pg.08 Paralympic Pipeline
pg.14 Duke’s Oceanfest
pg.46 Returning Home
Vol. 3 | Dec. 2017
for the First Time
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CONTENTS 06
Le tte r from the Editor
Saltwater Sanity
By Sean Brody
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14
22
28
Paral ympic Pipe lin e
By Jon Richards
D u k e ’s Oce an fe st Ada ptiv e Su rf Compe tition
By Spike Kane
First An n u al U.S. Ope n of Ada ptiv e Su rfin g
By Charles “Chaka” Webb
Fe atu re d Or gan iz ation
Challenged Athletes Foundation
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Ada ptiv e Su rfin g Galle r y
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Re tu r n in g Home for the First Time
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64
66
By: Jay Leisener
Ke e p the Came ra Rollin g
The Imagery of Orion Owens
Historic Mome n ts in Ada ptiv e Su rfin g
First English Adaptive Surfing Championships
Partin g Shot
Adaptive Surfing in Angola
Ryan G am brell. Photo: Jef fre y Mil le r C o v e r: M ark “ M ono” S te wart” . Photo: S eabor ne S urf Charte rs
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A DA P T IV E S UR F ING MA GA ZINE E D I TOR -IN -CH IEF Sean Brody
C R E AT I V E D I R E C TOR & DES IGN Isaac Mitchell C ON T R I BU T I N G AUTH ORS Jon Richards
Spike Kane Charles “Chaka” Webb Jay Leisener
CON T R I BU T I N G P HOTOG RAPH ERS Seaborne Surf Charters
Jeffrey Miller Val Reynolds The Leisener Family Jason Rose Pat Webber Jesse Lora Regina Tolomei Sean Evans Orion Owens Sarah Bunt Max Weston/Surfing England João Taborda Lopes
A DV E RT I SI NG S ALES advertise@adaptivesurfing.com
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editor@adaptivesurfing.com
© 2017 Surf Education Academy. All trademarks belong to their respective owners. All rights reserved. Some materials used under license, with all rights reserved by licensor.
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Rile y an d Se an sha re a fle e tin g moment . Pho t o : Val R e y no l ds
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LE T TER FROM THE E DITOR “Surfers are all a bunch of lunatics, everyone of us. Myself included.”I struggled to find the right words to explain to a friend, who was recently introduced to the surfing community, why we can justify being so irrational about placing surfing at the center of our universe. There is clearly a disproportionate amount of time that we actual spend riding waves in comparison to how much we allow those few fleeting moments to influence our lives. After I surfed my first wave at around ten years old, I quickly began the process of dwindling down my baseball commitment to focus exclusively on riding waves. I picked up water polo in high school, but after a season of missed swells and hearing , “shoulda been here yesterday,” too many times, surfing clamored it’s way back to the top of my list of priority pastimes.” Priority pastime blossomed into full-blown obsession. Access to quality surf breaks dictated my college selection process and time to surf was the number one variable in developing my course schedules each semester. My surf addiction pulled rank in any dating situation and played a major role in me finding my wife. Surfing has been the strongest anchor in my life, allowing the rest of the pieces to fall into place. However, if you look at other sports, like baseball or water polo, when you go to play a game you are actually participating for the duration. A 90-minute game is 90 minutes activity. If you go for a run for an hour, you are running for an hour. But when I go surf for an hour, it could take me four hours, with all the wave checking and talking story, and I may get less than a minute of actual wave riding time. Yet, I come home salty and satisfied in
such a way that could only be achieved through the unique self-indulgence of wave riding. Those intangible moments have a way of suppressing the stress of daily life and enhancing our existence in ways hard to quantify. There is no real way to describe the exhilaration of surfing without sounding hokey, but something about those brief instances of rushing across the surface of a wave makes us do crazy and irrational things. We rearrange our lives to do whatever it takes to access opportunities for wave riding, usually at the expense of other priorities. There is clearly no length that surfers will not go to ride waves and, often times, the road to waves can be littered with challenges. The brave men and women in the adaptive surfing community know this more than anyone, and they are the craziest of us all. The tremendous lengths that adaptive surfers go to get in the ocean and chase surf is no joke. Intricate planning, inherent safety risks, unparalleled trust, and lots of additional time are just some of the elements involved. However, despite the mountain of roadblocks and additional hurdles, their lives are as centered around surfing as much as the next wave riding lunatic. All the adaptive surfers we see today have dedicated themselves to a life of wave riding and it has been proven time and again that nothing will prevent a surfer from getting in the water. You all inspire me and have my deepest respect. If you are going to be addicted to something, let it be surfing. See you crazies in the water,
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- Sean Brody Editor-in-Chief
Ke vi n Co o k . Pho t o : Jaso n R ose
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PARALYMPIC PIPELINE _ by Jon Richards _
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ooking back at the year 2016 you may remember that the Chicago Cubs won the World Series, Donald Trump became president of the USA, the UK votes to leave the European Union, and the deaths of Muhammad Ali and Prince…I remember those things, but also a few key others: The 2nd annual World Adaptive Surfing Championship took place in La Jolla, the first publication of the Adaptive Surfing Magazine, and a historic decision that took place in August of 2016 when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced to the world that surfing will be included in the Olympic program for the 2020 Tokyo games. This took the surfing industry by storm. Every elite, competitive surfer started to calculate what their age would be for those games and to think about the possibility of “I finally have a chance to represent my country and be an Olympic medalist.” What a year to remember. Fast forward one year later… in July of 2017 the International Surfing Association (ISA) announces that the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) officially recognizes the ISA as the International Federation (IF) for para (adaptive) surfing. What does this mean? In short, it means ISA is the agency chosen by the IPC to set the standards for para surfing, to include the development of rules, classification,
drug testing, and everything else for competitive para surfing. In the end it is ISA who will be responsible for doing everything necessary to present the sport for the Paralympic games program. This is a hefty duty that the organization is taking very seriously. In the past 3 years we have seen tremendous growth in the sport because of the ISA World Adaptive Surfing Games, first run in 2015. From the start, ISA created an advisory board to help develop the sport to include high level competition, adaptive clinics, symposiums and beautiful marketing. Due to this each year more and more countries cultivate the sport in their homelands and increase the number of events (recreational and competitions) to help drive adaptive surfing. Recently I had the opportunity to attend the first European Adaptive Surfing Seminar. It was held in the Canary Islands and conducted by Play and Train, with EU countries representing Spain, Portugal, France and Italy. I was honored, along with my good friend Alex, to be the Keynote speaker for the seminar. Many topics were discussed, such as information on the International Surfing Association (ISA), the adaptive surfing classification system- past, present and future, presenting organizations and research on adaptive surfing, equipment, and athlete panels. The entire weekend was a huge boost for the adaptive surfing community and brought the European countries closer together to unite as a forefront on the sport. A key presentation was made by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Media & Communications
