Two-time ISA World Para Surfing Champion Victoria Feige is dreaming of bringing home a Paralympic gold for Canada, but itB次元官网网址檒l be one heck of a ride before she reaches the podium.
For starters, adaptive surfing needs to get on the list of summer Paralympic sports. While surfing made its Olympic debut in Tokyo 2020, the Paralympic Games (Aug. 24 to Sept. 5, 2021) features 22 sports, and para surfing didnB次元官网网址檛 make the cutB次元官网网址et.
Feige thinks the inclusion of para surfing into the Paralympic Games program is a real possibility.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 part of the International Adaptive Surfing organization, which is helping move para surfing slowly towards the Paralympics. Qualification is an arduous process. We have 28 countries involved now, but we need 32. ItB次元官网网址檚 close. We also need more women to fill out the womenB次元官网网址檚 division,B次元官网网址� said Feige.
The International Surfing Association (ISA), Surf Canada, Surf USA and other leaders are pushing for adaptive surfing to take its place on the 2028 Paralympic Games stage.
B次元官网网址淭he Paris 2024 Paralympic Games sadly, but not unexpectedly, doesnB次元官网网址檛 include surfing,B次元官网网址� says Surf Canada president Dom Domic, adding that Tahiti is the approved location for surfing at the 2024 Olympic Games.
To push the limits of her own surfing ability, Feige is uprooting her life in Vancouver and moving to OB次元官网网址檃hu, Hawaii in October.
B次元官网网址淚 wrote myself off way too soon. At first I thought I could just got straight on a longboard, which is super fun, but now being on a shortboard duckdiving and doing cutbacks and working on floaters and air hopefully, I would like to push to see how far I can go,B次元官网网址� said Feige, who is a Canadian-American dual citizen.
While Feige worked as a specialized physiotherapist in Vancouver, she would spend all free time and disposable income chasing waves on Vancouver Island in the Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
B次元官网网址淚 love surfing in Tofino and Ucluelet, but being somewhere I can train every day will be game changing,B次元官网网址� she said, noting it takes about 15 to 20 minutes to change into her wetsuit.
B次元官网网址淭he biggest obstacle to get back in the water for me was battling the cold of Canadian water. I found that wetsuits like the Rip Curl Flashbomb that have a quick-drying liner with extra stretch and warmth, was easier to get into. Getting into a wet wetsuit with floppy, paralyzed feet and legs can be really challenging.B次元官网网址�
SheB次元官网网址檚 stoked to dive into contest mode starting with the US Open Adaptive Surfing Championships on September 9 to 12 at Oceanside Pier, California followed by the on Sept. 17 to 19. Then sheB次元官网网址檒l fly to Hawaii and begin training with surf coach Alcino Pirata or B次元官网网址楶irateB次元官网网址�, a Brazilian adaptive surfing legend based on the North Shore.
B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 training me to surf on bigger waves. I canB次元官网网址檛 wait to see where this all goes. As soon as I get to Hawaii, IB次元官网网址檓 going to be working on my breath hold training and see if I can handle some big surf,B次元官网网址� she said.
ISA World Para Surfing Championships takes place in California in December where Feige will attempt to defend her back-to-back titles in the womenB次元官网网址檚 kneel division.
B次元官网网址淭eam Canada will be going. Worlds is the largest competitive and the one thatB次元官网网址檚 moving towards Paralympics the most. Some of the other competitions are building energy and there is prize money, but the ISA Worlds is the one that will fold into the Paralympics,B次元官网网址� said Feige.
Surf Canada president Dom Domic says heB次元官网网址檒l be joining the Adaptive Surf Team, and that theyB次元官网网址檒l have a solid budget to help them out.
B次元官网网址淔or the first time ever surf coach Shannon Brown will be going down. WeB次元官网网址檙e going to put in our full support. IB次元官网网址檓 looking forward to giving them the support they deserve. The last couple years we havenB次元官网网址檛 been able to go because of overlap with other contests, but this time around the timing works out as long as we are allowed in the U.S.,B次元官网网址� said Domic.
Adaptive surfing is such a welcoming community, notes Feige, and to encourage more participation, she founded the non-profit Adaptive Surfing Canada with two friends.
B次元官网网址淭he idea is so we can run lessons and help people that may have some kind of disability, physical or mental whatever the challenge is, to experience the ocean. WeB次元官网网址檙e hoping to get people out in the water. But itB次元官网网址檚 just early days. We are just in the planning phase,B次元官网网址� Feige said.
Anyone interested in helping develop the adaptive surfing program in Canada is encouraged to reach out to Pascale Martineau, ParaSurf Advisory Board with Surf Canada, at: pascale.martineau.kin@hotmail.com.
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