HOW THE BITZER BOOGIE LIFE STARTED
Jason Bitzer was born in New Jersey to Patricia and Jim Bitzer. Patricia would bring him to the beach daily even in the bitter NJ winter cold. When Jason was 12 he found his passion for bodyboarding at the Jersey Shore. Living inland until highschool it soon became to much effort for the family to drive him to the beach to train and have fun. So the family decided before Jason started high school the Bitzer's would move to Manasquan NJ, where Jason began his career as an Amateur competitor. Winning many local and regional ESA and ABA contests through out his High school career he looked to have a shot to make Bodyboarding his career. Jason made the decision to try his hand on the professional scene moving to HI for both school and Bodyboarding directly out of High school. After his first season on the famous North Shore Jason had been offered a chance to represent the USA on the IBA Super Tour which he excepted. His rookie season was spent with the top 24 bodyboarders in the world in 2003 learning the ropes and surfing the best waves on the planet. Jason learned much from the top pros of the time and continues his career on the IBA world tour under their new Grand Slam point system, while juggling a life guarding career in Hawaii and organizing the USBA Nation Championship tour which he founded in 2005. Jason continues to travel and promote the sport. You can find Jason when he is at home on Oahu at Sandy Beach or Pipe depending the season every day training and hanging with his new found Bodyboard family in the islands. As well he visits his home town throughout the year to surf and see friends while hosting his favorite competition the Jenkinson's Pro at his original home break. Jason is has been blessed with amazing support from MET RX, HURLEY, EMPIRE BOARDS and Creatures of Leisure all who Jason's goals and career as a water men and Bodyboarder
Roberta Bitzer (formerly Pinheiro De Souza)
Roberta grew up in Macae on outskirt of Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Her patents raised her in a small beach town in which she learned to Bodyboard alongside her Brother a local surfer. Roberta would go to the Beach and watch her brother ride waves and one day picked up a bodyboard after not having to much fun with her brothers choice of wave riding vehicle. Her mother at first was tentative to let her only daughter bodyboard but once she became a regional Champion and the second highest rated Bodyboard in Rio during her first Amateur year Zenilda (Mother) knew this was something Roberta was meant to do. Roberta juggled school and training and started to compete at the late age of 17. Her strong schooling had given her the opportunity to go to school at Campos University to the North of her home town. The School she attended UENF (Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense) and the news papers had seen her talent both in school and in the water and decided to help her providing her a trainer and with help from the media was able to find a local corporation (Kisabor) to become her first paying sponsor. She would go to school all week and go to contest on the weekend only being able to surf during the events until her school breaks. One day an opportunity was given to her to come to the USA and study in her Field of environmental science at Fairfeild University. She had jumped on this offer to further her schooling but never lost the dream of becoming a female Pro Bodyboarder. Within in two weeks of being in the US she got the itch to surf and soon after to compete. Taking the train four hours to either Long Island or NJ every weekend to surf. Once she was finally able to compete in the US she started winning regional Atlantic Bodyboarding Association events and was winning heats in the men's division as well needing to find better competition to train! Roberta finished her studies abroad but not before meeting a Jason who would later become her best friend, they moved to Oahu together for the Winter surf season and since finishing her masters degree has found a job in her field and one two national US Female Pro titles. Roberta made her first attempt on the IBA Women's Grand Slam World tour where she came 2nd at The Sopelana BBC Pro presented by Coke, her first event on tour. Competing on three other select events with her husband she ended up 15th in the world her rookie year. Milkshakes Bodyboards a bodyboard brand made for girls has given Roberta her own Board model under her nick name "Beta" which comes from Jason not being able to say her Brazilian Nickname BETINHA. Along with Milkshakes Bodybards, Sambazon Acai, her hometown smoothie shop Lanikai Juice and most recently Lucy Love, she has the support to become the Pro she always wanted to be!
HOW THEY MET
How they meet: While in Fairfeild Roberta's Brazilian friend in NYC had told her about a good wave in New Jersey. She wanted to surf a new place with some good waves and she decided to come through NYC on the train to find this wave. Jason had just returned home from a contest odly in Brazil the same day Roberta had decided to take the trip to find Jenks, Jason's home wave. A Brazilian friend (JEAN FERREIRA) had contacted Jason with a request to show Roberta and him this wave and pick them up at the train station. Jason being a sharing guy had no problems with this and the rest is history. Roberta and Jason bodyboarded together for months and became best friends and later married one year later. They thank Bodyboarding and their friends in the sport for putting them together and plan on traveling,competing and working hard on their goals together until the time comes for them to have little bodyboarders of their own!
Beta & Jason
