LIHU‘E — Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. proclaimed Tuesday as Jeff Hubbard Day on Kaua‘i for the young man’s accomplishments in the world of bodyboarding. Hubbard, the son of Mark and Barbara Hubbard, earned his third International Bodyboarding Association World Tour
LIHU‘E — Mayor Bernard Carvalho Jr. proclaimed Tuesday as Jeff Hubbard Day on Kaua‘i for the young man’s accomplishments in the world of bodyboarding.
Hubbard, the son of Mark and Barbara Hubbard, earned his third International Bodyboarding Association World Tour Champion Bodyboarder on Dec. 14, 2012.
“Kaua‘i is extremely proud of this native son and keiki o ka ‘aina for his outtanding athletic achievements on the world stage,” Carvalho said. “I don’t know where he is going to put this plaque because if you’ve been to his home, he’s got so much trophies and plaques, which speak of his accomplishments.”
The soft-spoken Jeff who moved to Kaua‘i at the age of one with his parents, said being honored with a special day is a very humbling experience.
Adding to the experience of having his special day, Jeff’s brother Dave just won a drop knee bodyboarding meet Sunday at the Peruvian Inka Challenge.
“With the win, he’s now in the lead with two events remaining,” Jeff said. “The Sunday win is the second Drop Knee stop in the world tour.”
Learning to bodyboard at Kalapaki Bay, Jeff graduated from Island School and Hawai‘i Academy.
He turned professional bodyboarder at age 20 while simultaneously earning an undergraduate degree in business and marketing as well as a masters of business administration from Hawai‘i Pacific University. He did this while juggling several business ventures at the same time.
Jeff earned his first World Bodyboarding Title in 2006, repeating in 2009 before his 2012 time. He currently holds seven National Bodyboarding titles from the U.S. Championship Tour.
Judy Lenthall, a family friend, said Jeff competes all over the world for his IBA title, starting in Hawai‘i at the Pipeline Challenge and surfing in contests in Australia, Chile, Brazil, Mexico, Portugal, Puerto Rico and the Canary Islands.
Currently, Jeff sits at No. 2 in the Men’s World Tour rankings at 1,720 points below top ranking Ben Player of Australia who holds 2,000 points. Dave Hubbard is ranked No. 4 at 1,340 points.
Visit www.ibaworldtour.com for more information.
• Dennis Fujimoto, photographer and staff writer, can be reached at 245-0453 or dfujimoto@ thegardenisland.com.
