A group of legendary bodyboarders has celebrated the creation of the bodyboard with a meeting at T-Street, in San Clement, California.
Forty-five years ago, in 1971, Tom Morey cut a rectangular shape of polyethylene foam and covered it with newspaper. The bodyboard and bodyboarding, and a whole new sport, had been born.
Forty-five years later, Pat Caldwell, Mike Stewart, Keith Sasaki, Manny V, Jay Reale, Kavan Okumura, Jena Metzger-Roghair, JP Patterson, Tom Prince, Brian Press, and many other anonymous bodyboarders met with Tom Morey at T-Street to remember the early days, and the first rides.
And what a wonderful day it was. If it wasn't for Tom Morey, the world would not have had the privilege of riding a boogie board. And that is why the 45th anniversary of the bodyboard was celebrated in grand fashion at T-Street. There were fun summer rollers, sunny skies, and lots of good vibes down the beach.
"Thank you for a life of happiness because of your invention. Today I am surrounded by my friends and my family, and it's all because of you. Since 1975, you came into my life, you changed it, and all because you wanted the world to have fun. You invented something, and it worked," expressed a very emotional JP Patterson.
"A huge thanks to Tom. This board had a huge impact in my life. I love it, and I love the people it brought into my life, and I am forever grateful for it," added Jena Metzger-Roghair.
Tom Morey, the man who says "the word 'bodyboarder' sucks," is 81. He lives with his wife Marchia in San Clemente, California. Take a look at Morey's 10 Commandments of Surfing.