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Director, Craig Spence. (It is important to note that Craig was on the island for a total of 20 hours and came specifically to give this presentation. This shows the impact of our sport and how keen the IPC is in giving para surfing a fighting chance to be included in the Paralympic program.) There were several points that he made that need to be addressed and the key topics include: increasing the number of overall participants (and countries participating), gender equality, drug testing compliance, and classification. Believe it or not, the Paralympics is a grassroots movement that begins with the recreational participant. It starts with having an opportunity to get on a surfboard for the first time. For most of us, we can probably remember the first time we got on a surfboard and paddled out. We may have not caught many impressive waves that day, but in the days to follow, many were had. Often, people are given the opportunity to try surfing for the first time because of a family member, friend or an organization. There are many organizations nowadays that promote
adaptive surfing and provide people with their first chance to ever get on a board or do so after a life changing incident (motor vehicle accident, sickness, operation, etc.) This is the stepping stone where we all begin. Some remain at this level and surf only once, twice or several times in their lifetime. Others progress to regularly practice the sport as a lifelong recreational passion. Then there are the elite, those that not only practice the sport as a lifelong recreational passion, but become so good that they compete against the best, and even become the best. They are the steps to becoming a World Champion, and, hopefully in the near future, becoming a Paralympian. People have to begin somewhere, and that is why we need to look at adaptive surfing as a whole. By driving new surfers to the sport it will increase the overall participation and push elite competition. This is necessary if our sport is to be recognized. Specifically, the IPC requires that 32 countries have a competitive presence within
Te am Colu mbia. Photo: Se an Evan s
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the sport. This does not mean that 32 countries will have a representative at the Paralympic Games within the sport, but that 32 nations are fully involved in competitive adaptive surfing, demonstrating global participation. Further on that topic, we discuss gender equality. It’s not hard to look at our sport in its current state to see that it comprises mostly of males. This needs to change. We have a responsibility to make the sport equal across genders. Not all sports strive to do this. But we can, with a concerted effort, easily change the way the world looks at gender equality, starting with sport. This is our opportunity to educate people across the globe and spread the teaching and therapeutic benefits of surfing. This is a requirement for our sport and will be a requirement of the IPC as it believes in gender parity. The next subject is very important for qualifying for the Paralympic Program… Drug Testing. This is needed for elite level competition and
is required in all Paralympic sports. Over the years we have seen how drugs or doping can enhance the ability to practice a sport. This is an unfair advantage and can cause serious health issues to the person who is using this method to cheat. Let’s be clear before we move on, it is cheating. First off, it’s stated very clearly in the rules. Second, you are using a substance to gain a competitive edge against your opponents. This is not right in the spirit of competition. Certain agencies are working hard to make sure that this does not happen. However, as National Federations and athletes, it is your responsibility to not use prohibited substances and train as hard as you possibly can. As drug testing comes more of a factor in the competition of para surfing, Therapeutic Use Exemption forms (TUEs) will become necessary for athletes to complete. A TUE states that an athlete has permission to use a certain substance that is otherwise prohibited. This is especially important for the adaptive surfer who is using prescribed medications for a specific medical need. I encourage you to read more about the subject, but also
Acce sSu rf an d Te am Ha waii . Pho t o : Jaso n R o se Adaptive Surfing Magazine | 11
Spon ge re pre se n tin g Wale s. Photo: Max We st o n/Sur f i ng E ngl and
Visu all y Impaire d D ivisio n. Pho t o : Sean E v a ns Adaptive Surfing Magazine | 12
remember that there is a prohibited list; TUEs will not be allowed for all medications/substances. Finally we come to a matter that is always an ongoing debate, classification. In the world of adaptive sports, classification is a necessary evil. It is imperative to have such systems to “equalize” the playing field; this has been discussed many times before and will many times later. What I would like to approach is how everyone can take an active role in classification. Simply, follow the protocol. Classification is very dynamic and changes every so often. This is because we are always trying to make it better. However, it is important to know that when using a current system, it most likely is the best system at that point in time. That doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t change in the future; who knows, maybe someone is working to further develop the system or creating a new one altogether. The best way to know if something is working is with everyone’s full cooperation. Once this is happening, then the research can be done on that model with meaningful results. At that time you make adjustments as needed. In order to have full cooperation, each competition
across the globe should use the same classification system. Think about it…hypothetically, if a competition in Asia is using their own system different from one in South America and Europe, how will each of them be able to compete equally in a World Games or Paralympic event? The athletes would have competed against athletes in different class systems which would have them at different levels, thus, changing the overall outcomes. This also degrades the validity of competitions as they do not have the same meaning as each other, making it harder to find a true champion. If, as a sport, we want to be recognized in the Paralympic program, we need to compete using the same set of international rules. The time to come will be an important period for para surfing. In order to be accepted in the 2024 Paralympic program, interested sports will need to apply to the IPC in mid-2018. In the year 2019, the IPC will select its sports for the 2024 Paris games. Para surfing has a pipeline to become a Paralympic sport but will need to comply with all standards set by the IPC. This is a long and difficult pathway, but is attainable if we all play an active role.
