I am an official boogie board owner.  My boyfriend L treated me to an official boogie board at the local surf shop in town during our mini vacation at my condo on the corner at the shore. It was a ‘do nothing’ vacation. We were in slow motion, except for when I was riding the waves…or trying to ride the waves on my new Wave Board.

“Angled rails, smooth, responsive and quick curved tail for added flotation and easy tackoffs.  Sturdy leash with wrist strap” was the promotional copy on the package.  It sounded good to me.  But, wait, wait, wait.  Oh, no.  There was a WARNING in red right below it:

“Before riding this board be sure you can swim to shore.” (Not a problem, I thought.  I wasn’t going to be going too far out in the ocean on my boogie board.  I knew I would be okay.)

“ALWAYS ride with your head behind the nose of the board.” (Not a problem, I thought.  The salesman said I should buy a 41-inch boogie board.  He said that size was appropriate for my height and that the length should reach from my feet to my waist.  I picked out a very dark navy and white design which closely matched my strapless bathing suits.  I wanted to look good holding my boogie board in the water since I lacked boogie boarding skills.)

“BE ALERT unpredictable surf can lead to fatal accidents. This is not a life saving device.” (Not a problem, I thought. On second thought, really? Maybe this is a problem.  At 50+ years of age I didn’t want to have any fatal accidents.  I made sure I had some caffeinated coffee before I went out on the surf.  But, I can’t see too well once I take my glasses off so forget about being too alert.)

“Children must not ride without adult supervision.” (Definitely not a problem, I thought, I am an adult.  Ha, ha, ha. It should really say ‘adults must not ride without child supervision.’  I surveyed the ocean waters and I have to tell you that I wanted to stick with the kids.  Most of them were in the shallow waters, right where I preferred to hang out.)

“Please observe all instructions before using this board.” (I read all the WARNINGS and I still opened the package.  I put the leash strap tightly on my right arm.  I looked to my left to see how the kids were boogieing. I looked to the right to see how the adults were boogieing. There were a few other new boogie boarders nearby.  I could tell that not everyone was a pro.  And then I tried to ride the little waves.  I wasn’t very good, but I do intend to take my boogie board back out in the ocean next week and try again.)

I looked up boogie boarding on Wikipedia.  According to Wikipedia, “bodyboarding (sometimes called boogieboarding) has been growing very rapidly over the last couple of decades and has now developed into one of the fastest growing sports of all time.”  (Maybe other baby boomers are getting into this trend too.  Oh, I am so with the trends, just like my astrologer said! Go Judi. Go Judi. Go Judi.)

I also found a tutorial complete with a u-Tube video on “How to Boogie Board” on Wiki-How, the how to manual.  I will have to study up and learn all the techniques.

Sooooo, that is my baby boomer boogie boarder story for now.  More to come as I continue to ride the waves this summer…or try to.  Meantime, I think I’ll just sing the “I Love To Boogie” song and maybe practice a few dance moves while I’m at it.

Judi