Better Late Than Never

I finally had a chance to spin by a spot that I had been wanting to check out for a while. The swell currently hitting other spots wasn't the best swell for this particular spot, but with its window of opportunity quickly coming to a close, I thought I'd better check it out before the window shut completely.

Foamy

Dude's 'stache was rad

Mediums

me·di·um /mē-dē-əm/ adj the shirt size that I wish I could still comfortably fit into; n a couple more ways that I’ll be sharing my stoke for bodyboarding.

I’ve created a Facebook profile and a Twitter account specifically for Team Stoked. Facebook so that I can network with other bodyboarders and Twitter because, well, I’m just vain like that. Haha

By the way, if anyone knows how I can change my Facebook name to “Team Stoked”, please let me know. Facebook won’t allow me to use that name for some reason, but I’m thinking that there might be a way to do so since there are profiles with names that are clearly not people names.

A Little Stormy

It was a little stormy out there today. Windy, choppy, cloudy, cold. Nick decided to brave the conditions. I took a few pics of him before the elements made me give in.

Strange Waters

I don't know if it was an aftereffect of the tsunami, the low tide, or just me, but the water looked a little weird today - the way the water was moving just seemed out of the ordinary. In any case, there was some swell, although it wasn't as big as I thought it might be.

Sponger Spotlight: Sal

I knew Sal even before I actually knew Sal. Does that make sense? No? Ok, I’ll explain: I came across Sal’s blog, rightspotattherighttime, a few months before I actually met him in person. Within the first few minutes of reading Sal’s blog, I felt like I was already well acquainted with him. When we finally met in person, it seemed more like I was catching up with an old friend rather than meeting someone for the first time.

Sal is one of the South Bay’s local bodyboaders. He’s one of the most laid-back dudes you’ll ever meet. Get him on a wave, however, and he becomes one of the most aggressive dudes you’ll ever meet. His agro revos and wave-mutilating, chunks-throwing, no-regard-for-human-safety cutbacks provide plenty of evidence of that. Behind Sal’s skill on the boog, you’ll find a person that just loves to surf.

Thanks to Sal for being down to be the first profiled sponger on my blog. Even though my idea to profile bodyboarders was rough around the edges when I first presented it to him, he was still down to do it without any hesitation.

Name: Sal

Hometown: Torrance, CA

Years bodyboarding: Since September of ‘05, so I guess going on 6 years

Local spot: Manhattan Beach

Favorite spot: I actually have 2 favorite spots. Of course Manhattan Beach, and for those that know me know the other spot :) But I guess if I had to choose 1, it would be Manhattan Beach.

Dream spot: Indonesia... I can't remember the name of the spot but it's a left pointbreak. Ben player has it in one of his YouTube videos.

Riding style: I'm 99% prone. I can't DK for squat.

Favorite maneuver: Revos, revos, revos... I love doing revos.

Travels: I have not taken any surf trips out of the state... well, I went to Hawaii 2 years ago with my family but I couldn’t really surf because my family had other plans in mind. But I was able to squeeze about 3 hours in at Sandy’s :) Gnarly shorepound. Nice round toobz :) As for traveling locally, me and my boy Creed use to travel on a daily but I got tired of driving and gas prices suck. So I just settle for what’s out front.

What influenced you to start bodyboarding? My brothers. They invited me one morning in ‘05 to 40th Street Newport dawn patrol. I always knew they went early in the morning so this time I decided to go just to see what the hell these idiots were waking up so early to go to the beach for. Long story short... I got barreled and that was it. I was hooked. From then until now I still feel the same. For those that know me, I get retarded when it's barreling, I'm like a little kid and I know it. It's a great feeling :)

What’s your most memorable sesh? This is a tough one, I would have to get back to you on this one.

What are your bodyboarding goals? I don't really have any goals for bodyboarding. I just like to have fun and getting barreled. Well, I guess you can say my goal would be to pull an ARS. One more turn in the air and I got it :)

I’m sure this is a question that a lot of people would like to know the answer to: How do you stay motivated to surf almost everyday even when the waves are bad? It's like an addiction for me. I don't know if that's bad or good but my wife doesn't seem to mind so I guess it's good. LOL! But I know she would say something if I didn't have a job. To me it just feels good being in the water. It's like stepping away from all the everyday stress and entering my own little happy world.

Free Sesh: One of the really good things I got out of Bodyboarding is that I got to know a lot of cool people/ friends that got my back and I know that will keep in touch for life. And to me that's awesome. Keep Shreddin!!

Wave mutilated? Check... Chunks thrown? Check... No regard for human safety? Check

Sal, right where he likes to be - in the tube

Sponger Spotlight

I’d like to profile some of the local bodyboarders on my blog, if nothing more than to add something new to my blog and stoke out some of the local bodyboarders with free pics. Each profile will include pics and a written interview of the featured bodyboarder.

I want to open this up to anyone (even if I don’t know you personally), so if you want to be featured in Sponger Spotlight and get some free pics of yourself, send me an email at team.stoked@gmail.com.

War is Imminent

Per Chris Taloa, DK Wars IV will be going down at Oceanside Pier some time during the last two weeks of March. I'm definitely looking forward to this event. For more info, check out www.dkwars.com.

Here are some pics from DK Wars II:

Stoked on Toobs

Back when I was in the sixth grade, one of my friends and I were talking about bodyboarding. Naturally, I asked him what kind of board he had. I was expecting him to answer that he had a Morey Mach 7-7 or a Turbo XLR8 - two of the more popular boards during that time. Instead, he answered that he had a Toobs. "Toobs?", I thought to myself. I had never heard of Toobs before, but despite that, the name just sounded good.

It didn't take long for me to find out for myself about Toobs. Shortly* after my conversation with my friend, I bought my first Toobs, a Pro 16-C Arcel. It had a black deck, red rails, and a white slick. I was so stoked on that board and its performance. I would later find out that stoke was a common sensation when owning a Toobs board.

Being as stoked as I am on Toobs, I wanted to feature them on my blog. I recently wrote to their customer service and asked them for some pictures and product descriptions, and they kindly provided them. Special thanks to Patrick at Toobs.

*It actually took me a year and a half to buy my first Toobs. But I still think that's relatively fast considering my only source of income as a grom was saving my school lunch money and scrounging for loose change between the seat cushions of my dad's '78 Chevy El Camino.

The following wording and pictures were provided by Toobs. Check it out!

About Toobs - "Established in 1988, from day one craftsmanship and performance have been our main focus. Every Toobs bodyboard is handmade in Morro Bay, California by shapers who not only have been shaping for over 20 years, but also ride. Since we make our boards just up the coast we can make you pretty much anything you desire, as long as it's functional."

This Board represents where the Toobs journey all began.

Brett Roldan throwing some tail in Chris Burkard's face.

The infamous "wall" in the shaping area.

Californian legend Mr. Jacob Reeve.

Mike Brum, in midst his usual routine for the past 22 years.

Kellen Keene pushing himself over the ledge.

Proudly made in America