D avi re prese nting B raz il. Pho t o: S ean Evans Adaptive Surfing Magazine | 13
DUKE’S OCEANFEST A D A P T I V E S U R F C O M P E T I T I O N B y Sp ike Ka n e
A l l Ima g e s: Ja so n Ro se
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Sc o t t Leaso n
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Al c i no “Pi rat a” Ni et o
A
Spik e Kan e
ccesSurfs Adaptive Surf Competition takes place at Duke’s Oceanfest on Hawaii’s Island of Oahu at Queens Surf Break in Waikiki. It is part of a week long celebration of the extraordinary life of one of the greatest Hawaiian watermen of all time, Duke Kahanamoku. Famous for his Olympic success as a swimmer, Duke was the ultimate ambassador of Hawaiian Aloha. As an accomplished surfer, his dream was to get surfing included in the Olympics and I consider myself lucky to be alive to witness his dream come to fruition. The Duke’s Oceanfest celebration fittingly takes place the week of Duke’s birthday, late August, on his home beach and is known to us regulars simply as “Duke’s”. I think he would be proud and honored to witness the inclusiveness, Aloha and stoke of the entire event. Duke’s to me is like a reunion of all of my favorite people from around the world. In contrast to the ISA World Championship, surfers do not have to nationally qualify to take part and represent their country. Which means if you can surf and you want to compete then hey, come on over, the water is lovely this time of year!
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Al ana Ni cho l s
AccesSurf set up shop next to the judges tower on Waikiki beach which is right behind the famous Duke Kahanamoku Statue. The big yellow access surf tent is accessible via well placed beach mats and provides gear storage, shade, board storage, water access and is the unofficial melting pot for the global community of adaptive surfers during the seven days it is there. After the days heats are over a small grassy area (which I hear by name the Grassy Greg Knoll) close to the tent becomes the social hub where we share food, drink and bulldoze our way through the language barrier with miming, hand gestures, pencil drawings, broken Spanish and English, talking louder and slower for some reason, and eventually Google translate. These are the reasons we are here. Yes we want to compete and win but this, the unbridled celebration of life and our unique community, that iss what it is all about. It is Aloha. This year featured over 80 athletes, from 16 Nations, competing in ten divisions over three days, it was a marathon. Heats ran with up to five surfers with a spectrum of abilities. The water safety was on point and showed their expertise, wealth of knowledge
and experience by somehow managing to be invisible until even the hint of a situation arose and, boom, they were right there. I am convinced they went to the Hogwarts school of water safety because magic was definitely involved. In the 11 years of the AccesSurf ’s Duke”s competition, this was the first time the ocean took a nap! I think we wore her out. With 80+ athletes and support showing up a few days before competition, Queens Surf Break was a pretty busy playground. There is usually always waves at Queens, but this year on the first day of competition, during the peak of afternoon heat and high tide, it was siesta time. Two heats in the mens sit division had zero waves to surf and with such a tight heat schedule other means of advancement had to come into play. A paddle battle from the buoy to the beach was one method which was tried, but in the end the athletes voted on merit based surfing advancement and took the scores from the mornings first heats as the deciding factor. Then, serendipitously, the waves came back! The next day was one of the most exciting days of competition I have ever witnessed, with decent
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sets rolling in to make some of the heats as dramatic as they were impressive. The judges definitely had their work cut out as the surfers, feeling a little frustrated from lack of waves the day before, came into the lineup to leave their mark and make it known they meant business. With advancement to that afternoon’s semis on the line surfers turned up the heat and took it to another level. Those that advanced to the semi’s were treated to the best waves of the entire contest and with only two surfers in each heat you can bet they surfed their brains out. With the end of the second day closing and only finalists remaining in the contest the Grassy Greg Knoll was abuzz with energy and celebration again. Every arm I saw in the air was in the shape of a wave as no doubt an epic story was unfolding in broken bits of language. It was the community campfire that we gathered around, but the bright glow of its flame was on the inside. Finals day was indeed one for the history books. Surfers paddled out to the channel to get
closer to the action and cheer on their friends and teammates. it was an amazing atmosphere and I was honored to be a small part of it. Waves were rolling in but lulls were long, causing some real scrapping for waves and interesting wave choices. Infractions were called and competition was fierce. Suddenly, we were all judges and luckily none of it mattered. The results were held back until the award ceremony at the end of competition and each division was cheered for like the champions they are. (You can find all the heat scores and results on the AccesSurf website: www.accessurf.org) I have been attending Duke’s for four years now and have watched it grow from around 20 athletes to over 80 and to AccesSurfs credit, they have managed the growth with a stoke and Aloha unique to their operation. It is this stoke that keeps us coming back and bringing more people with us. The word is truly out in the adaptive surf community that Duke’s is must for all adaptive surfers. This year they introduced the Nalu award, which is now the most coveted trophy in the world of adaptive surfing. The winners of
Spik e Kane and Jef f M unso n
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each division battle it out in a “Super Heat” to be the overall champion of Duke’s. Each surfer is judged on their own style of surfing, which created one of the best finales I have ever seen and a fitting end to this years Competition. That night on the Grassy Greg Knoll we celebrated what was another landmark event in the history of adaptive surfing. At a place which is ground zero for adaptive surf competition, we soaked it all in with the pioneers, innovators and ambassadors of our sport, our Ohana. Congratulations to every competitor who made the journey and rode a warm water wave at Queens, with the beautiful backdrop of Diamond Head, embracing the spirit of Duke Kahanaamoku. We are surely, all winners. That night, on the Grassy Greg Knoll, we celebrated what was another landmark event in the history of adaptive surfing. At a place which is ground zero for adaptive surf competition and with the pioneers, innovators and ambassadors of our sport, our Ohana. Congratulations to every competitor who made the journey and rode a warm water wave at Queens, with the beautiful backdrop of Diamond Head, and the spirit of Duke Kahanaamoku at their side. We are surely, all winners.
