Teen surfer is helping adaptive athletes catch waves in Long Beach
The joy Brandon Klein felt when he helped a girl with cerebral palsy catch her first wave last year inspired an idea: What if he could find a surfboard adapted for her abilities?
Klein, 17, volunteers with Surf For All, a nonprofit based in Long Beach that helps people with disabilities learn to surf and enjoy the healing power of the ocean. The rising Jericho High School senior discovered the thrill of surfing at around age 10.
He began volunteering with Surf For All a few years ago. It was an instant connection, building on his affinity for the sport.
“I started volunteering and I fell in love,” Klein said. “Helping others and seeing the smiles on their faces was awesome.”
Klein said the girl with the neurological movement disorder whom he helped surf last year found the sport exhilarating, inspiring him to find a solution to enhance the experience of catching a wave for Surf For All participants.
“She did not want to stop,” the teenager recalled. “I said to myself, ‘How can I make this more comfortable for her and have the optimal amount of fun and everyone have a smile on their face?' ”
Klein connected with Ross Head, a professor in Wales in the United Kingdom who built an adaptive surfboard in 2015. Head sent the design to Klein, who connected with local surfboard shaper Mike Becker to bring the plan to life.
Head leads the Cerebra Innovation Centre, a collaboration between the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and charity Cerebra, where he designs and builds adaptive technology for children with brain conditions.
“People will often be excluded from sports and other things, so they won't get that sort of interaction and fresh air and exercise and the splashing of water, the camaraderie of surf instructors,” said Head, who lives in Swansea, Wales. “Being part of that sort of tribe, if you like, is really beneficial.”
The 11-foot carbon fiber board, which is outfitted with a racing seat, cost about $3,000 to build, money Klein collected through fundraising.
Surf For All co-founder Jim Mulvaney of Long Beach said surfing can “change the dynamic of their lives” for people with disabilities. His son Danny, 35, has autism and doesn’t speak. He began surfing in 2002 and now can conquer beasts of waves that keep others rooted to the shore.
“It gives him the opportunity to physically excel. It gives him the connection to other people," Mulvaney said. "Danny isn't the autistic surfer. He’s the big guy who was not afraid of 15-foot waves.”
The adaptive surfboard will give people with disabilities the chance to experience the “healing nature of the ocean” with more independence, he added. Surf For All will use the board for tandem surfing with volunteers and participants.
Eric Lamberg a physical therapist who teaches at Stony Brook University and is head coach for the U.S. National Amputee Soccer Team, said adaptive sports offer not just exercise but a chance for participants to build community.
“Providing opportunities for individuals of all different physical, mental abilities is important,” he added.
Chris Rosa, president and CEO of the Viscardi Center in Albertson, a nonprofit whose mission is to educate, empower and employ people with disabilities, shares that sentiment.
Rosa, who has used a wheelchair since he was 12, said adaptive leisure and athletics are a hallmark of a truly inclusive society. The same benefits people without disabilities gain from sports, community and athleticism are derived for people with disabilities, he said.
Especially on Long Island, where so many leisure activities are connected to the water, it’s important that beaches and water sports are accessible to all, Rosa said.
“As Long Islanders, the water is such a big part of our identity and our culture,” he said.
The joy Brandon Klein felt when he helped a girl with cerebral palsy catch her first wave last year inspired an idea: What if he could find a surfboard adapted for her abilities?
Klein, 17, volunteers with Surf For All, a nonprofit based in Long Beach that helps people with disabilities learn to surf and enjoy the healing power of the ocean. The rising Jericho High School senior discovered the thrill of surfing at around age 10.
He began volunteering with Surf For All a few years ago. It was an instant connection, building on his affinity for the sport.
“I started volunteering and I fell in love,” Klein said. “Helping others and seeing the smiles on their faces was awesome.”
Klein said the girl with the neurological movement disorder whom he helped surf last year found the sport exhilarating, inspiring him to find a solution to enhance the experience of catching a wave for Surf For All participants.
“She did not want to stop,” the teenager recalled. “I said to myself, ‘How can I make this more comfortable for her and have the optimal amount of fun and everyone have a smile on their face?' ”
Klein connected with Ross Head, a professor in Wales in the United Kingdom who built an adaptive surfboard in 2015. Head sent the design to Klein, who connected with local surfboard shaper Mike Becker to bring the plan to life.
Head leads the Cerebra Innovation Centre, a collaboration between the University of Wales Trinity Saint David and charity Cerebra, where he designs and builds adaptive technology for children with brain conditions.
“People will often be excluded from sports and other things, so they won't get that sort of interaction and fresh air and exercise and the splashing of water, the camaraderie of surf instructors,” said Head, who lives in Swansea, Wales. “Being part of that sort of tribe, if you like, is really beneficial.”
The 11-foot carbon fiber board, which is outfitted with a racing seat, cost about $3,000 to build, money Klein collected through fundraising.
Surf for All volunteer Brandon Klein, 17, in Long Beach with the adaptive surfboard he helped acquire to help people with disabilities surf. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
Surf For All co-founder Jim Mulvaney of Long Beach said surfing can “change the dynamic of their lives” for people with disabilities. His son Danny, 35, has autism and doesn’t speak. He began surfing in 2002 and now can conquer beasts of waves that keep others rooted to the shore.
“It gives him the opportunity to physically excel. It gives him the connection to other people," Mulvaney said. "Danny isn't the autistic surfer. He’s the big guy who was not afraid of 15-foot waves.”
The adaptive surfboard will give people with disabilities the chance to experience the “healing nature of the ocean” with more independence, he added. Surf For All will use the board for tandem surfing with volunteers and participants.
Eric Lamberg a physical therapist who teaches at Stony Brook University and is head coach for the U.S. National Amputee Soccer Team, said adaptive sports offer not just exercise but a chance for participants to build community.
“Providing opportunities for individuals of all different physical, mental abilities is important,” he added.
Chris Rosa, president and CEO of the Viscardi Center in Albertson, a nonprofit whose mission is to educate, empower and employ people with disabilities, shares that sentiment.
Rosa, who has used a wheelchair since he was 12, said adaptive leisure and athletics are a hallmark of a truly inclusive society. The same benefits people without disabilities gain from sports, community and athleticism are derived for people with disabilities, he said.
Especially on Long Island, where so many leisure activities are connected to the water, it’s important that beaches and water sports are accessible to all, Rosa said.
“As Long Islanders, the water is such a big part of our identity and our culture,” he said.
Brinley Hineman covers the Town of Hempstead and the City of Long Beach for Newsday. She previously was a reporter in Nashville, Tennessee, and is a West Virginia native.
Santos update ... DNA connection made in Gilgo case ... No death penalty in MS-13 trial ... Holocaust survivor turns 100
Santos update ... DNA connection made in Gilgo case ... No death penalty in MS-13 trial ... Holocaust survivor turns 100
