Get wet and boogie

Jose Paul Corona

Chris Phillips emerged out of the cold ocean with a smile on his face.

After a few seconds on the beach he was shivering. But it didn’t seem to

matter because he was having fun. He was bodyboarding.

And it was more than that. He was with other bodyboarders getting

pointers from professionals bodyboarders like Trevor Ellis, who were on

the beach to talk to eager students like 17-year-old Phillips about

bodyboarding basics.

Bodyboarders descended on windy Huntington Beach last week for the

“Boogielicious Tour,” a free clinic sponsored by Bodyboarding Magazine

that is meant to show the novice the basics of bodyboarding.

Those who made the trek got free bodyboarding lessons from

professional bodyboarders and learned about water safety.

“[We’re] here to tell them what it’s really all about,” said Jeremiah

Klein, photography editor at Bodyboarding Magazine.

Bodyboarding isn’t given much respect, especially by the surfing

community, Klein said. Most people think of bodyboarding as just a fun

past time.

Unlike surfers, bodyboarders can do tricks such as flips on their

boards, he added.

The other goal of the tour is to give people more awareness of the

sport, Klein said.

More than 20 people showed up bright and early last Thursday for the

free lessons, and it didn’t take long for them to get into the water.

It wasn’t a very strict lesson, Klein admitted.

If the students had never bodyboarded before, they were taught the

basics. For those who were a little more advanced, they were asked what

they wanted to learn.

Alex Marquez had been eagerly anticipating the event for two months.

He’d read about it in Bodyboarding Magazine.

The 20-year-old Carson resident has been bodyboarding for the past two

years and he couldn’t pass up a chance to talk with some pros and ask

questions.

“I still have a lot to learn,” Marquez said matter of factly.

For the most part Marquez wanted pointers on how to do tricks. The

pros told him how to work on his timing and balance when he’s out on the

water, and he admitted that the advice was very helpful.

Phillips drove in from Cypress and also wanted some advice on how to

pull off some tricks. He got a lot more than that.

“I learned how to get air,” he said.

Even the most seasoned bodyboarder can always learn something, Ellis

said.

FYI

The Boogielicious Tour will return to Orange County in July and

August. A free clinic will be held in San Clemente on July 20 and Newport

Beach on Aug. 9.