Fel i pe Li ma
Wi nner’s C i rcl e
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O hana
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F IR ST A N N U A L U.S. O PE N
A DAPT IV E S U RFIN G
C H AMPIONSHIPS by Charles “Chaka” Webb
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ith the first annual U.S. Open Adaptive Surfing Championships in the books, we have a chance to look back at some shining moments of this historic event. The support and stoke received from the community for this event was amazing. We at Stoke for Life would like to thank everyone that made this event possible, from the sponsors, competitors, and volunteers to the city of Oceanside and the city council members that attended. 45 adaptive surfers from seven different counties in eight adaptive divisions battling for the first U.S. Open Adaptive Surfing Championships titles and a piece of the very first prize money pool in adaptive surfing history. Over $13,000 dollars in cash and prizes would be given to the top finishers in each of the eight divisions. This was a truly historic moment in adaptive surfing’s short history. From the opening wave of the first heat to the last wave of the finals, the U.S. Open adaptive Surfing Championships was one of the heaviest adaptive surf events ever held. Conditions for day one started out stellar with stiff off shore winds and 4-6-foot surf,
Oceanside pier did not disappoint. The waves were grinding, and conditions held up through the late morning but would begin to deteriorate in the early afternoon making the later heats of day one very challenging. As the conditions got more challenging in the afternoon the level of adaptive surfing was being raised and new limits were being reached in each division. Priority heat structure was implemented to eliminate six-man heats in adaptive surfing, this will assure that fourman heats are the norm moving forward with this event. This lead to great wave exchanges happening in each heat as the priority system was working to perfection. Each surfer in
Ll ywe lle n “Spo ng e” Wi l l i ams. Pho t o : Jef f M i l l er
Chaka. Pho t o : Jef f M i l l er
every division had great opportunity to catch waves unimpeded with the help of priority. The start of day two brought more off shore wind in the morning and mid-summer conditions going into the late afternoon. The waves were made to order with solid 3-4-foot waves consistent throughout the day and the level of adaptive surfing was at an alltime high. As the waves and conditions got better on the final day so did the competition, there were epic battles happening in each heat. One of the most dramatic moments of the contest was during the Prone Assist final when Jesse Billauer shot the pier during his heat, the crowd on the beach irrupted with shear stoke. From the mens waveski heats to the prone unassisted heats, to the hearing and sight impaired divisions the competition level of surfing in the U.S. Open Adaptive Surfing Championships was top to bottom adaptive surfing at its best.
The elite adaptive athletes in attendance at the U.S. Open Adaptive Suring Championships were thrilled with the addition of this event to the growing adaptive surfing circuit. Hear is what they had to say… Current U.S. Open Adaptive Surf Champion and Two-time World Champion Mark “Mono” Stewart: “So stoked we made the effort to compete in the first U.S. Open Adaptive Surfing Championships. It was such a buzz to finally surf in pumping waves and show what adaptive surfing can achieve. It was extremely well run and organized, and I can’t wait for next year.” Current U.S. Open Adaptive Surfing Champion Barney Miller: When asked “So there is nothing comparable to the U.S. Open Adaptive Surfing Championships anywhere else?” Barney Miller replied. “No, not at all. Around the world in some countries they have trials, like we had an Australian Title that we had to compete in, but that’s really just for entry into the World Adaptive. This is by far the biggest event –it’s the US Open of Surfing in the adaptive world.”
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Ryan G am brell. Pho t o : Je f f Miller
He arin g impaire d division pu ttin g on a sho w. Photo: Pat Webber
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Se ts rollin g in. Pho t o : Jef f M i l l er
Je f f Mu n so n. Pho t o : Jesse Lo ra
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2016 U.S. National Adaptive Surfing Champion Spike Kane: I’ve been involved with competitive adaptive surfing for many years now. The Stoke for Life U.S. Open Adaptive Surfing Championships were a stratospheric leap forward in our sport. It was the first steps on the moon and the top of Everest all at once. It set the already high bar a little higher and respectfully reflected the ethos and professionalism set by AccesSurf Hawaii in bringing together the best in the world and giving a pro contest in world class waves with the Island philosophy of Aloha. It was a dramatic game changer.� Stoke for Life Foundation would like to thank Greg Cruse, Randy Gilkerson, Mia Gilkerson, Dave Schulte, John Davis, James McDonald, the entire U.S.A. Surfing crew, and so many more behind the scenes that made this epic event such a resounding success.
