Nicaraguan River Cross with Team Body Glove

Sport Chalet US Open of Bodyboarding June 4-6

The Body Glove USBA Tour presents the Sport Chalet US Open of Bodyboarding on June 4th-6th in Huntington Beach!! JOin the whole crew for a weekend of sun, surf and signings!!! Check out www.usbatour.com for all the details!

Body Glove Surf Team in Nicaragua

Erica Hosseini- Look out Reef Girls

The Body Glove Team of Cheyne Magnusson, Erica Hosseini and Maria Del Mar have been down in Nicaragua hanging at Holly Beck's house surfing and shooting for some upcoming boardshorts and bikini campaigns. Below is an up to date post from deep in Nicaragua from Holly Beck.

First let me say we scored really fun waves this morning and got some great shots. We split up the team to maximize our productivity. Cheyne and Rob Giley went to check out a super shallow slab for tube shots and Mike Balzer, Scott Smith, and the ladies took a panga out to a big open water left reef. We all scored. It was a couple feet overhead but pretty mushy. Great for photos with a big drop and a solid turn but not at all scary.

Maria Del Mar Getting her fashion shoot style

Day one the beach out front was solid and hollow and good. The next day we went to a smaller playful beach. It was waist to chest high and mushy, but good for turns and photos.

Yesterday afternoon we went on an adventure to go check a bunch of other spots which involved some cool local scenery and off-roading, tide pool shell hunting, etc. We have been surfing a ton and getting some great shots. I hope you enjoy the first couple behind the scenes shots here. There will be a lot more coming.

Cheyne Magnusson Doing His Thing

Dusty Payne Photo Gallery on ESPN

I guess the boys over at ESPN are down with the Body Glove Surf Team. Check out this great photo gallery of Dusty Payne surfing all over the world at http://espn.go.com/action/surfing/gallery?id=4873047&image=1.

Gabe Kling Interview on ESPN- Mr. Kling's Wild Ride

Great article and interview with Gabe Kling by Jon Coen of ESPN Action Sports. To see the full article go to http://espn.go.com/action/surfing/news/story?page=Gabe-Kling-interview. We have copied the text of the interview below. Gabe talks about his big win at Lowers, trying to get back on the ASP World Tour, his beloved Jacksonville Jaguars and the oil spill in the Gulf.

Photo by Rachel Tanner

Qualifying for the ASP Tour is one of the biggest moments in a competitive surfers' life. Conversely, a career-detouring injury is one of the worst. Just imagine the emotional roller coaster that Gabe Kling, aka "Thor" has been on in the last few years.

Kling first qualified at the end of 2006, the first East Coaster in some time to scale the fence. The celebrations that year at Surf Expo in Orlando were legendary. But that season saw so many sub par waves, he told me it was like surfing "two WQS tours" at the end of 2007 and Gabe didn't have the results on either to stay in the game.

Kling put his head down in 2008, trained hard, and fought his way back on tour for the second time in three years. But following the 2009 Quiksilver Gold Coast Pro, Kling sustained a Medial Collateral Ligament tear and Medial Meniscus tear in his knee as well as a Distal Tibiofibular sprain in his ankle at the O'Neill Coldwater Classic in Tasmania. While the tour went on to a banner season of waves around the world, he was relegated to his St. Augustine couch and a physical rehab regiment. There were hiccups in recovery, and Kling wasn't back in action again until the Triple Crown. But Kling got his bearings at Sunset and even downed Kalani Chapman in his first Round at the Pipe Masters. He applied for an injury wildcard, but it wasn't granted.

Last week, he won the Lowers Nike 6.0 Pro and is in the midst of a battle to qualify for a third time. How does one athlete handle so many ups and downs? A lesser man would cave, but not the good-natured Jacksonville Jaguars honorary captain and power gouger, Thor.

How did you win at Trestles without doing 25 air-reverses?

I don't know. It seemed like you were going to have to pull something crazy to win the event. I just focused on surfing smart heats, tried to get the best waves and do my thing. I had some close heats that went my way. It was just a great event for me.

You won the final by a pretty fair margin, but the semifinal heat against Andy Irons was tight as a mosquito's butt. Can you talk us through that heat, including your 7.13?
That heat with Andy was crazy. He broke his board and didn't have a backup with him and he ended up grabbing someone's board, which he hadn't ridden before. It took him a while to get back out and right away grabbed a mid-6, and I still didn't have any good scores yet. I was stressing pretty hard at that point. The waves had shifted to rights and I grabbed a little set wave and got a medium score that ended up being my backup.

