Wave Riding in Palm of Your Hand!
Written by SurfWriter Girls Sunny
Magdaug and Patti Kishel
Which is best, board surfing or body surfing? Why not combine both? Action sports company Slyde has done just that with its unique handboard that turns Everyman into Aquaman.
Based in San Clemente, CA, Slyde is like "the little
engine that could," spreading the word about its handheld board that fits
over your hand and lets you grab onto a
wave.
"Bodysurfing with a handboard is simply way more fun
than bodysurfing without," Slyde explains on its website. "The
handboard allows the bodysurfer to get more speed and lift out of the water. It
is not uncommon to generate enough speed to round a section of a wave or to get
barreled."
Company owners Steve and Angela Watts got past
the initial skepticism and puzzled looks about what in the world their
handboard contraption was to prove that Slyde was ready to swim with the
sharks. Not your everyday sharks, but the Sharks on ABC's reality show Shark Tank.
Sharks billionaire Mark Cuban and actor/businessman
Ashton Kutcher were so impressed with the couple's business presentation that they made a
joint investment of $200,000. Cuban, who already owned a stake in Tower Paddle
Boards, thought Slyde fit perfectly with that. And, Kutcher wanted to try out
the handboard himself!
Steve and Angela are glad they took a gamble in going on the
show last year - trying out three times to get on! "Working with Mark and
Ashton is a dream, " Angela told SurfWriter Girls Sunny Magdaug and Patti
Kishel. "Everything has been non-stop since the show."
Slyde lives up to its slogan of providing "Epic wave
riding in the palm of your hand." With no surfboard to pack or transport,
the handheld boards easily go where you go.
Steve dates the idea for the Slyde handboards back to his
teen years in South Africa when he and his pals used food trays to get a hydro dynamic edge in catching waves.
The trays gave "lift and extra speed." Who would have guessed that
they would be the forerunners that led to the development of the Slyde
handboards and a way "to enhance the bodysurfing experience for everyone.”
Going Hollywood made a big change in Slyde. But it hasn't
changed the duo behind the company. At a Surfrider Foundation beach
cleanup Angela said to SurfWriter Girls, "It's
important to be involved in the community." She and Steve still make time
to pick up trash on the beach and to support environmental groups.
Slyde launched the Slyde Ambassador Program to encourage and reward
people who are doing positive things "for the earth, ocean, or humanity.”
Like the ever-present Frisbee, that started
out as a pie pan people tossed back-and-forth, the Slyde handboard has evolved
from a food tray into an industry...and a way of life.
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Sunny Magdaug and
Patti Kishel hold the exclusive rights to this copyrighted material.
Publications wishing to reprint it may contact them at surfwriter.girls@gmail.com
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