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Ditching the wheelchair for a surfboard: the Virginia Beach Oceanfront was descended upon by surfers of all abilities

Volunteers helped people out of their wheelchairs and into the ocean to give them the chance to have some fun in the water.

NORFOLK, Va. — Surfers with disabilities gathered at the oceanfront in Virginia Beach Saturday to spend the day catching waves together. 

The event was sponsored by the Life Rolls On Foundation, and was called They Will Surf Again - Virginia Beach. The foundation provided the equipment participants needed to join in the fun, including adaptive surfboards and beach transfer wheelchairs, while participants supplied their own personal gear, including wetsuits, lifejackets (for athletes), fins (for deep water volunteers) and towels.

The foundation also supplied lunch, snacks, and water to the athletes as well as the volunteers who made the event possible.

The hot weather that has been plaguing Hampton Roads subsided in time to afford the group sunny, but not too hot, conditions. 

People spent the day helping each other catch waves at an event that clearly meant a lot to those who attended. 

"I look forward to this day every year," one attendee said. "This day is like Christmas. I love being out on the water, and I couldn't do it without these amazing volunteers." 

The event gave people with various disabilities the chance to catch waves and spend time in the ocean -- something which would usually be too unsafe for them to do.

On their website, the Life Rolls On Foundation says: "With adaptive equipment and thousands of dedicated volunteers, They Will Surf Again empowers people living with paralysis to ride a wave – blowing away physical boundaries. 

This quality of life program has grown to 10 events on both coasts, and attracts people of all ages and abilities – from all over the world. For 19 years, participation has been FREE."

This is their 20th Anniversary Season.

 

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