At the age of five, a car accident left Antony Smyth with a paralysed arm. This weekend he captained South Africa at the inaugural World Adaptive Surfing Championship in California.
South Africa (27 September 2015) – The South Africans – Smyth (Hout Bay), Dries Millard (Langebaan), Jean Paul Veaudry (East London) and Bruce Campbell (Durban); and contest judge Bongani Xulu (Ballito) – have overcome various disabilities to become the first team to represent their country in adaptive surfing.
“They are all incredible people and athletes. We are up there with the best in the world and I believe we have a shot at gold,” Smyth said from La Jolla beach near San Diego, where 65 athletes and officials from 17 countries are participating.
The medical term for the injury he suffered as a youngster is termed Brachial Plexus. “I cannot move my fingers, hand or wrist. I have no rotation or extension ability in my elbow or upper arm,” he said.
Team mate Millard has been a paraplegic since he was 18, also from a car crash. The accident left him with little chance of surfing again, but he joins his comrades later today to officially receive his national colours from SA surfing legend Shaun Tomson.
Millard is well known for his travels around South Africa introducing the sport to the physically and mentally challenged. During his roadshow, he surfed 35 of the country’s best waves while raising funds for the team to travel to this event.
Festivities began yesterday with the opening ceremony and nations parade, followed by an Adaptive Surfing Clinic at La Jolla Shores, held in sunny conditions and glassy waves and attended by surfing legends Shaun Tomson and Rob Machado.
Tomson, who lives in San Diego, chairs a 30-member Honorary Adaptive Surfing Committee comprising prominent business and surfing personalities, including Machado and the Mayor of San Diego, Kevin Faulconer.
Adaptive surfers of all ages gathered at the clinic with some of the world’s best adaptive surfers. Joining the clinic was Tim Foreman and Chad Butler from Grammy-award winning rock band Switchfoot and Stance athletes Tanner Rozunko and Brian Bent.
President of the ISA Fernando Aguerre said the “seeing the smiles on the kids’ faces after catching a wave is so inspiring. Some of these kids have never experienced Surfing before; it is incredible to witness the energy and healing power that the ocean provides them.”
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