NJBC™

New Jersey Bodyboarding Club

Club update

News and updates

Belmar, New Jersey · October 18, 2026

An Important Update from the New Jersey Bodyboarding Club (Est. 2008)

Where we stand, where we’re going, and how to make sure you’re supporting the NJBC.

Hey everyone,

I wanted to reach out directly to answer some questions that longtime riders and supporters have brought to us recently, and to share what our team has been building behind the scenes.

When I founded the New Jersey Bodyboarding Club in 2008 with early guidance from Steve Jackson, the mission was strictly about the riders connecting, sharing waves, and pushing the sport forward in NJ. That passion hasn’t faded one bit in 18 years.

Recently, a few questions have come up about what we are and aren’t involved in, so I want to set the record straight:

Where We Stand

The New Jersey Bodyboarding Club (NJBC) is an independent, state-registered organization working toward 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. We want to remind all members that we are NOT connected to any other group, page, online stores, or social accounts, and we are not currently affiliated with any other contests or events running in NJ. Our official website (njbodyboarding.com), social pages, and club store are the only platforms that support NJBC and our local rider initiatives.

What We’re Building

  • New Leadership: We’ve brought on Noah Chait and Rob Hennessey as admins this year, along with Mike Strawley helping lead moderation and organization.
  • Next Club Event: We are currently working through township requirements to select the beach for our next official NJBC contest. We have our shortlist of locations ready, and yes, Jenks is on it.
  • “Run It or Ride It” Signups Open Now: Whether you want to compete in the water or help us run the event on the beach, signups are live right now at njbodyboarding.com/events/signup.
  • Bigger Horizons: We are opening discussions with organizations like the IBC to create pathways for our members to compete on the world stage. In addition, we’re working on organizing club trips to spots like the Virginia Beach Wave Park.
  • New Social Events: Beyond contests, we’re launching regular community events like beach cleanups and off-season meetups, including fun nighttime events like “Bar Pie Bash,” “Pints and Fins,” etc. We just hosted our first one last week in Asbury Park and have plenty more on the way.

Huge shoutout to our incredible riders, volunteers, and staff for years of amazing events. Thank you for bearing with us through some recent legal and organizational delays. Most of that is wrapped up now, and the best is definitely yet to come. We can’t wait to get everyone back together!

Don’t forget to sign up at njbodyboarding.com/events/signup

Belmar, New Jersey · October 8, 2026

We are not associated with the new group

A Facebook group was recently renamed to a name only three characters different from ours. To prevent any confusion: the New Jersey Bodyboarding Club is not associated with this group in any way.

Our past events were hosted and organized by the New Jersey Bodyboarding Club, with support from our sponsors. Some people have reached out to us with concerns over the confusion. Any events or contests the new group is running are not associated with us.

We hold our contests to a strict standard. When we run an event, we go out of our way to make sure it is safe, protected, fully staffed and organized. That standard won’t change.

Please make sure you are dealing directly with us, the New Jersey Bodyboarding Club. We have begun reaching out to the sponsors who have worked with us in the past to let them know about the situation and to avoid any confusion.

Belmar, New Jersey · October 3, 2026

First contact with the IBC

We have made first contact with the International Bodyboarding Committee (IBC), the governing body for professional bodyboarding and the group behind the IBC World Tour.

IBC World Tour

In talks with

International Bodyboarding Committee

ibcworldtour.com

We are talking with their team to understand the full scope and requirements for bringing an official contest to New Jersey. The area has gone years without one, and having the IBC’s help and support is a big deal for the club.

Nothing is set up and nothing is confirmed. We are asking questions and learning what a contest would take and how the IBC can be involved. That is the whole first step.

We will share more when we have it. In the meantime, ride it or run it if you want to be on the list.

Belmar, New Jersey · September 21, 2026

Two milestones

We have reached two milestones:

  1. 1.The paperwork is finished. We are registered with the state.
  2. 2.We have an insurance partner.

Boring news, big consequences. Sponsors won’t talk to you until you’re a registered and insured organization. Now that we are, they will. I already have an agreement in place for a cash prize pool of over $1,250, and that’s inside the first few weeks of being registered. There’s more where that came from.

Let’s be clear about what that money buys. This isn’t a novelty event handing out free shirts and boards. Large cash prizes and trophies on the line mean we run it on real swell, judged to real criteria. Nobody competes for that in mush. We wait for waves with real consequences that can showcase our local talent. That means a waiting period, not a date locked in months out.

If you can ride, this is the one worth joining. If you don’t, we still need you on the beach.

What we still need

So the legal side is sorted, insurance is handled, and there’s real money on the table. What we’re missing is people to run it, and proof that there are enough real bodyboarders in the area to host a large-scale event.

A contest this size takes a crew. Here are the jobs we need filled:

  • Judges Prior experience in events, advanced riders.
  • Scorekeepers Digital pads, adding scores in real time to live heats.
  • Beach Marshals Makes sure riders are in the right heat at the right time.
  • Announcer Keeps the crowd and the competitors up to speed.
  • Setup and Teardown Crew Tents, signage, tables, sound gear.
  • Photo and Video Competitors want the footage and sponsors need it.
  • Water Safety Already covered. No need to sign up for this one.

If the numbers aren’t there, we wait

Nothing gets cancelled, it just sits. The registration doesn’t expire, the insurance doesn’t expire, and the prize money isn’t going away. We just park it and come back to it in a few months. Same way we’d wait on swell, we’ll wait on the crew.

Add your name to the list if you are interested in this event: ride it or run it.