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Surfing deserves recognition
By Jay Corn
Some may remember the story of Bethany Hamilton, the Hawaiian teenager who was surfing in the Pacific Ocean this past summer when a shark (believed by experts to have been over 15 feet long) severed her left arm just underneath her shoulder.
Hamilton was laying on her board, both arms dangling in the water, waiting for a wave worthy of riding when her young life was altered permanently. This wasn't just an ordinary surfer either folks, we're talking about a 13-year-old who was ready to turn pro, and had already secured several corporate sponsorships.
The part of the story that interests me is that she genuinely doesn't seem to be bothered by the whole thing, at least not in front of the cameras and microphones. It's hard to believe that she has no problem wearing a tank top on national television, with the scarring that remains from her severed arm, out there for the whole world to see. Hamilton says she wants to help people learn how to cope with tragedy, and places her fate in the hands of God, taking this whole traumatic experience as a test from her Creator to see what kind of person she really is.
Remember, this girl is 13. Being a surfer myself, albeit of the East Coast variety and nowhere near Hamilton's skill, I understand her when she says that the ocean's fury and hazards are uncontrollable. Every surfer knows the risks they face when they tie that leash around their wrist and "dive." On every single outing, surfers must be aware and conscious of wave conditions, rip tides, rocks, jellyfish, storms, tides and yes, sharks. However, surfer or not, I can't imagine reacting the same way as this girl did when what is assumed to have been a great white shark sank its razor tooth- filled jaws into her left arm.
According to several witnesses on the beach that day, Bethany didn't scream, she didn't yell and didn't really even go into shock. When the shark let go of her arm, she yelled to her friend's father that she'd been bitten by a shark. Getting to shore, a tourniquet was tied around her arm, and she was immediately rushed to the hospital. Doctors couldn't save her arm, but they saved her life.
This all leads to the idea that surfing needs to be recognized as a bonafide athletic sport. If we can have curling and ballroom dancing be official Olympic sports, why not surfing? It would fit perfectly into the Summer Games, and would add some spice and pizzazz to what can be dull and boring two-week long events. The athleticism and dedication the sport's participants possess is, in my view, unmatched. It's time they're recognized as world-class athletes.
The audience for surfing is mainly concentrated on the coastal regions of the U.S. and, of course, Hawaii, but the sport's popularity is about to boom, especially overseas. Surfing is already Australia's "national sport," and Europeans are arriving in Daytona Beach and Oahu in droves to try their hand at both long and short boarding, some even placing in national events.
The most serious of surfers are on the water with the first tide change of the day, usually about 5 a.m. After getting their fix, they proceed with their normal daily activities, returning later in the evening for what we Jerseyites like to call the sundown surf. Storms bring out the crowds too, not so much because of the high waves (although that's a draw) but more for the actual rain. Surfing in the rain is damn fun, and those who get hooked on surfing usually become dependent after their first rain surf.
The skill level required to attain professional status is underestimated by the bulk of Americans. The dedication required to get there is often lost in the stereotype given to surfers by landlocked citizens, some who have never seen the ocean, let alone a surfboard. So I'd like someone to tell me what the exact criteria are for a sport to be deemed Olympic-worthy. I scoured the Internet and couldn't find any definition from the corrupt International Olympic Committee (I.O.C.) or anywhere else.
Hamilton has quickly become one of the most sought out American teenagers, and media outlets across the country are clamoring to get this courageous little girl into their studios and on their phone lines. CNN reports that the demand for Hamilton has surpassed that of Jessica Lynch, and in the end this might all be a blessing in disguise.
Hamilton has proven two things to the international sporting community- two things that in recent days have put revitalized wind in the sails of the campaign to make surfing a recognized sport, both by the I.O.C. and by the general American public.
First, her story has proven that surfers, one arm or two, can be marketed to the American public, and that bodes well for a sport that is straining for consistent attention from mainstream media. The sport needed a front man (or woman), and if Bethany Hamilton can be surfing's Tony Hawk, things just might change for the sport whose image remains clean in comparison to America's four major sports. Conversely, surfing isn't currently fighting the rampant drug use, sexual assault charges and myriad of other legal and moral problems of other popular sports.
In addition, this incident once again proves that, pound for pound, surfing is one of the most dangerous sports around, not to mention one of the most difficult. Dozens of surfers drown every year, most due to surfing in conditions beyond their expertise or unfortunate collisions with rocks. In any case, an average of 17 surfers worldwide are killed or maimed by sharks annually, and an additional three to four a year simply disappear. Can anybody point to a sport with this kind of risk factor and casualty rate?
And still, just hours after Bethany's attack, surfers were tunneling the same beach where their comrade had been savagely attacked earlier in the day. The rewards far outweigh the risks, and as individuals, they ask for nothing more than to be allowed to go about their business. As a community, however, they're desperate for international recognition, and if I have to, I'll personally lead the crusade to put surfing on the 2008 Olympic docket.
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