The event would not have been possible without the sponsors: Datron World Communications, Sticky Bumps, Kaptains BBQ Shack, B-braver Hand Rims, Aaron Goulding Photography, Volcom, Design Grotto, Adaptive Surfing Magazine, Major League Comfort Systems Heating and Air Conditioning, Life Rolls On, American Tattoo, Spy, Wrench and Rodent Seabasstro Pub, Surf Ride, Beach Trax, and All-American Garage Doors. Results for the first annual U.S. Open Adaptive Surfing Championships can be found at: www.stokeforlife.org Mark your calendars; the U.S. Open Adaptive Surfing Championships will be back at Oceanside Pier on October 6th-7th of 2018 to make adaptive surfing history again.
Ethan . Photo: Je sse Lo ra
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HOME OF THE:
usopenadaptivesurfingchampionships.com
C AF is Leading the Wa y fo r Adaptive Sur fing As a leader in the Adaptive Surfing Movement, the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) is taking the initiative to provide camps, clinics, mentorship opportunities and life-changing equipment and competition grants to people with physical challenges. CAF’s surf program reaches everyone from the youngest aspiring surfers, to competitive icons like Christiaan “Otter” Bailey and Alana Nichols. CAF’s adaptive surf program is getting athletes of all abilities in the water together, from an athlete missing a limb, to someone who has suffered a spinal cord injury or has Spina bifida, experiencing the healing power of community and sport in a way that best fits their needs. In addition to the free surf clinics and camps provided to 125 athletes this year, over $50,000 has been funded to 40 athletes for surf equipment and surf competition expenses. 24 of those are travel grants to the ISA World Adaptive Surfing Championships to be held on November 29-December 3, 2017.
Making the Adaptive Sur fing Connection 20+ young surfing groms and legendary hopefuls gathered on the sands in Del Mar, CA, covered from head to toe in excitement for three days at the Junior Seau Adaptive Surf Camp presented by the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF). Amidst the sea of neoprene and sunscreen stood an excited 15-year-old from Seattle, Jake Eastwood. Jake had always loved to surf, even before his cancer diagnosis. After losing his leg and months of uncertainty, Jake was ready to re-discover his abilities in the water. Mike Coots was nearby; the confident, seasoned surfer who lives to find his edge. Mike lost his leg while doing what he loves most; he was attacked by a tiger shark in Kauai. The two connected and Mike immediately became invested in helping Jake stand up on the board that week. As an above the knee amputee with a prosthetic on his front foot, Jake was up against a tough
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challenge. His foot was continually getting caught on the rail of the board with each wave. But Mike could see the determination on his face with every attempt. Mike took Jake to the sand where he showed him a new, two-stage stand up technique where he swung his leg up slightly higher. He practiced over and over on the sand, in his hotel room, and in his dreams that night. “The next morning, Jake and his dad Chris showed up, and we were so excited to see him give it a go. I pushed him into a small wave that looked promising, and he stood up!! I was screaming at the top of my lungs, and both Jake and his dad had smiles from ear to ear. The excitement was palpable; a moment I will never forget,” shared Mike. Nothing parallels the thrill of riding your second, first wave as an adaptive surfer, and Mike knew that better than anyone. “By the end of the week, I was able to stand up and ride a bunch of waves. I was lucky to have awesome surf coaches and encouragement from so many people,” noted Jake. To meet and learn from people with the same challenges in a safe and comfortable environment made all the difference. These two athletes embody CAF’s hopes for their progressive adaptive surf program. With the unique opportunities that CAF provides, Mike and Jake changed each other’s lives, and they’re also changing the future of surfing.
The Future of Sur f Culture CAF is driving the movement forward to provide surf access for all by understanding the needs and ambitions of the athletes they support. CAF is working with board manufactures on innovative, custom designs, providing more competition travel grants so that adaptive athletes make a wider footprint, and creating transformative experiences in the water for volunteers and athletes alike. With the International Surfing Association’s announcement last year that surfing would be included in the 2020 Olympics in Japan, the 2024 Paralympic inclusion is on the horizon. CAF’s Junior Seau Foundation Adaptive Surf Program is developing the next wave of surfers that could one day compete at this highest level of adaptive surfing. The esprit de core unique to CAF’s adaptive surf program impacts individuals and families, while also cultivating a culture of inclusion to be replicated in the greater sport of surfing and the sports world overall.
Why It Ma t ter s Jake’s dad says it all after seeing the pure joy on his son’s face at surf camp. “I’ve always felt like anything was possible for Jake, but wondered how he was ever going to surf again. Words cannot truly express how impactful the healing power of surfing and the CAF community has been on our family. To experience the ocean and ride a wave is a feeling like no other.”
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Tomm y Cou n ih an . Pho t o : Jaso n R o se
D avi Te ixe ira. Photo: Re gin a To l o mei
D an i Bu rt. Photo: Pat Webber right : Alan a Nichols. Photo : Val R e y no l ds Adaptive Surfing Magazine | 36
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Me ira Duart e. Pho t o : Jaso n R o se
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Bu ste r Ka wasaki . Pho t o : Jaso n R o se
Zach Ta pe c. Pho t o : Jaso n R o se
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Fe lipe Lima. Photo : C o urt i sy Li ma
Tom m y Counihan. Photo: Jason Rose
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Mark “Mon o” Ste wart. Photo Seabo r ne Surf C hart ers
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Je sse Billau e r. Pho t o. C o urt esy o f Bi l l auer
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Pe gle g Rick. Be n net Pho t o : Sarah Bunt
Mik e Coots. Pho t o : C o urt esy o f C o o t s
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NEW RIDER LOCATIONS ADDED MONTHLY
Our mission is to provide wounded or disabled veterans access to surfing by providing them with customized surfing and paddle board equipment and assistance. This enables our riders to achieve therapy through the ocean.
