Adaptive surfing is making waves in Long Beach

In Long Beach, surfing is a big part of the culture. To ensure anyone and everyone has the chance to ride the waves, two adaptive surfing events for children and adults with cognitive and physical hurdles took to the beach.

The first event, on July 20, was co-hosted by the Limb Kind Foundation, which aims to “improve the lives of children with limb loss, both domestic and international, by strengthening the amputee community,” and Long Beach’s Surf For All, an organization that works to assist individuals and expose them to the ocean.

About 35 children and adults with limb loss attended, as well as the families and friends of those involved.

The globally involved Limb Kind’s Youth Group aids children with limb loss and differences in the United States and many underdeveloped countries, offering them the opportunity to feel comfortable among their peers and providing free prostheses to children.

“Adaptive children and adults are so used to being stared at — not for good reasons,” said Limb Kind Foundation’s Executive Director, Robert Schulman. “With these events, they’re on their own terms and they get to be celebrated for their journeys with applause and others cheering them on.”

Their fourth annual “Show Your Shine” event in Long Beach, an adaptive runway event, is coming up, further promoting those with limb loss and differences and acting as a fundraiser for Limb Kind.

Along with the children amputees who learned to surf, there were more than 15 adult amputee mentors who guided the children to overcome their fears and physical challenges.

For the second event, the Hospital for Special Surgery, in conjunction with Skudin Surf, took young patients surfing on July 23, where participants were treated to surfing lessons and got chances to make their own splashes with instructors by their side.

Nearly 20 patients, ages 4 to 18, were on the beach off of Riverside Boulevard, as well as several doctors and physical therapists who cheered them on. The event serviced those with both physical and cognitive impairment, with some surfing on their back or stomach and others staying upright on a surfboard.

“My team and I are so happy to put these events together and watch these kids get to do things that they wouldn’t normally get to do with an adaptive piece of equipment that enables them to participate,” Dr. Lisa Ipp said. “We’ll go anywhere that an adaptive event could occur and provide adaptive pieces of equipment to anyone who needs it to participate in an event.”

This was the hospital’s third year working with Skudin Surf, and although patients got their feet wet this past week, most events are on land: adaptive surfing, horseback riding, rock climbing, basketball, tennis, art and more.

Katie Troy works at Skudin Surf and helps out with Surf For All. On July 22, a Surf For All open outing was held, which was in memory of her brother, Connor Troy.

“I love helping out because I give people like my brother a chance to go out and surf, and Connor always wanted to go out and surf on a yellow surfboard — his favorite color — but he was never able to do that,” she said. “So to help other kids who are like him means the world to me. I just think it’s so amazing.”

Melanie Rivera-Mora was at the event with her son Gabriel, 14, and daughter Vivian, 12, both of whom have participated in this event in the past.

“This is an activity that kids with disabilities wouldn’t normally have an opportunity to experience, which is why I encourage them to try it. It’s a really nice experience for them,” she said.

Dr. Jeanine Sorensen is a school psychologist who has been involved with Surf for All for over a decade, helping to increase disability awareness. A mother of two, she runs their adaptive surf camp program.

“Going in the water brings a sense of calm and being one with the water, and it’s a lot of nice sensory relaxation and input, and helps with motor skills, sensory function, awareness and self-esteem,” Sorensen said. “Being included with their peers and working with an instructor — it’s all to build self-confidence and body awareness. There are a lot of things that come together.”

A patient at HSS from Ronkonkoma, Alex Nowakowski, 15, said he was excited about the outing and felt more confident being around others in a similar physical situation as him.

“I’ve done water skiing, regular skiing, surfing. We didn’t do it last year because me and my brother both had surgeries but other than that, we’ve always been out here. My favorite part was going over the waves. I like the ones that don’t fully break so that you kind of go up in the air.”

The Penny Doerge Adaptive Academy at HSS is named after Kate Doerge’s daughter, Penny, who was a patient at HSS for the 16 years of her life. In 2022, Doerge and her husband Chad founded Penny’s Flight, a foundation committed to spreading awareness of advancing research to find a cure for neurofibromatosis, or NF.

Doerge attended the outing on Tuesday, saying, “This is the most beautiful day to see these kids with such smiles and joy on their faces, to be experiencing this together with their families and friends. Penny lived her life with joy and positivity, so to see these kids be able to do activities in this adaptive way that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to do is an honor to pass Penny’s legacy on and it’s so beautiful. The idea of inclusivity is so key and allows them to feel like they’re a part of something bigger, giving them that confidence and joy.”