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Ed)You
have been around in the NZ booger scene for quite a while now, how much
have thinngs changed since the old days?
Des) Bodyboarding's done
a complete reverse in nearly all aspects. From surfers running and
Judging our competitions to Bodyboarders running and judging them. More
people are getting radical and we're also developing a national identity
instead of a regional identity which is good for gaining international
exposure for all the groms.
Ed)
What do you feel is the best thing to happen to NZ bodyboarding in the
past 5 years?
Des) We are moving in a
positive direction with the development of a
nationalbody (BBSNZ), a
national circuit, International competition ... The
circuithas been awsome for
the Boogers. 5 years ago competition was a place where everyone hung
in there little groups, backstabbing and figuring out ways to pull each
other down. Now a days when you gotta a comp all the grommies and
guys are just having the best fun, making new friendships and breaking
down the barriers that were once the norm at such events. For me
this has been the biggest benefit of all, seeing Bodyboarders be friends
and have fun, its the SICKEST! People often bag competitions but
its a way in which we can do many things - meet other boogers from around
the country, have fun and run havoc, compare your skill level against your
peers, show Bodyboarding as a way in which you can express yourself in
all types of waves and to spread the faith of Bodyboarding to all those
that are missing out on the joy that we recieve from it.
Ed)
What level of work and planning does it involve to setup and run a booger
contest in NZ, it must be a mission?
Des) For a comp like the
Tony Wester, The Mike Stewart event and the Nationals it probably takes
about 80 -120 hours of work - organising, ringing,co-ordinating, mailing,
begging, collecting, designing, building and other little bits 'n' pieces
that can cost anything from $400 - $5000 to do, and thats all before the
comp. You've then got to actually get in there and run it and most
of the time you run at a loss or just break-even when its all done.
It is a mission from Hell, organising comps but like I said above it all
pays off when you see bodyboarders enjoying themselves. I guess
what we do need is more
hands on deck helping with the organising and it would
make things so much better
and easier.
ED)
Where do you see NZ bodyboarding is headed in the future?
Des) The riding level will
only get better, I have no doubt about that. If BBSNZ could
get alot more support and people offering a helping hand I see our future
involving international competition (both overseas and here) which would
see Kiwi bodyboarders gaining international exposure and a higher profile,
which in turn leads to a career as a professional bodyboarder.
Also I see more NZ bodyboarders
getting behind the industrial sides of things like how Thierry Colonna(Vescovato),
Bayden and Dean Barber(Koop), Kevin Mac(Video), Tim Blackwood (Photography)
and Jamie Waugh(Wellington Bodyboard magazine) are doing. Its the
way to go if we are as bodyboard nation are to grow.
ED)You
currently have your own bodyboard mail order service (DC Bodyboard World)
running at the moment,how has that been going?
Des) Had a full on Summer
but Its been a bit slow over this winter.
Summer's coming up again
so we're just getting prepared for that. About 6 weeks
ago we actually got our
website up and going for a week to test it out, but there was a few major
problems with it so we took it down. Its nearly finished and should
be ready by early August at the latest and then everyone will be able to
order online for any of the gears they want. Our whole aim is to
get all the gear that a NZ bodyboarder needs to feel comftorble in and
out of the water and hopefully we can achieve that and help to make bodyboarders
of NZ bust out.
ED)
What is it like being a bodyboarder in Wellington.What are the best/worst
things?
Des) I love it here when
there is waves because theres not to much crowds around and the wave quality
is pretty sick. Breaks like Lake Ferry, Breaker Bay, The Wall, Launching
Pads, The Rocks and Wairaka Point are super sick waves.
I rate Breaker Bay as one
of probably five of the heaviest waves in NZ that I've surfed so far.
And when its on, there's only a few core guys on it getting pits that you
can drive a bus through.
The down side is that it
doesn't pick up that much swell, which is whyeveryone thinks that theres
no waves in Wellington (that theory helps with the crowds though).
For example there hasn't been any swell here for 4 weeks. The other
downer is the local's that surf out at The Wall, there a bunch of old kooks
that can't handle bodyboarders getting deeper barrels then them.
About 2 years ago I had 3 fights in a row (all with-in 3 days) out there
with the last one resulting in the offending surfer getting a hammer smashed
though his face and his board. I probably went a little
overboard but after continuous
verbal abuse, 3 drop-ins in a row (1 resulting in me loosing my board)
and him telling my wife (who was out there surfing to) to F$#k Off I feel
I had to let him know once and for all how I felt.
The good thing is that now
they don't even talk to me and I get all the waves I want (-: Its
still the same but all the younger guys that rip the place are all really
cool to Bodyboarders which is a big change and I hope a growing trend at
that place. Other than that all the other spots are hassle free and
all you need to do to get waves is give respect and you'll get it back.
Ed)
Anything else you would like to add?
Des) Support those that
support Bodyboarding and its development. Whether it be the companies
that sponsor events and riders, Bodyboard Surfing New Zealand or pepole
who are working to see something happen that is good and positive.
More often than not it is
those that do not help either through work, effort or verbal support that
see good works undone. If you think something isn't done right, don't
just bag it, offer a workable solution and the means by which it can be
achieved so that Bodyboarding can progress.
And in all things remember
why you Bodyboard and if you forget, think back to the first time you caught
a wave and the joy you experienced on that day.
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