Made for More breaks shackles of disabled through surfing

Adaptive surfing is being made possible for those who would otherwise be unable to get into the surf and participate.

Jarryd Smith is a 17-year-old Sheffield Beach resident with Down’s Syndrome, and while it was only his third time ever on a surfboard he was overjoyed at taking 7th place out of 9 in the recently held South African Para Surfing Champs at New Pier in Durban.

The championships is an event organised by Made for More (MfM), a non-profit company founded by Julia van Zyl in 2016.

This year’s event saw 46 participants of varying ability, take part.

Made for More’s vision is to include, empower and equip people with disabilities to see them living a purpose-filled life, and Jarryd’s mom, Heidi, believes that Made for More has given him an extraordinary opportunity to participate in surfing on this level.

“When you have a child born with Down’s Syndrome, you cannot explain the sadness you feel at first. I know the word blessing is a cliché, but there isn’t another word to describe having such a special child in your life,” said Heidi.

While Jarryd is faced with challenges daily, and the journey has not always been an easy one, his mom said the change in Jarryd since joining up with Made for More, and receiving ‘real life recognition’ has been phenomenal.

“The first day we went some two months ago, we were encouraged by the confidence the MfM team instilled in each person in the surf.”

“His first time on the board he lay there on his way out to sea, and it was just beyond me when he knelt up and did a victory stance,” said Heidi.

Heidi said that Made for More and the events they organise, as well as the training, is phenomenal and the team made a huge effort in helping people with disabilities literally ‘fly’.

Down’s syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21.

It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual disability, and characteristic facial features.

Made for More holds monthly adaptive surfing sessions at Addington Beach, and all ages are welcome.

Contact coach@madeformore.org.za for more information.