Maui adaptive surfers ready for worlds, push for Paralympics | News, Sports, Jobs

October 29, 2024

Aaron Paulk competes during the ISA World Para Surfing Championships in March 2020 in La Jolla, Calif. Paulk is one of four Maui adaptive surfers set to compete for Team Hawaii at this year’s ISA world championships, set for next month in Pismo Beach, Calif. ISA / SEAN EVANS photo

Aaron Paulk’s latest surfing adventure has taken him to Nicaragua.

Next month, the 41-year-old Maui resident and seven teammates from the Hawaii Adaptive Surf Team will compete at Pismo Beach, Calif., in the International Surfing Association World Para Surfing Championship.

The world meet is a big step toward the possible inclusion of para-surfing into the Paralympics, as soon as 2024 in Paris.

“We’re all pretty stoked for this one, this is kind of a big one — the Paralympic Committee will be there to do the final assessment to make a decision in 2023 of if they’re going to add para-surfing to the Paralympics,” Paulk said via phone Thursday from Nicaragua. “We’re finally getting to the point where they’re going to make a decision in January.”

Paulk is a two-time world bronze medalist in the visual impairment 2 division — he has a degenerative condition called Stargardt disease, a juvenile form of macular degeneration that causes central vision loss.

Josh Bogle, a member of the Hawaii team set to compete next month at worlds, rides to a second-place finish in the adaptive kneel division at the Vissla / Lopez / Hi-Tech Surfbash XXIX at Hookipa Beach Park on Nov. 17, 2018. ONE MORE PHOTOGRAPHY photo

“It’s pretty much like putting both of your hands in a fist right in front of your field of vision and I can see in that periphery what’s around it,” Paulk said. “It’s a progressive eye disorder, so you know I could wake up, you can always wake up tomorrow and a certain level can be gone.

“It’s been stable for the past eight years, but I notice small changes, nothing drastic.”

His next competition will be perhaps the most important of his career to date.

“It’ll be exciting to see all who show up — the sport is growing, we’re all really excited,” Paulk said. “It’s a smaller, but mighty (Hawaii) team this year.”

The Hawaii Adaptive Surf Team will be represented by Paulk and fellow Mauians Josh Bogle (kneel division), Scott Davis (prone 2) and Shawn Lewis (stand 2); Oahu’s Ann Yoshida (prone 2) and Harrison Doi (stand 1), Kauai’s Eric Lazar (prone 2), and Hawaii Island’s Casey Proud (prone 1).

Scott Davis is set to compete for Team Hawaii in prone 2 at next month’s world championships in California. Accessurf photo

“We’re trying to raise funds for everything — for registration fees, for travel, for accommodations, basically for the entire team,” Paulk said.

Currently on a surf trip in northern Nicaragua, Paulk, a self-employed consultant for local tour companies, said he is enjoying the sport he didn’t take up until the age of 30.

“It’s pretty much all beach break, so the conditions are really nice, the waves are intimidating, but it’s really good to just practice on a beach break,” Paulk said. “Really remote, uncrowded breaks, so it’s really fun.”

While he would be under the U.S. team if the sport is accepted into the Paralympics, he would relish the opportunity to represent his home state where he has lived since 2014.

“Oh, it would be an honor to represent Hawaii and USA because once it becomes a Paralympic sport Team USA and Team Hawaii will merge together just like they do in the Olympics,” Paulk said. “So to represent Hawaii and Team USA in the Paralympics would be kind of a dream come true.

“That’s kind of the main goal in this whole surfing thing, making that team and just creating more knowledge around visually-impaired athletes and those who have disabilities in general, just creating more awareness and being an advocate. Just raising the bar, raising the platform to make that Paralympic team.”

In competitions, Paulk has a spotter who surfs out with him to help spot waves. When he is on surfing trips, the guide is usually his girlfriend.

That adds to the expense for these types of competitions, therefore a local fundraising effort is underway, according to Hawaii team coordinator Jennifer Gladwin.

“We just launched our first website, it’s HawaiiAdaptiveSurfTeam.com,” Gladwin said. “And we have two ways of financially supporting the team right now. One is by cash donation or donation through the website, there’s a donate button. Through the same platform you can also purchase team shirts. We have long sleeve, short sleeve and women’s.”

Gladwin said the support staff to help the adaptive surfers travel and compete make the expenses tough to meet. The fundraising goal is $16,000.

“Traveling as a wheelchair user or a person with a disability can be double the expense and some of the surfers come in teams,” Gladwin said. “So like Aaron has his spotter, his teammate. Two of our other surfers are prone-assisted surfers, they have a pusher. They have someone who pushes them into the wave and they surf the wave independently.

“So we not only have to cover the athletes, we also have to cover their support team. And we’re looking at flights and then a little over a week, about 10 days of hotels and our uniforms as well.”

There will be adaptive divisions at the VISSLA/Hi-Tech Lopez Surfbash XXXIII, a Hawaii Surf Association event set for Hookipa Beach Park on Nov. 12-13.

“We are also always looking for volunteers for water support and other roles,” Gladwin said. “Interested people can email the team at hiadaptivesurfteam@gmail.com.”

* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.

Scott Davis is set to compete for Team Hawaii in prone 2 at next month’s world championships in California. Accessurf photo

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