Pe gle g Rik Be n n et . Pho t o : Sarah Bunt
ONEMOREWAVE.NET
All photos cou r te sy of Jay and M el ani e Lei sener
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RETURNING HOME FOR THE FIRST TIME by Jay L e i s e n e r
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f you are lucky, during one of your travels you will find a home that you never knew existed. I had the good fortune to experience this recently. In August, a group of friends and I travelled to San Diego for a week long surf trip. This was the first time surfing in California for me and most of the others. We were treated to a fun, chest to head high swell for most of the week and everyone had an awesome time. Like most trips, it is the unplannable coincidences that made it special and that stand out in my mind. I started pursuing adaptive surfing around 13 years ago. I was recovering from surgery when I saw Jesse Billauer surfing in the movie Step into Liquid. It was a rough time in my life. I had just given up my career as a professor due to the toll that the long hours had taken on my body and was half way through what ended up being six surgeries over two years to piece myself back together. After losing so much, the prospect of reclaiming a lost passion was exhilarating. I started stalking the Life Rolls On website and drove to the first “They Will Surf Again” event that was held in the mid-Atlantic. It had been 18 years since I had been in the ocean. Just floating in the salt water and feeling the rhythmic motion of the waves rolling in was instantly familiar and flooded my brain with endorphins. When they pushed me into my first post-injury wave, it was a done deal. I was hooked. The sensation of the power of the ocean grabbing the board and propelling me forward awakened the deep love for riding waves that I had grown up with and had felt forced to give up after my injury. I was stoked and I knew that surfing would be part of the rest of my life. I learned a lot that day. First, I was going to continue surfing. I was reclaiming that part of me no matter what. Second, surfing regularly would take a ton of work. There were few resources for adaptive surfing back then, especially on the East Coast. I am a C4-5 complete quadriplegic and am unable to hold my chest up or even stay on an unmodified surfboard. When I wipe out, I am unable to roll my body over if I end up face down, so I need people spaced throughout the
line up to be able to get to me fairly quickly. My friends and I did a lot of experimenting over the years to figure out and build a setup for the deck of the board that allowed me to control the board and surf, not just ride waves in. After countless design changes and four custom boards we have put together a board that lets me push my abilities on a wave. It also took a lot of trial and error, and quite a few stitches, to figure out how and where to pad the board and the modifications needed to protect myself. At the same time, I was trying to recruit everyone I met to assist me in the water. It was difficult at first. It was hard for people to understand how someone with my level of paralysis would be able to surf without it being a death wish. The first few years I was only able to surf one or two times a year outside of “They Will Surf Again” events. It took a bit to figure out the conditions that would work for me. We put ourselves in some dangerous conditions a few times and I paid the price more than once. But every time we went out we learned, increased our skills, refined my equipment and gained support for what we were doing. We called ourselves Team Surfgimp as a tongue in cheek nod to the fact that we were challenging our own and others’ perception of disability. The passion and dedication to what we were achieving was evident and the team kept growing. The former strangers who agreed to assist me in the water became family. My life is in the team’s hands every time we go out and that level of trust bonds us closely. We surf together weekly during the warm seasons and
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get together often when the water gets too cold for me to handle. My wife and I are Aunt and Uncle to an ever expanding gaggle of groms. We travel together on weeklong surf trips as often as we can afford. We go to the Outer Banks annually and have visited Puerto Rico, Hawaii and now California. It has been amazing to share these adventures with my best friends. Looking back, I am astounded by how much seeing that clip of Jesse changed and enhanced my life. At the same time that my surfing and social life have been taking off, my physical health has been declining. I broke my neck almost 30 years ago and time has taken its toll. I’ve always pushed myself too far physically for my own good. It was the only way that I could survive mentally and feel like I was living a productive life. The pace I lived allowed me to achieve a lot, but it did a lot of damage to my body. All of the infections and surgeries had caught up with me and I was going from specialist to specialist trying to find a solution and spending months on bedrest during the winters to let my body heal. Last year, I reached a point where my body would no longer allow me to be up for even a few hours without my skin breaking down. The decades of atrophy, scar tissue and bone and muscle damage had caught up with me. I had changed every
variable I could control and had to make a decision between quality and quantity of life. I chose quality and launched myself full steam into the surfing season. We started the spring with a trip to Puerto Rico. Including kids, 54 of us made the trip to surf the warm, clear waters of Aguadilla and Rincon. The waves were great and the people were welcoming. It was very meaningful to be able to share that experience with so much of our sand family. In my mind, that was going to be my last big trip. I had decided that once we got home, I was going to live my life fully for as long I could until my body failed. So I hatched the plan for one more big surf trip with the team. After a bit of discussion, my friends and I decided to set our sights on Southern California. All of the first images that I had seen as a child were from California, as well as my first images of adaptive surfing. A big hurdle was that my wife and I had spent all of our discretionary money on Puerto Rico and the Outer Banks. We could afford to get ourselves there, but not the team. We reached out to the community for help raising the funds to bring the team with us. We set what we thought was an outlandish goal of $15,000 and had surpassed that in 4 days. We were
