Two weeks on the East Coast resulted in two bodyboarding victories for Kaua'i's Jeff Hubbard this month.

Hubbard won the Jenks Pro in New Jersey on Sept. 3, and then won the Scion NYBB Pro in New York on Sept. 9.

As a result of the victories, Hubbard moved to the top of the rankings for the 2007 U.S. Bodyboarding Association National Championship Tour.

"Conditions were pretty small at both places, but at least it was contestable," he said. "It was the end of a long trip for me, so it was good to finish off with some wins."

Hubbard is the defending U.S. and world champion.

"The world title is the one everybody wants," he said. "But the U.S. Tour is important to me, too, because that's home. That's where you sell most of your products and so it's important to be successful."

Several other Hawai'i bodyboarders fared well on the East Coast.

At the New Jersey contest, David Hubbard — Jeff's younger brother — placed fourth and won the drop-knee division.

At the New York contest, it was an all-Hawai'i final. Spencer Skipper from the Big Island placed second, Jacob Romero from Maui was third, and his brother Jonah Romero was fourth. Also, David Hubbard won the drop-knee division.

Jeff Hubbard received $2,000 — $1,000 for each victory.

Through three of six events on the 2007 national tour, Hawai'i competitors hold the top five places in the rankings. Hubbard is No. 1, followed by Rex Moribe, Jacob Romero, Jonah Romero and Willy Petrovic.

The next event on the national tour is scheduled for Nov. 3 and 4 at Imperial Beach, Calif.

The next event on the world tour is scheduled for Oct. 12 through 14 at Venezuela.

Jeff Hubbard is currently ranked No. 9 on the world tour. Among other Hawai'i competitors, Mike Stewart is No. 5, and David Hubbard is No. 7.

UEMURA WINS IN JAPAN

Honolulu's Kekoa Uemura won the Sahara Longboard Pro last week in 1- to 3-foot waves at Kitaizumi, Japan.

Uemura defeated fellow Hawai'i surfer Bonga Perkins in the one-on-one final.

Perkins took the early lead in the final heat, but Uemura received a score of 8.75 midway through to take control. Uemura received $2,500 for the victory.

Maui's Noah Shimabukuro placed third.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.