On the 2nd and 3rd of September, RSE was the primary sponsor for the Inaugural Scottish Adaptive Surf Championships 2023, an event hosted by the Scottish Surfing Federation (SSF) in collaboration with SurfABLE Scotland.
The event was organised by the SSF’s Directors, Head Coaches and Judges, with last -minute support from Lost Shore Surf Resort. It was successful in providing support and coaching to aspiring para surfers with physical and learning disabilities and gave them and their families a taste of what is involved in the competitive side of para surfing.
Competitors and supporters gathered at the North Shore Surf Club hut in Thurso on Saturday morning for workshops covering categorisation, judging criteria, priority usage, and competitive surfing basics.
Following this, a round-robin surfing competition took place at Dunnet Beach, with Jade Edwards (11), Scotland’s first representative surfer at the Para World Championships, winning two out of the three heats. However, in the final heat, Jade received a priority interference and had points deducted after dropping into a wave where Lillie Noble (13) had priority. Lillie’s good use of the priority rule saw her taking 1st place in the final heat. Overall, Jade Edward took home 1st place with the highest wave scores on the day.
Sunday featured a challenging surf training session in strong waves, where surfers demonstrated their skills, impressing the crowd of supporters on Scotland’s North coast.
The event concluded at the Pentland Hotel in Thurso, where surfers received coaching on scoring potential and discussed the upcoming 2023 World Para Surf Championships in November. This event showcased Scotland’s talent and dedication in adaptive surfing, a sport with Paralympic Aspirations.
Brendon Ferrier, the contest director from the SSF had the following to say after the event:
We would like to thank RSE for their support for the championships. The athletes competed in small and challenging conditions but had a great time performing three back-to-back heats. Not only did the sponsorship from RSE help to cover costs for running the weekend, it also allowed for Scotland’s top surf judges to come up for the weekend to provide information for the athletes so they could improve from heat to heat in preparation for upcoming international para surfing competitions.
RSE is extremely proud that it was able to play a part in this historic event and hopes that our support within local communities continues to enable participation in such events in the future. We would like to congratulate all the surfers who took part in the Adaptive Surf Championships and wishes those going on to compete in the World Championships the best of luck!
