Board-riders are catching the Wave

Board sports have a huge influence in Newport-Mesa. Not only are many of the major surf- and skate-apparel companies based here, but because the cities are close to the beach and near the mountains, the board-sports lifestyle is a perfect match for people with a Newport or Costa Mesa address.

But now there’s a new board sport gaining popularity around town. It’s called street surfing, and a Newport Beach-based company of the same name has developed a sport that it says takes snowboarding, skateboarding and surfing and puts it into one ridable board.

The Wave board has two wheels and a board that swivels, allowing its rider to move the board without the momentum of pushing, like they would have to on a skateboard.

The board flexes “side to side, and as you flex one way, the wheels change direction,” Street Surfing team rider Kevin McDonald of Huntington Beach said. “Once you’re on it you don’t ever have to take your feet off.”

That makes it perfect for anyone who wants to try, McDonald said.

“It has a lot more flow and smoothness than a skateboard,” McDonald said. “It’s easier to ride than a skateboard.”

But people who snowboard or surf can pick it up to practice some of the basics.

“It’s like pumping down the line on a wave when you ride down a hill, but with the freedom with rotation it moves away from traditional board sports,” McDonald said.

Team rider Dave Campbell of Newport Beach said he’s seen a lot of kids pick up the Wave board since he started with the company.

“It’s easier to just pick it up,” Campbell said as he rode the Wave board in front of Newport Elementary School on the peninsula. “In about 10 or 15 minutes, you can be up and riding.”

The company has started bringing its board to physical education classes throughout the country. Riding the board works core muscles, which is important for staying fit and maintaining balance.

“The feedback from the teachers has been great,” street team rider Joe Szmaja of Newport Beach said. “It’s the first chance to bring skateboarding into schools, but it’s a different enough concept and system that it’s OK — plus the kids love it.”

The board was developed by a Korean designer. Street Surfing President Jasun Weiner caught on to it in 2004, and the board was distributed by January 2005.

They first marketed it to people at the U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach then took it to other snowboarding and ski shows in California.

“We were kind of seeing which of these types of board-riders would like it more, and they all seemed to like it — skaters as well,” Weiner said.

Despite thinking the product would become popular, Weiner and the other executives at Street Surfing were surprised at how well women and girls liked it.

Weiner estimated that skateboarding only appeals to a small percentage of women and girls, but they’ve found that about 10% to 15% of girls they contact end up buying a board.

The Wave board “is more about the ride, and girls can relate to that — where the skateboard doesn’t really make sense to the average girl in terms of what you typically do on it,” Weiner said.

Wave boards can be found at major sporting-goods stores.