I got that 7.13 on a little bigger right. The wall held up through the inside and I got to link up a few turns. It came down to the last minutes and Andy picked up a small wave and ripped it, and he didn't need too big of a score. I was sitting out the back waiting on them to announce it for what felt like hours. After they said he didn't get it I was just losing it -- so stoked! There weren't many waves in that heat and I'd say I got pretty lucky in that one.

You were injured during the winter of 2009 at the Coldwater Classic Tasmania? I know you worked really hard to rehab. You were up for an injury wildcard this year. What was the ASP's reasoning for you not getting that?
They gave it to Neco (Padaratz) and Luke (Stedman.) Both were ranked in the Top 16 when they were injured.

Do you think the wildcard they saved for Andy Irons would have been your slot?
I don't know. It's over and done with and I'm not going to dwell on it. There were a few others going for it also, so who knows how that would have panned out. A.I. has wont three world titles. It was his spot.

I hear that the whole St Augustine crew is getting ready to bomb the Jaguars/Chargers game in San Diego this September? Are you in on that?
I think so. I'd love to go to that game! I like the Chargers. A lot of my friends are big charger fans and I watch a lot of their games. I loved when they beat Peyton Manning in the playoffs and he cried. (laughs) That was great. If I go to the game, I'll have my teal on though of course.

Of course. You guys even go crazy for the NFL draft. Where were you this year for that?
I was at home. It's just an excuse to have a party really. Zander (Morton) had one and everyone built wizard staffs and cooked out. We had never heard of (Tyson) Alualu when the Jags drafted him, but I think he's going to be a beast! (laughs) The year before I had a party at my house and I was a mess. I stayed pretty sober at this one because we were going fishing in the morning, but it was fun.

Have you been in Florida since the oil spill? What are you hearing about the effects on the shoreline?
It sucks. I can't believe it. I haven't been home since it happened. I've read about it, and been keeping up with it. It's devastating and I don't think we have seen the worst of it yet, unfortunately. It looks like the Gulf is going to be ruined for years, and it could be headed for the East Coast if it gets in the Gulf Stream. Hopefully they can figure out how to stop it from spewing oil soon. It's pretty sad.

You've done some training with Ian Cairns in the past. Are you still on that program?
No. I wasn't training with him this contest. I have worked with him quite a bit and got a lot out of it. He was training with the juniors at the event and I chatted with him between a few of my heats, though.

How will the ASP mid-season shakeup affect you personally? Do you think you're in a good position?
I don't know. I don't think they are taking any new guys. They are going off the World Tour ratings and cutting it down to 32. They said there is a possibility for a wildcard and Josh Kerr and I will be candidates for that. We will see how everything goes. I'm not going to stress over it. This result helped my chances for the end of the year if nothing else.

Body Glove's Harley Clifford and Rusty Malinoski Kill it in Acworth!!

Team riders Harley Clifford and Rusty Malinoski went 1 and 2 at the first MasterCraft Pro Wakeboarding Tour Stop in Acworth, GA!!! Harley made history by landing the first handle grab KGB 540 in contest and Rusty won the Double Up contest stomping out another huge 1080. I think that brings him up to 3 contest 1080's now! Slick City also premiered that night at the Block Party to a huge crowd! Congratulations to Harley and Rusty and can't wait for Ft. Worth on the 12th!!

Body Glove Announces BG Girl Bikini Contest at Beach Fest!!!!

Body Glove and Dive N’ Surf present Beach Fest Saturday June 12th. Join Body Glove, Dive N’ Surf, Monster Energy Drink, Power Balance, Volleyball Vacations, Sharkeez Manhattan Beach and Go Beachfest for a 4-man volleyball invitational and Body Glove bikini contest!

The volleyball contest starts at 9am at Rosecrans in Manhattan Beach, the after party and bikini contest kicks off at Sharkeez in Manhattan Beach at 6pm. Winner of the Body Glove Girl Bikini Contest will win a trip to Turks and Caicos Island, Body Glove swimwear and $1000 prize! Come in for Monster Energy drink specials!

Ladies submit your 3-5 best bikini shots and a short biography to Jenny@divensurf.com.

Kick off summer right with volleyball and bikinis!

For more information on the event go to www.facebook.com/bodyglove

Body Glove Vaporskin Boardshorts

Go get a pair of the new and improved Body Glove Vaporskin boardshorts. Comes in Black, Red, Lime Green and Blue. Order yours online or ask for it at your local surf shop.