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flabbergasted and humbled by the outpouring of support that we received from friends, family, local shops and restaurants and strangers. The entire community embraced the team and allowed us to chase this dream and share this adventure with each other. We made all of the arrangements and headed off to California on August 12th , 2017 with 24 members of Team Surfgimp. Travel is always hard on my body, but the flight took a bigger toll than expected. About half way through the ride from the airport to the condo we had rented in Oceanside, I started shivering and developing a fever. This was my biggest fear, that I would spend the trip sick and let down the team and all of the people who made the trip possible. I rested that first evening and woke up feeling a bit better. I still had a fever and after some soul searching decided to give myself a full day to recover. We explored Oceanside, spent time with old friends who had driven in from Las Vegas and drove up to Venice to take in the sights and enjoy all of the performers and artists. Southern California is truly as beautiful as you can imagine and we had a great time playing tourists. But, we were here to surf and I was feeling better. We decided to surf the north jetty at Oceanside first. We spent a bit of time on the beach watching the break to figure out the take off point and where to setup the team. The takeoff spot was a bit shifty, but we got a sense for what waves would setup well for me. The team threw me on the board and we paddled out. Making our way out, I noticed that the waves had more power than the East Coast. Out in the lineup, we waited for our first California wave. A nice looking line started rolling toward us. Adam, my one man launch crew, gave me a push and I was looking down a solid chest-high drop. The wave jacked up, the bottom sucked out and I was thrown over the nose of my board. I got tossed in the white water, but was fine. Welcome to the West Coast! It was good to get that over with! On the next wave, I made the drop but had to straighten out as the wave closed out in front of me. I got a bit of a sense of the speed and power of the waves. The third wave finally offered up a few sections for me to connect up and carve through. It felt incredible, for the first time I had the speed to carve a line all the way up and back down through the face
of the wave. We caught three or four more great rides before I got too cold to continue. Back in my chair on the beach, my wife bundled me up in a towel and a fleece lined sweatshirt. This would become my California uniform. I couldn’t stop smiling. I had surfed better than ever. The extra force of the long period waves opened up opportunities to make turns and to take lines on waves that never had been possible for me before. All of us embraced each other. Cory Whitlock approached us and introduced himself to me. Several of the team had rented boards from his shop. He told me about an upcoming adaptive surfing contest in October and encouraged me to consider coming back to compete. I listened and was slightly stunned with how familiar he was with adaptive surfing. I knew that the foundation of adaptive surfing was in San Diego, but it was surprising how aware of the sport the average person was. I was used to being an aberration. As we chatted, we watched a surfer with an amputated leg hop out into the water. We decided to check out Cardiff reef late in the afternoon. As we pulled into the parking lot, I noticed as surfer in a wheelchair pulling a wave ski out of his vehicle. A few of us went over to meet him. His name was Ethan and he was from Pennsylvania, but living in San Diego to participate in the Project Walk program. Ethan had just gotten a new wave ski and was getting it dialed in before the Duke. I was amazed that he had just shown up alone and was hanging around waiting for anyone to help him get his equipment to the water’s edge. I spend days rallying people together every time I surf. As we talked, I was distracted by the break over Ethan’s shoulder. There were two swells hitting the reef from different angles, so it looked more like a 6 second wind swell than a 15 second ground swell. But every once in a while a wave lined up right and peeled along the reef for a hundred yards or so. I could see the potential of the break and was excited to get out in the water. I hustled the team to get us out surfing. As we setup by the river mouth, a few of the team assisted Ethan with getting his equipment down to the water’s edge. We got me setup on my board and paddled out. The reef seemed like it was designed for me and the team to surf. We could sit slightly inside of the Stand Up Paddleboarders and pick up the sets that
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snuck south of them. These waves connected through several open faced sections and then would eventually shoulder off after a blast through a steep inside run over the sandbar. With the two swells, these waves were hard to find. Adam and I lucked into a couple that day and they were amazing! I would drop in on the peak with speed to burn, fade back into the face until it walled up again and drop back down. The second bottom turn give me the momentum to hold the carve through the bottom and then up through the top and then finally back down to charge through the steep section to kick out as it ran back over deeper water. It felt like someone had designed a playground for me. This was what we had flown across the country for! I knew were I’d be when the swell cleaned up as it was forecasted to do through the rest of the week. That day, we had the pleasure of meeting and being shot by photographer Jerry Jaramillo. He had seen about our story and had reached out to my wife to see if he could photograph one of our sessions. As we talked post session, he told me more about the strong adaptive surf community in the area. The next day, we awoke to gray skies and light, but pervasive rain showers. I’ve heard too much about run off in California and had too many open wounds to venture out. We made the best of it by playing tourists again. We piled in the vans and headed down to Bird’s Surf Shed. We found a handicap spot around
the corner and as I was unloading a full sized accessible van pulled up. I heard the distinctly accented voice of Spike Kane talking to one of the team. We had poached the parking spot he had scoped out driving by and he thought we were part of the French adaptive surf team. Apparently my friend Ed looks French. We hung out with Bird and Spike talking about surf and gawking at all of the remarkable boards on display. Bird knows the history of each and will happily talk to you for hours about them and the history of the sport. He has become a big supporter of adaptive surfing through his relationship with Spike and the rest of the local adaptive surfers. It was like some kind of alternative universe. Everywhere we went, we ran into adaptive surfers. I had never experienced anything like this anywhere I’ve travelled. We spent that evening relaxing with some of my relatives who live in the Los Angeles area. It was a nice end to the day and I was finally starting to recover from the flight. The sun came back the next day and we were greeted by clean lines rolling into Oceanside. The conditions were perfect and I was frothing to get back to Cardiff. We pulled into the parking lot to find Ethan and a few other adaptive surfers hanging out by their vehicles, Mark Thornton and a recently injured young man who was trying a wave ski for the first time. A few of the team stayed to assist them with getting themselves and their equipment across the sand.
