Once again, in this age of steroids, trade demands, arrests, Show Me The Money,
and character issues gone wild in sports, I bring to you a
positive story about an athlete.This is the story of an athlete that has inspired thousands around the world. An All-American girl next door story. Bethany
Hamilton was born into a family of surfers in North Shore, Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands on February 8th, 1990. Both of her parents had moved
to Hawaii from the continental United States for the surfing
opportunities.
Bethany was taught how to surf by her parents.
Her surfing abilities progressed very quickly and, while still 4-5 yrs
old, she won first place in the "push and ride" division of a
Quicksilver surfing contest.
She entered her first major
surfing competition at the age of 8, the "Rell Sunn Menehune" contest
on the island of Oahu at Makaka, competing in the girls seven to nine
longboard, and seven to nine shortboard, taking first place in both.
With
dreams of a career as a surfer, Bethany began competing more seriously
at the age of 9. She won the 1999 Haleiwa Menehune Championships 23rd
annual contest. In February, 2000, she placed 1st in the "11-under
girls", 1st in the "15-under girls," and 2nd in the "12-under girls"
division at the Volcom Puffer Fish contest.
She picked up a
sponsor, Rip Curl, which aided her with her plans of becoming a
professional surfer. By the Age of 13 she was a talented and
accomplished surfer, well respected in the amateur surfing world. In
the summer of 2003 Bethany placed 2nd in the Open Women's Division of
the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA). A surfing star at
only 13 year old. Life was good!
But Bethany, a devout Christian, was about to have her faith as well as her very will to live tested.
This is the story as it was reported on Surfing Magazine's website:
Early last Friday morning Bethany was surfing Tunnels on Kauai's north
coast with her best friend and best friend's father when what is
believed to be a 12-15ft tiger shark attacked from behind, taking off
her left arm just below the shoulder. She was lying flat on her board
at the point of contact.
Her friends father acted quickly and is credited with saving her life
by torniquing her shoulder and paddling her back to shore, where she
eventually passed out while waiting for the emergency ambulance. Lifeguards believe her strong water sense and positive outlook helped get her through the traumatic ordeal. Monday afternoon local Kauai time Bethany had final surgery to seal her shoulder wound and is reported to be in high spirits. The support from the Hawaiian community and the international surf community at large has been nothing short of amazing..."She
had over 7000 emails in the last 24 hours from people around the world
pledging their support and sending warm wishes. Following her surgery
this afternoon she will now likely be home in the next 2-3 days. She
looks forward to doing things she's never done before like
snowboarding, photography, and other new challenges that lay before
her".
Snowboarding?
Photography? New challenges? The person being quoted in that 2003
interview had underrated Bethany Hamilton, as well as her faith and her
fondness of surfing. She had every reason to move on, chase another
dream. Hadn't she already been a success at surfing? What could be next?
After
losing 60% of her blood and making it through several surgeries and the
trauma of the incident, Hamilton was determined to return to surfing. After only 10 weeks of recovery, she was back on a board and surfing! Initially, she adopted a custom-made board
that was longer and slightly thicker which made it easier to paddle.
She had observed that she had to kick a lot more to make up for the
loss of her left arm.
... ... ... ... ...
In January 2004, only 3 months after the
attack that should have cost her her life, Bethany returned to surf
competition! Contestant officials offered to allow her to paddle out 5
minutes ahead of the other competitors in her heat. Only fair for a
surfer girl with one arm, right? But Bethany refused any special treatment.
Bobbi Lee, NSSA Hawaii
Conference official said "I offered to give her more time (between heats) or put
her in a more favorable heat, She refused. She said she wanted to be
treated like everybody else." She placed 5th in the Open Women division
of that contest and hasn't looked back.
... ... ... ... ...
Today,
Bethany has lost her braces, gained composure before a camera and
sprouted to a willowy 5 feet 11. She's a solid contender in
international pro surfing contests and presides — with her family's
help — over a thriving cottage industry that includes her inspirational
books, videos, inspirational speaking engagements and cosmetics.
"I'd never take my arm back for anything," Bethany recently told The Advertiser. "So much good has come out of it."
So... where is she now?
Today
I looked at the Association of Surfing Professionals
(ASP) standings to find out. In a field of 100 in the Womens World
Qualifying Series, she ranked 10th! She never gave up on her dream! Now she is traveling around the world in the circuit living out that dream. What an inspiration!
In 2004, MTV Books published Hamilton's book, Soul Surfer: A True Story
of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board, which describes her ordeal.
Bethany's
story of turning a tragic loss into a gain has inspired thousands
worldwide across a variety of forums. Take a moment and scroll through the comments
on her myspace for proof. It's one of many forums where she can be
found.
Some of
you are aware that this is the type of story I search for. It's not the
PrimaDonna athlete that's in the news for all the wrong reasons. It's
the story of an athlete, even if only 18 years old, that SHOULD be in
the news and held as a role model before our kids, for all the right reasons! I hope
you have enjoyed this story as much as I have enjoyed putting it together.
I hail from a large family where after school we went in 7 different directions, to either play or coach in every sport available. As a child I got in free to the Cowboy games at the Cotton Bowl as a tag-along to my Dad's credentials. It was the ultimate childhood dream scenario to play football there, under the lights with the kids of other players and personnel after the games. I have been a Cowboys fan since those days in the 60's and like Willie Nelson says "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys". I've witnessed a few Stars Stanley Cup games and I have been a Mavericks fan since day one. Hopefully, in the future, G.W. Bush will re-take control of the Texas Rangers and they will once again become competitive.
Money,
and character issues gone wild in sports, I bring to you a
positive story about an athlete.This is the story of an athlete that has inspired thousands around the world. An All-American girl next door story. Bethany
Hamilton was born into a family of surfers in North Shore, Kauai in the Hawaiian Islands on February 8th, 1990. Both of her parents had moved
to Hawaii from the continental United States for the surfing
opportunities.
Bethany was taught how to surf by her parents.
Her surfing abilities progressed very quickly and, while still 4-5 yrs
old, she won first place in the "push and ride" division of a
Quicksilver surfing contest. 
becoming a
professional surfer. By the Age of 13 she was a talented and
accomplished surfer, well respected in the amateur surfing world. In
the summer of 2003 Bethany placed 2nd in the Open Women's Division of
the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA). A surfing star at
only 13 year old. Life was good!
... ... ... ... ... 
