The inaugural International Surfing Association World Adaptive Surfing Championship is set to take place Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 24 to 27, in La Jolla, bringing together the adaptive surfing community from around the world. By teaming up with the San Diego-based Challenged Athletes Foundation, one of the recognized leaders in the physically challenged sports community, the association hopes to unify global efforts for the advancement of adaptive surfing. “This historic ISA World Championship and groundbreaking partnership with the CAF will lay the foundation for a sustainable and successful future for adaptive surfing,” said ISA president Fernando Aguerre. “Our goals are to make the sport of surfing more accessible to physically challenged surfers, offer a premier competitive opportunity for those surfers and to connect the international community of athletes with one another.”
ISA celebrated its 50th year in 2014.
The opening ceremony will take place Sept. 24 in Balboa Park, with an adaptive surfing clinic scheduled for the next day at La Jolla Shores. On Sept. 26, the adaptive surfing symposium will take place at the foundation headquarters in Sorrento Valley. The meeting is aimed at raising awareness, sharing best practices information and initiating a conversation about how surfing can play an ongoing and vital role in enriching the lives of physically challenged athletes. The ISA World Adaptive Surfing Championship will take place on Sept. 27 with a return to La Jolla Shores for the competition finals and closing ceremony. The Challenged Athletes Foundation is a unique nonprofit that helps people with physical challenges live full, active lives through participation in fitness activities and competitive sports. Established in 1997, it’s the product of assistance rendered to an athlete paralyzed in a triathlon. It believes that participation in sports at any level increases self-esteem, encourages independence and enhances quality of life.
For more information and registration, visit isasurf.org/events/isa-world-adaptive-surfing-championship/. – Wake, Wind & Surf
