BLUFF bodyboarder, Brendan Greenaway made his community proud by placing third in the South African Bodyboarding Championships hosted by eThekwini Bodyboarding
The 34-year-old placed third in the master division of the event which ran from October, 1 to 7 in association with the SA Bodyboarding Association (SABBA) and Surfing South Africa.
But it wasn’t all plain sailing, according to Greenaway. “It was a difficult competition, all the best riders from each coastal province competed so you had to on top of your game. The eThekwini Bodyboarding Association started trials in April and straight after trials concluded, the training squad started training every Sunday. Everyone at training was put through some demanding training and we worked on our technical riding,” he added.
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The challenges did not faze the eager bodyboarder who has been living his dream for the past 21 years. Introduced to the sport by his older brother who gave him his first board and took him on his first wave, Brendan has been hooked ever since. “It’s fun, it’s what I love to do and it’s a great workout,” he chuckled.
Greenaway trains about four times a week for two to three house spent in the water, depending on surf conditions. He wants people to know that body-boarding is a formidable sport and more should try it out because of what you can learn and what you can benefit from it.
“Bodyboarding has taught me to remain calm when facing any situation that you may be fearful of, and to also have respect for the ocean. For those who may be considering or have just started to bodyboard, it’s tough in the beginning as is any other sport, but if you keep pushing yourself and are willing to take advice when it’s given, you will feel a stoke like no other when you complete a move or get barreled. If anyone would like to know more about the sport, I would be happy to help,” he said.
He already has his eye on his goal for next year as he plans on competing on next year’s South African Bodyboarding Association circuit and attending SA champs 2018 with the eThekwini team where he is keen to pocket the masters division title.
If you are interested or want more information about bodyboarding, email Brendan at brendan@ethekwinibodyboarding.co.za