Slick City Showing at Pro Tour Stop #1

Slick City will be showing at the MasterCraft Pro Wakeboard Tour Stop #1 this Saturday night in Acworth, GA. Join all your favorite riders for the Block Party, awards presentation and Slick City showing featuring new footage! Be sure to head out to the event starting May 20th to catch your favorite Body Glove riders Rusty Malinoski, Bob Soven and Harley Clifford!

Body Glove Bodyboarder Jason Bitzer Goes Pro in Rio

Check out Body Glove's bobyboarder Jason Bitzer using his GoPro Camera on a recent trip to Rio in Brazil. You can get an inside look at riding a wave while laying down.

A day in Rio (Jason Bitzer) from Jason Bitzer on Vimeo.

Body Glove Team At Lowers Contest

A few pictures from Mike Balzer of team riders, Gabe Kling, Dusty Payne and Nate Yeomans surfing the other week in San Clemente at the 6.0 Lowers Contest.

Gabe Kling-Winner of 6.0 Lowers Contest

Dusty Payne

Nate Yeamans

Holly Beck surfing and playing with her dogs at her new home in Nicaragua

Every morning I grab my surfboard and 4 dogs follow me down to the beach to play in the shorebreak while i paddle out and hopefully score a few tubes.

Music: http://www.motherhips.com

Gabe Kling NIke 6.0 Podium Shots

Body Glove's Gabe Kling has had a roller coaster ride for the last year and a half or so. Plagued with serious knee injuries since the beginning of 2009 his 2009 Pro Tour season was not all he hoped it would be. In some of the best Lowers conditions seen in years, Kling showed up to compete and even surprised himself. On the last day Kling turned it on, took out 3 world champions and took home the top prize.

The Florida natives win will give him a serious push in the right direction for qualifying for next year's ASP Dream Tour. Congratulations Gabe from the entire Body Glove family!!!

Photos: Justin Lahr

Body Glove Announces Fantasy Surfer Skybox Winners for First Two Events of 2010

Body Glove is stoked to announce the winners of the Quiksilver Pro Snapper Rocks and Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach for the 2010 Body Glove Fantasy Surfer Skybox. Chris De Graff and his team "Poles" all the from Dunedin New Zealand, scored a new CT 3/2 Fullsuit Wetsuit for winning the Snapper Rocks event and Jason Wells Team Turd Ferguson from Homested Airforce Base in Homested Florida will be rocking his CT 3/2 Fullsuit Wetsuit in Florida this year.

We caught up with both winners after their big wins. Chris De Graff said, " Wow! I didn't think I would ever win anything playing this game so this is very exciting. I am happy that I have a good wetsuit because I live at the bottom of New Zealand and the next piece of land south is Antarctica so a good wetsuit is a must. Thanks to Body Glove."

We also caught up with the Bells winner Jason Wells he said, "I would like to thank the folks at Body Glove and Fantasy Surfer for the new wetsuit. Hopefully it won't collect too much dust here in South Florida. Looks like I'll be making a trip back home next winter to get this thing wet."

Be sure to join the Body Glove Fantasy Surfer Skybox for your chance to win. We will be announcing the Brazil winners soon.

Body Glove Save the Waves Winner Gets his Gear

Kyle Klebe from Body Glove's hometown of Redondo Beach came by the Body Glove offices on Monday to grab his winning package from the Save the Waves Giveaway on Surfline. Kyle walked away with a new Eco 3/2 Fullsuit Wetsuit, 2 pairs of Body Glove sunglasses, a bikini and boardshort set for his girlfriend, some t-shirts and copies of Drop Zone Tahiti. From the smile on his face it looks like we was stoked. Body Glove want to thank Surfline for the opportunity to help promote Save the Waves.

Press Release Below

Save The Waves (STW) wishes to thank Body Glove and Surfline for its support towards bringing increased awareness to the World Surfing Reserves (WSR) program and to 2010 as the year of global surf spot enshrinements.

WSR seeks to identify and enshrine the most important and cherished surf areas around the world, in partnership with local surf communities. Each WSR is a meeting of land and sea selected for the unique and salutary nature of its waves, surf history and natural setting. The dedication of each WSR seeks the protection of this coastal zone of waves and habitat from wanton destruction and exploitation – through no other mechanism but the positive force of appreciation and valuation.

The “Vote for your Favorite and Most Sacred Wave” campaign has reinforced this mission and has proven to be a useful tool for STW Staff to have an initial indicator of community support towards the enshrinement of specific iconic waves from around the world.

