E-mail David Christopher Lane
directly at dlane@weber.ucsd.edu
Author: David Christopher Lane Publisher: The NEURAL SURFER Publication date: UPDATED (August 1998)
E-mail David Christopher Lane
directly at dlane@weber.ucsd.edu
I
want to go back to the home base now.
THE NEURAL SURFER'S LIST OF THE TOP EIGHT BODYSURFERS IN THE WORLD
1. MIKE STEWART (yep, I know he is also the world's greatest
bodyboarder, but this guy also rips Pipeline with just his body and
his fins; Stewart also ranks as the one of the all-time greatest
wave riders in history, ranking with Slater, Curren, Laird Hamilton,
Lopez, and others)
2. BARRY HOLT (this guy is so good at Point Panic that it is truly
awe-inspiring to watch. To see him do TWO 360's bodysurfing on the
most critical section of the wave was a sight to behold. Barry is
at the top of his game and he represents a whole crew of Point Panic
locals who are heads and shoulders above their California
counterparts. The Point Panic locals KNOW how to make spinners BOTH
functional and beautiful. Also the nicest group in the bodysurfing
world.)
3. MARK CUNNINGHAM (not to be confused with "Mike"--no relation--who is ranked 4th on my list. This guy dominated bodysurfing in Hawaii in the 70s and 80s, only to lose some of his glory with the likes of Stewart)
4. TOM "cashbox" KENNEDY (I saw Tom ride premier Wedge during the
big September swell of 1997 and hold an amazingly clean line in a wave
that for others would be nothing less than a controlled wipeout.
Arguably, Tom is the standout bodysurfer at the Wedge and that alone
puts him in a world class category.)
5. DAVE FORD (this kid is still a teenager and has already won the
Grand Master title in the World bodysurfing contest TWICE. Nice kid,
comes from a good family, and he rips. Extremely nimble and fast.
Potential is huge.
His brothers are also quite good.)
6. MIKE CUNNINGHAM (has won the Grand Master title at Oceanside SIX
times, a feat much more difficult when one stops to consider how
strange the judging can be there. Truly an innovative bodysurfer who
has the cleanest dolphin underwater take-offs in the sport.)
7. TIM CASINELLI (the youngest winner of the Grand Master title
ever, at the age of 15. Beautiful stylist who has shown remarkable
speed in the water. He may be the most under-rated bodysurfer in the
front ranks. Look for a major charge in the future>)
8. THE POINT PANIC CREW (there are so many outstanding bodysurfers
at Point Panic--as this last contest in July demonstrated--that it
is hard to talk about great bodysurfers at all without mentioning
20 or so locals at Panics. These superb wave riders depict what is
best about our sport and about the pure "aloha" of riding waves
without boards. The Wedge crew deserves mention, of course, but
that's already obvious.)
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BODYSURFER on the HORIZON:
CHRIS LAFFERTY (the most consistent bodysurfer, perhaps, in the
past three years in major contests; nice guy, as well)
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The World's Best Bodysurfing Relay Team? No way, but hey I had
to get this picture in of my friends and I somehow.j
E-mail The Neural Surfer directly
at dlane@weber.ucsd.edu
I want to go back to the home base now.