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The waves were everything I had dreamed of. There was a two foot, 15 second swell with light winds, resulting in glassy chest to head high waves that peeled perfectly along the reef. This was what we had been training for the past 10 years! The team worked like a well-oiled machine paddling me out through the breakers, launching me into the best set waves and spreading out through the inside to be close when I would wipeout. It was a magical day. I did some of the best surfing of my life. Each wave was better and broke three to four times longer than anything I had ever experienced. I was able to surf the waves top to bottom and could see the faces of my team going nuts as I explored new lines and pulled off turns that I had been working on for years. I’d get a huge hug from whoever would get to me first and we’d both look at each other and be like, “Holy crap, did you see that!”? Every wave was like that! My skills were growing exponentially. I had found the perfect wave for myself. Conditions stayed the same for the rest of our trip and I couldn’t get enough of that break. We came back for more each day. It would change slightly with the swell direction and I would have to figure out the pace each day to stay where I wanted to be on the wave. As astounded as I was by the quality of waves, I was most surprised and impacted by the prevalence
and warmth of the adaptive surfing community. Over the rest of the week we’d see Ethan and Mark daily. We also met and got to hang out with Alana Nichols, Charles Webb, Jeff Munson and the editor of this magazine, Sean Brody. Everyone was unbelievably welcoming. We’d surf together until the winds would pick up midday and then go grab some food and talk story. I knew all of these surfers through following the sport and watching the last two world championships. I was honored to share waves with them and was proud to receive the positive feedback that I got about my surfing. It was great that they also were impressed by how well the team worked together. They could see the years of effort that it had taken developing the teamwork that allows me to surf confidently. Anything that I do on a wave is because of them, and I was touched to see them getting the recognition they deserve. Every member of my team is my hero, so this was wonderful for me to see. On Thursday, we had poke post session at the local grocery store with Ethan, Charles and Alana. Half way through, I see John, one of the team, sprinting across the outdoor seating area. Someone else was discretely shouting that it was Rob Machado! Everyone needs a friend like John. He is
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fearless and always up for mischief or adventure. Rob’s son was immediately enamored with John and within a minute, he had invited John to his next birthday party. Rob was stuck with us. He was extremely generous with his time and conversed with us for a bit before continuing with his day. I mentioned to him the impact of his and Jesse’s spot in Step into Liquid on my getting back in the water and how much quality that had added to my life. These past ten years have been the best that I have had pre or post-injury. Through this shared passion I have built a family that is bigger and stronger than anything I could have imagined. We have traveled and shared many adventures together. I have watched their children grow up and have seen how the team has opened their perspective of what is possible. Rob mentioned that Cardiff was where they first took Jesse surfing and were they had filmed the spot for Step into Liquid. Without knowing it, I had returned to the birthplace of this dream that I had been chasing! It was surreal how everything had come full circle to me finding the perfect wave and then realizing that it was the wave that had inspired this journey.
My recommendation is that if you have a passion and talent for adaptive surfing then you need to find your way to San Diego. Stop by Bird’s Surf Shed or just hang out at Cardiff Reef and wait for the crew to find you. There is so much momentum right now and the opportunities are plentiful. I found a home there that I couldn’t imagine existed. I left a bit of my heart there and I hope that the memory of me and Team Surfgimp will live on with the new friends we had made. Moments like these are rare, so pack up your bags and book a flight. If you don’t have the means, apply for a grant through the Challenged Athletes Foundation or reach out to the community like I did. In the words of Warren Miller, “If you don’t do it this year, you’ll just be one year older when you do.” If you want to follow our adventures, check out “Team Surfgimp” on Facebook. If you find yourself on the Delaware or Maryland shore and you want assistance surfing, I may know a few people who’d be thrilled to share the stoke with you.
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KEEP THE C AMERA ROLLING THE IMAGERY OF ORION OWENS Orion Owens is a uniquely talented photographer and videographer. He has worked with some of the best up and coming surfers in the world’s most exotic destinations and his imagery speaks for itself. After a life changing spinal cord injury in 2016, Orion has adapted his approach to shooting photos to best suit his current abilities. His recent work, post-injury, includes stunning drone images and stylish Hasselblad film photos. Enjoy.
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Orion doing what he lov e s, shootin g u n de rwate r at Clou dbre ak in Fiji pre -in ju r y
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Wa ter Photography Pre -Inj ur y
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Post-Inj ur y
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YOU CREATE THE BRAND WE CREATE THE STORY
owlhousecreative.com
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Photos: Max We st o n/Sur f i ng E ngl and
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HISTOR IC M OMEN TS I N A DA PTI VE SURFI N G:
1ST EN G L I S H ADAPTI V E S U RFI NG C HA M PI O NS HI PS “They will speak of this day in the folklore of that small island nation. On cold winters nights, huddled around the crackling fires of public houses throughout the land. They will speak of How they came, broken and battered, from far and wide to chisel the words “The First Ever English Adaptive Championships, September 16 2017” in the bedrock, the very foundation, of that hostile coast. They will speak of how the elements conspired to stop them, how the angry ocean attempted to swallow that stubborn smiling group of warriors whole. Of the comradeship, stoke and fight that will forever be etched in the surfing history of that nation. Yes, they will speak of that day!!
Hahahaha, BEST worst day of surfing I have ever had with the champions, advocates and warriors of our sport. So blessed to be a small part of the changing tide.” - Spike Kane
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PARTING SHOT
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First Ada ptiv e Su rfin g Clin ic in An gola- A pril, 2017. Photo: Jo ĂŁo Tabo rda Lo pes
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