The Battle for Drop Knee G.O.A.T

In January of 2020, the newly formed International Bodyboarding Corporation (IBC) announced they’d be taking over operations of the bodyboarding world tour during the first event of the year, the Lurín Pro in Peru. Little did they know at the time, the coronavirus was already spreading quickly in China and would engulf the entire globe within three months. The year 2020 was supposed to act as a transitional year with an interim committee in charge until members could vote on an official IBC committee in June during the Antofagasta Bodyboard Festival. 

   The IBC Facebook page updated us fans on March 20th, 2020 stating events would be suspended with the option to reschedule after June. As governments around the world struggled with how to handle the pandemic, the IBC continued to update us through Facebook with posts in April, May and July. 

   All events fell off the schedule as their date approached, one after another after another. It was beginning to look like professional bodyboarding competitions on a global stage were a thing of the past until the IBC held the Frontón King in October. 

  During the winter that followed, COVID cases surged until vaccines came to the rescue. The world is now slowly and tentatively opening back up although progress is under threat by disinformation, mistrust of the government, and the Delta variant. 

   On June 7th, 2021 the IBC announced there will be no world tour this year however some stand alone events will be held if circumstances permit. A world title will not be decided in 2021..for the Pro Men’s and Pro Women’s divisions.

Meerkats are quick and agile creatures. Apparently powerful too. Sammy carving out the end section at the Garden Island Boogie Classic. Photography by Magdy Ann @magicphotographykauai

  But on June 21st, they let us know that a drop knee world champ will be decided this year at Praia Grande during the Sintra Pro in Portugal set to take place sometime between the 7th and 12th of September.

   “Tricky” and “challenging” are two adjectives often used to describe conditions at Praia Grande during the Sintra Pro broadcasts in past years. The shifting sands and a difference of eight feet between low and high tides add another level of unpredictability to an already capricious ocean. The tide greatly affects the break with different sandbars turning off and on throughout the day. It’s always entertaining for us fans to see how the best bodyboarders in the world adapt. 

   There have been 17 drop knee world titles awarded ever since its inception in 1998 when the Global Organization of Bodyboarders ( GOB ) honored Hawaiian Jacky Buder the first one of its kind. 

   Prior to this, drop knee and stand-up specialists used to compete alongside riders whose strengths were in the prone position, often giving them a run for their money. Most of us would agree that Keith Sasaki and Paul Roach would’ve been drop knee world champs if it existed in their day. Roach is considered by many as the greatest of all time on drop knee, the drop knee G.O.A.T. A title earned by blowing everyone’s minds via video parts of his powerful slashing cutbacks and photos in magazines of his high speed snaps with the board placed vertically, tail above the lip, and his body in a horizontal position. If drop knee had its own single championship event held at Pipeline, like during the International Morey Boogie Bodyboarding Championship days when Mike Stewart dominated, Jack “Da Rippa” Lindholm and Kainoa McGee would’ve surely ruled over all others in their division. All four of these names will forever be enshrined in the world of bodyboarding as some of the best on one knee even without a title. 

  Sammy “The Meerkat” Morretino has also etched a name for himself in this space by winning the last three drop knee world titles in a row, back to back to back, from 2017 to 2019 each time defeating another who may very well be considered the drop knee G.O.A.T. Dubb, also known as Dave Hubbard, has played Connect Four with his world titles winning himself four in a row..twice. The first four times were in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009 (a drop knee world title event wasn’t held in 2007) and again from 2013 to 2016. Dave Hubbard and Sammy Morretino together hold 11 out of the 17 existing drop knee world titles. The other six belong to Hawaiian Jacky Buder in 1998, Xavier Canneson of Martinique in 1999, Australian Tyson Williams (Rest In Peace) in 2001, Cesar Bauer of Peru in 2010, Damian King for Australia in 2011, and Sacha Specker for South Africa in 2012. The years 2000 and 2002 to 2004 elude me and I can only guess that no world titles were given in the drop knee division during these years. These world titles were earned under three different organizations in succession; the first three were under the GOB, the next eight were with the International Bodyboarding Association (IBA) and the last six were with the Association of Professional Bodyboarders (APB). 

A reminder of what meerkats can do to beach breaks at Sintra. Photography by Joao Araujo @joaoaraujo1975

   Dave Hubbard and Sammy Morretino are the obvious favorites to take out the inaugural IBC drop knee world championship. Their evenly matched skill and next level talents set the stage for an awesome rivalry. Both of them are from the island of Kauai, which seems to be a breeding ground for masters of bodyboarding. The Meerkat took out the world title on his first try in 2017 and Dubb hasn’t been able to send him back into his burrow ever since. Is there a new drop knee G.O.A.T in town? Will Sammy be able to match Dave’s record, Connect Four in a row and blow Dubb some second hand smoke? We’ve seen Dubb Zero pop off a drop knee roll in Hubboards Episode 3. Will he be able to pull it off in competition and is that what it’ll take to bring down the Meerkat?