Para surfer eager for more after ‘surprise’ medal at English Open
A local woman has returned home from a national para surfing competition with a bronze medal.
Sophie Veron was one of as many as 75 para surfers taking part in the English Para Surfing Open held in Bristol at The Wave, an inland surfing lake which generates up to 1,000 waves per hour using technology pioneered by Spanish firm Wavegarden.
Miss Veron was using a specially-designed board for the competition – lent to her by former Paralympian Hannah Dines who she met at the event – which allowed her to surf lying down, as she is unable to stand as a result of her disabilities.
She has hydrocephalus, which causes fluid to build up in the brain, as well as scoliosis – a sideways curvature of the spine – for which she has metal rods inserted in her back.
Miss Veron competed in the prone category – for para surfers who ride waves while lying down – and was pitted against five others in her heats.
‘Each of us had a person known as a pusher who would push us out to the wave and launch us onto it, and then a catcher who would help us get off the board at the other end of the lake,’ she said.
‘We rode a set of waves for 25 minutes and were scored by three judges who were looking at our technique and the effort we were putting in, among other things.’
She said it took some time to get used to the different type of water used at the venue, as well as the consistency of the waves.
‘It’s chlorinated water rather than salt water, and all the waves are similar and come at regular intervals rather than being all over the place like in the sea.’
‘After a bit of practice I got the hang of it.’
She said winning her bronze medal was a ‘total surprise’, having only started training for the event three months ago.
‘I’ve got such a buzz, I’ve got to say a big thank you to my instructors Ben (Clifford) and Rachael (Green) as they were the ones who helped me get to this position.’
She added that the atmosphere at the event had motivated her to compete more regularly in future.
‘What struck me most was the “can do” attitude of everyone there, people were just getting on with it and helping each other.’
‘It’s got me wanting to do more events, maybe even further afield next time.’
