Catching waves for a good cause

Cliff Skudin and Henry Viscardi School student Chris Scharrer catch a wave.

Courtesy Dawn Shmaruk

Pro surfer Keallii Mamoala with Nick Reid, 14.

Donovan Berthoud/Herald

Christopher Tavarez stands up on his board with some help from Jim McLoughlin.

Courtesy Dawn Shmaruk

Tiffany Franco and Will Skudin

Courtesy Dawn Shmaruk

• 
• 
• 
• 

Each year, NY Surf Week features two special needs outings designed to share the joy of surfing with individuals that might not otherwise have had the opportunity to learn the sport. Besides working together at Skudin Surf School, Will and Cliff Skudin also teach adults and children with special needs through their nonprofit organization Surf for All, which they founded with Jim Mulvaney.

For the past six years, Surf for All has conducted an outing for the blind and visually impaired as part of the Surf Week festivities. Three years ago they added a second outing for students at the Albertson-based Henry Viscardi School. The Henry Viscardi outing, Cliff Skudin said, is dedicated each year to the memory of their student, the late Connor Troy. Troy was a Long Beach resident and former Viscardi School student that passed away in April 2013 after battling a severe neurological disease.

“It’s more than just the outing,” Skudin added. “I feel like the amount of self-confidence that the participants gain by catching waves goes further than just surfing. It shows them that anything is possible and that their barriers can be broken.”

This year the Henry Viscardi outing was held on Thursday, July 16, for about 10 participants, Skudin said. Around 20 came out for the blind and visually impaired outing on Friday, conducted in partnership with Camp Abilities Long Island — an organization that encourages children with sensory impairments to be physically active.

“The conditions were great, the waves were perfect,” Skudin said. “We couldn’t have asked for a better turnout in terms of volunteers and participants.”

Many of the same surfers come back for the outings each year, and Skudin said it’s extra rewarding to see them pick up the sport and keep improving.

“They get better and better, they’re pretty well balanced,” he explained. “Surfing is not just about sight, you have to feel the waves.”

Over the years, the surf instructors have developed special bonds with the kids that come out for the Surf for All outings.

“There’s always that ride that you remember where you can tell how stoked the kid is,” he said. For him, this year it was a student named Chris Scharrer. “When I asked him if he wanted more he kept saying Yes. He was really excited to be out there catching waves.”