HIGH LIFE : Cunningham Wins Bodyboarding Title

Chris Cunningham of Huntington Beach High School recently turned professional after winning the bodyboarding event at the World Contest, held Feb. 16-21 at Surfer’s Point and Wilderness Beach in Puerto Rico.

The 17-year-old junior is no stranger to success. Last year, he finished first in bodyboarding at the National Scholastic Surfing Assn. national meet and second in the U.S. championships. In 1986, he won the U.S. championship as well as the NSSA nationals.

Cunningham, a Huntington Beach native, started bodyboarding five years ago with the city’s junior lifeguard program. “Learning to bodyboard is a lot easier that it is to learn to surf,” he said. “But once you get into advanced moves, it becomes just as hard as surfing.”

As a member of the Morey Boogie team, he expects to compete in five major events a year, including meets in Brazil and Australia.

“I’m trying not to rush myself,” said Cunningham, who plans to attend Golden West College after high school graduation. “I won’t make a career out of bodyboarding.

“A lot of people get caught up in trying to be better than anyone else. There’s a lot of ego in the surfing world. I wish people would go out there to have fun. I wish a lot of people would slow down because it’s getting really fast paced.”