STW learned that Trestles was the most voted wave (354 votes), proving it’s still on the mind of most surfers as an endangered wave. Far-away waves such as G-Land and Teauhpoo got significant votes (more than 100), epic Northern California (ok officially Central California!) waves such as Mavericks and Santa Cruz got less than 75 votes, while Southern California gems such as Malibu and Black’s Beach got more than 75 votes. Finally world-class surf zones such as Ericeira and Hossegor in Europe, Fernando de Noronha in Brazil, North Narrabeen, Manly Beach and Burleigh Heads in Australia got less than 30, while Raglan in New Zealand and Punta de Lobos in Chile got around 50 votes.

Ongoing evaluation of community support means connecting with local national surfing federations, local surf club representatives, local environmental organizations, local surf businesses, local policy-makers and local story-tellers to establish a group of people who can be representative stewards of the surf spot.

In late 2009, more than 40 sites from a pool of over 125 iconic beaches nominated by 34 countries were scored and selected as WSR eligible by our Vision Council (VC). The VC scores waves based on three fundamental criteria: 1) Quality and Consistency of Wave/Surf Zone; 2) Surf Culture and History of Wave/Surf Zone and 3) Environmental Characteristics of Wave/Surf Zone and neighboring areas.

The naming of the specific WSR eligible sites that will be enshrined in 2010 is anticipated soon, according to Dean LaTourrette, Executive Director of Save The Waves Coalition. “In 2009 STW focused on creating a nomination process that could be as inclusive of all surfing communities, yet have explicit global legitimacy – through our partnership with the International Surfing Association and National Surfing Reserves – Australia as well as important meetings with UNESCO Staff in Paris we achieved our goal. We are now ready for 2010 as the year of global surf spot enshrinement!”

Stay tuned for more updates on enshrinement events and ways to participate in the World Surfing Reserves movement.

For more information:

www.savethewaves.org/world_surfing_reserves

Body Glove Sales Expand to the UAE

BODY GLOVE INTERNATIONAL TO EXPAND TO GULF COUNCIL COUNTRIES

May 10, 2010 - Redondo Beach, California USA- Body Glove International LLC has inked a deal to expand sales of its products into the Gulf market. Body Glove has teamed up with United Arab Emirates based retail giant Sun and Sand Sports LLC to launch the brand in the UAE.

Russ Lesser, President of Body Glove International, had this to say about the expansion, “Until now this market remained untapped for us. We are excited about the partnership and confident this deal will have a substantial effect on Body Glove’s global sales and brand recognition.”

Marvin Shaire, CEO of Gulf Marketing Group, added, “We are equally excited and committed to the brand. Look forward to a long and prosperous partnership”.

Body Glove wetsuits, personal floatation devices, apparel, aquatics and accessories will now be available to the UAE market. Delivery of Body Glove products is imminent and should be ready for purchase at selected Sun and Sand Sport locations next week.

Win a Luxury Vacation to Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort

Body Glove has teamed up with Sport Chalet and Beaches Resorts for a chance for you to win a trip for the family to the Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages and Spa and a killer Body Glove prize package. At the Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort you can ride the Body Glove Wave and enjoy the beautiful Caribbean. The promotion runs the entire month of May and all you need to do to be entered into the drawing is become a Sport Chalet Action Pass Member (FREE) or make a purchase of any Body Glove Wetsuit at www.sportchalet.com or in a Sport Chalet store. The winner will receive round trip airline tickets, 5 day/4 night deluxe accommodations for 2 adults and 2 kids, unlimited gourmet dining, SCUBA diving and all land and watersports.

For more information, the complete rules and to enter go to any Sport Chalet store or visit their website. The official rules are posted at www.sportchalet.com/text/content/docs/actionpass/Official%20Rules%20Body%20Glove%20ETW.pdf.

Best of luck and enjoy!

Alex Gray Solo Mexico Surf Trip

Alex Gray kept the spirit of the Best Winter of surf in a long time alive by heading south of the border to Mexico for the season's 1st south swell. He left his Body Glove Vapor Fullsuit Wetsuit at home in favor off a Vapor Surf Shirt Top and a pair of Volcom boardies. Instead of hitting the road with a huge crew he headed across the border solo this time, scored some sick surf at some warm water right points, did some daredevil dining and got punked by the best video game player in Mexico who looks a lot like Alex. Check out the Surfline feature at www.surfline.com/surf-news/mexico-solo_42327/ with some great commentary from Alex.