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Who invented the bodyboard we know now? This article will explore the contributions of Tom Morey, Phyllis Dameron, Mike Stewart, and Jack Lindholm. But who and when invented the modern bodyboard? And how did these people get there? The answers may surprise you! Read on to discover the answers to these questions! And if you are still curious, you can check out the original article from this year.
In 1971, surfboard inventor Tom Morey invented the bodyboard. He shaped a nine-foot piece of polyethylene foam into a short board using an iron and pages from the Honolulu Advertiser. His invention, known as the Boogie board, was an instant hit. The board's shortness and light weight allowed non-surfers to ride the waves without getting in the water. By 1977, the Boogie board had sold more than 80,000 units and more than a hundred workers at the Carlsbad manufacturing facility.
Morey was an avid surfer, musician, and inventor who put on the first professional surfing competition in 1965. In 1971, he carved out a three-and-a-half-foot foam board and began bodysurfing in Hawaii. The boogie board's simplicity was a breakthrough in the boardsport, and he soon trademarked the Boogie Board as its trademarked name. His board has become a favorite for surfers and has been the foundation for many innovations in the surfing world.
The sport of bodyboarding was invented by Phyllis Dameron in the early 1970s. Back then, most surfers were men, but she forged ahead and sailed the waves in an inflatable rubber mat on the rocky beaches of Hawaii. Phyllis Dameron never received a sponsorship or entered contests. In fact, she always did her bodyboarding for free, and she is still considered one of the most influential bodyboarders ever.
In the early 1980s, Phyllis Dameron, who first sailed the waves at Waimea Bay in Hawaii, was hailed for her innovative bodyboard technique. She soon followed it up with a backflip and a few years later, she won the first ever World Championship of Women's Bodyboarding at Pipeline. Later, Stephanie Petterson and Glenda Koslowski became the first women to ride big waves on bodyboards, and Mariana Nogueira won the 1990 Pipeline World Championships.
In 1990, Stewart won a surfing competition on the Big Island of Hawaii, earning more than $25,000 in prize money and endorsement fees from sponsors. Today, Stewart lives on beautiful beaches around the world. He even owns a 14-acre piece of oceanfront property in Hawaii, which he plans to build a home on. Originally from the Big Island, Stewart now lives on Oahu with his wife and kids.
After graduating high school, Iain met Mike at a bodyboarding contest, where he finished third. They soon started dating and eventually married in 1996. Together, they have two children. Mike first started riding waves at age five in Diamond Head, O'ahu. He first used chunks of styrofoam before switching to bodyboards. As a young man, he was the first bodyboarder to land an air forward.
When Jack Lindholm invented the modern bodyboard, it was a radical departure from the traditional surfing stance. He charged giant waves at Sandy Beach and Pipeline with a drop-knee bodyboard, a stance that is much easier to learn than surfing. Today, bodyboarding is a popular sport among surfers of all levels, and Lindholm rode the first 'Jack Stance' at Pipeline.
The 'Jackstance' and the 'Dropknee' are Jack Lindholm's signature bodyboards, and they've become a classic for decades. Lindholm, who also invented the 'Dropknee' wave riding style, put his 40 years of experience into each signature model. Despite his popularity and influence, the modern bodyboard still has a long way to go, but he has paved the way for other designers.
Since the '70s, bodyboarding has exploded. Many surfers did not know how to deal with the new wave riders. They started appearing in traditional surf magazines and big companies sponsored token bodyboarders. Jack Lindholm's success spawned other innovators of the sport, including Mike Stewart, who won his second world championship in 1983 at Pipeline. His invention of the barrel roll, reverse 360, and deep tube riding are now considered the defining characteristics of the sport. Mike Stewart, for example, was the first to perform a 540 degree cartwheel, and is currently on track to do a 720 degree turn.
