Shred The Web: the online bodyboarding video competition

Bodyboarding US and APB North America announced the launch of Shred The Web, an online bodyboarding video competition.

While the world waits for updates on IBC World Tour's plan for 2021, two North American organizations stepped forward to keep the sport's competitive spirit alive.

Shred The Web challenges riders to chase the biggest swells from September 21, 2020, to March 7, 2021, and submit their best waves in four categories.

The official divisions are men's open, women's open, drop-knee, masters, and tandem bodyboarding.

Amateur, recreational and professional bodyboarders should register their participation on the Stact app and choose their division(s).

The next step is to capture and submit videos.

The format is similar and somehow inspired by the Free Surf Bodyboarding World Tour, an online video series held in 2015 and won by Jeff Hubbard.

The Rules

The rules are simple and straightforward.

Riders from the US, Canada, Mexico, and Puerto Rico and competitors that participated in the 2019 Ocean Beach Festival can submit footage taken from GoPro, drone, beach view, or water shots.

From March 8-15, 2021, all the submitted and approved videos will be judged by the APB North America judging panel.

Raw video from the submitted wave must be saved as it will be required by the organization if you are classified among the eight quarterfinalists in the main event.

Be ready to submit the raw video when requested by the organization within 48 hours, or you will not be allowed to continue competing in the main event.

The main event starts on March 22, 2021, after the judges have selected the eight best waves per division. Those waves will be distributed into four heats of two competitors, each forming the quarterfinals.

The four winners from the previous quarterfinals will form the two semifinals.

The two winners coming from the semifinals will compete at the finals.

All the heats from the first round all the way to the finals on March 28, 2021, will be decided by popular vote through the Bodyboarding US Instagram stories.

Results with the winners from all divisions will be announced on March 29, 2021.

The $2,000 prize money will be evenly split between all divisions.

Tandem bodyboarding: one of the four divisions of the inaugural Shred The Web competition | Photo: Tandem Boogie

Winning Tips

The organization suggests that the competitors do their best performance, as judges will be strict as they would be in a regular beach event.

There are no angle restrictions.

However, frontal shots from the beach are the ones that provide the judges with the best conditions to analyze the wave.

They're the same angles that judges have on a regular event to score a maneuver's quality and how the rider controlled the landing.

Maneuvers are considered completed when the rider lands and controls the board in front of the white water.

An incomplete maneuver rarely achieves a high-poor score (example: 2.0 to 2.5), and landscape is the best orientation.

Start building your Social Media Network spreading the word about your video and the event so your followers can vote for you in the main event.

Keep your eyes open for the big swells with a good direction for your home beach, and gather your friends so you can video each other.

Hire a video maker with your friends and go on a trip after the perfect swell. After all, you can use your cellphone and your girlfriend or boyfriend.

The tandem for fun division is for two people to surf a wave together, and the division's criteria will be based on the team that is having the most fun.

In a time when professional bodyboarding is going through one of its worst periods in history, it's important to highlight that three brands have stepped up to support the sport.

Tandem Boogie, Hubboards, and Sticky Channels - alongside Route 99 Hawaii - have joined Shred The Web as main sponsors and event supporters.

May other bodyboard companies follow their example.

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