Local surfers will be suiting up for action and a good cause during the 14th annual Tony Mezzadri Surf Classic on Sunday, Aug.19, at the Ocean Beach Pier. The surf contest, which follows an Aug. 17 spaghetti dinner at the OB Masonic Hall, are a one-two fund-raising punch for spinal cord research at UCSD. Dinner attendees can participate in a meatball-making competition and raffle. A surfboard raffle will also take place on the day of the competition, and the John Garner Trio will perform live at the beach, according to Susan James, one of the contest organizers. Tony Mezzadri, the Surf Classic’s honoree, calls the spaghetti dinner “a magic night,” for its ability to gather together members of the San Diego surfing community.
“A lot of times I haven’t seen people since the last dinner,” Mezzadri said. “We have so much fun, the night just flies by.”
Mezzadri, a San Diego resident for nearly 25 years, suffered a paralyzing spinal cord injury while surfing near the OB Pier 14 years ago. Mezzadri, who is now paralyzed from the waist down and has limited movement in his hands, said he tried to keep a positive attitude immediately following his accident.
“I had so many friends and family supporting me,” Mezzadri said, with the come-what-may attitude of a man used to surfing the San Diego waves. “I said, ‘All right, I’m just going to ride this one out and see what happens.'”
Mezzadri’s mother, Susanne, and several of their friends first established the surf classic and fund-raiser to help Mezzadri grapple with the added expenses of his injury, which keeps him wheelchair-bound. But now the competition raises money for spinal cord research at the lab of
Dr. Mark Tuszyniski, whom Mezzadri first met as a student at UCSD 13 years ago. Since 1994, the Surf Classic has raised over $150,000 for Tszynsiski’s lab.
According to Dr. Ephron Rosenzweig, a postdoctoral researcher in the lab, “We’re combining a whole bunch of different approaches” to repair damaged spinal cords, including the use of stem cells and artificial bridges, because “it doesn’t look like one single approach will be sufficient.”
However, helping the disabled completely overcome paralysis is not the lab’s paramount concern.
“That’s the eventual goal, of course, but even an incremental change would be great,” Rosenzweig said. “[Neuropathic] pain is also a really serious problem, which is often surprising to people without a spinal cord injury, because we just assume they just want to walk and be out of that wheelchair.”
Mezzadri said that even small successes, like regaining mobility in one hand, “would mean the world” to those suffering from paralysis, aiding patients who need assistance for such routine tasks as eating a bowl of cereal.
“Walking is overrated. Your hands are what give you independence and life,” he said. “I really miss surfing, But that’s one of the big things. I just miss all the small things in daily life.”
The surf classic’s annual spaghetti dinner is being held on Aug. 17 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the OB Masonic Hall.
The Tony Mezzadri Surf Classic will begin at 7 a.m. Aug. 19 at the Ocean Beach Pier. For more information about the contest, visit www.tonycontest.org.