboarding Association Men’s World Tour for 2009 and carries a Grand Slam status as well as double points towards the championship.

International General Manager of the IBA Terry McKenna says that O’Brien started his surfing career on a bodyboard as a kid before making the transition to fibreglass.

“Apparently Jamie was into it when he was younger and still feels keen enough about it to have a start in the event. Word on the street is that he can still hold his rail in and ride deep in the barrel at Pipe, so it will be amazing to watch ” said McKenna.

“Jamie is one of the most innovative surfers in the world and an astounding waterman so I would not put it past him to blow some minds at his home break.”

“I can only imagine that this will be one of the most highly anticipated heats of the year and watched by everyone in the surfing community. It’s a bold move and a first for the IBA ” said McKenna.

Jamie O’Brien had a different sort of sandpit to play in as a child. His backyard was Pipeline and no one knows this break better than him. This is supported by the fact that he was the youngest surfer to ever win the Pipeline Masters ASP event and recently won the backdoor shootout.

O’Brien will be seeded into the rounds 33-80 in a field of 144.

The waiting period begins on Feb 17th and continues till Feb 27th with the best three days being used for competition.

The event is being webcast at www.ibaworldtour.com/live More info www.ibaworldtour.com
Media enquiries terry@ibaworldtour.com

Unite Clothing Company today announced the signing of bodyboarding superstar Ryan Hardy to its Bodyboard Team. Unite was founded in 2004 by former professional bodyboarder Joel Taylor and is a leader in the clothing sector of the bodyboarding industry.

Ryan Hardy is widely regarded by his peers – and by the surfing community as a whole – as the best bodyboarder in the world. The addition of Ryan to the Unite Team heralds a new phase not only for the brand, but also for the sport of bodyboarding and its industry. “To have someone of Ryan’s prestige riding for Unite is a huge leap forward for our brand and for bodyboarding in general,” Joel Taylor, Unite Managing Director, said.

“I’m amped to be riding for a company that lives and breathes bodyboarding and reflects the exciting and unique nature of our sport,” claimed Ryan. “The feeling of riding for a brand that associates you directly to the biggest passion in your life is pretty cool. It feels right to be promoting the lifestyle; it gives me a great sense of pride and fulfillment to know that the brand I’m wearing is uniquely bodyboarding.”

The signing of the sports most respected personality to the Unite family cements its roster as one of the premier teams in world bodyboarding. “Unite already had a stacked team list and I’m stoked to have signed alongside good mates Kingy, Novy, Nick O and the boys,” Ryan commented. “Riding with a team of incredible riders – and really good friends – is the ideal catalyst for groundbreaking performance and good times.”

Professional sporting teams are often manufactured to best represent a brands marketing direction; however, Unite prides itself on being a family rather than a group of athletes heaped together just for the benefit of the company. Adding Hardy to the Team only strengthens this bond. “Ryan and I have been mates for close to ten years now, it just feels natural to have him on the roster,” said Joel. “Even though we’re close friends, having a rider of Ryan’s calibre on the Team has been a dream of mine since the beginning.”

“Joel and I first became good friends when he lived in Western Australia throughout the early part of this century,” Ryan said. “Since then, he has created one of the most promising and successful clothing brands that bodyboarding has been fortunate enough to be associated with. To ride for Unite and to represent Joel’s brand is an honour and knowing that he is at the helm gives me great confidence in the future successes of the company,” he continued. “The gear is great – its stylish and diverse – and I know the direction and motivation for the company will always come naturally from Joel’s passionate drive; I’m psyched to push the company well into the future.”

And well into the future it will be. The deal will see Ryan representing Unite for at least the next three years. “Signing a long term agreement shows dedication and commitment from both parties,” stated Joel. “We couldn’t be more stoked to have him on board for the long haul.” Ryan agreed, “I’m really looking forward to a long association with Unite and working together with Joel and all the riders to steer the brand – and the sport – to the next level and beyond.”

Ryan Hardy joins Damian King, Michael Novy, Nick Ormerod, Winston McCall, Tom Smith and Mitch Woodland on the 2009 Unite Bodyboard Team.

Please find the Official Press Release attached.

For more information about Unite visit www.unite4fun.com.