Bethany Hamilton
American surfer (1990 - )
- || At The Bottom
2003 -- Bethany Hamilton never saw the shark that ripped off her left arm. The Hawaiian girl was perched atop her surfboard early in the morning on October 31, 2003, taking a few morning runs at Tunnels Beach, Kauai. Her father, her brother and a friend had joined Hamilton, who at the age of thirteen was well on her way to becoming a world-class professional surfer. She'd been winning national championships since she was ten and had recently signed on with a surf apparel company, Rip Curl, which sponsored her training and gave her a boost toward her goal of becoming the one of the best surfers in the world. When the 14-foot tiger shark tore into her arm just below the shoulder, however, Hamilton's aspirations as well as her life were suddenly in grave danger. Although she remained calm throughout the aftermath, she lost a tremendous amount of blood and could easily have died during the 45-minute trip to the hospital. Surgeons were able to clean and suture the wound, and with a flap of skin from her armpit were able to cover the stump. When she regained consciousness, her doctors explained that she would be able to live a normal life with only one arm; Hamilton wondered, however, if she'd ever be able to surf again.
- || At The Top
2009 -- Bethany Hamilton smiled and reflected on her second-place finish. "I'm really happy with my performance," she told the reporter. "I think my nerves got the better of me in the Final. I should've made a couple of turns where I fell. I'm kind of bummed about that last wave, but I guess that's surfing." A little more than five years after losing her arm, Hamilton had just surprised the surfing world by taking second place at the Billabong Association of Surfing Professionals World Junior Championships, held in North Narrabeen, Australia. On her way to the finals, she knocked off two heavily favored surfers and nearly defeated Pauline Ado of France before settling for the runners-up trophy. To get even this far had been a remarkable testimony to Hamilton's strength and skill. Fulfilling the dream that had been interrupted by the shark attack, Hamilton had joined the women's professional circuit the previous year and placed well throughout the season, finishing 2008 ranked #14 in the world. Experts on the sport expected that this was merely the beginning of a long and successful career.
- || The Comeback
Bethany Hamilton didn't know what her accident might mean for the career she longed to have, but she was determined to be optimistic. Hamilton, a devout Christian, has always credited her religious faith as well as her family with giving her the strength she needed to return to the surf. "It never crossed my mind that I might never get on a surfboard again." she explained recently. "I was skeptical about whether I would actually be able to do it or not. But before I even left the hospital, I decided that I was going to surf." Indeed, few weeks after her accident, Bethany and her friend Alana -- herself a world-class surfer who was with Hamilton the morning of the attack -- stepped into the water at a beach on Kauai's North Shore and paddled into the surf on a longboard. "It was like coming back after a long, long trip," she wrote in Soul Surfer, her account of the accident and her recovery. Before long, she had figured out how to stand up on the board -- a difficult task in itself, since surfing requires great balance and strength -- and within a few days she was beginning to feel comfortable doing the sorts of maneuvers that made her a rising star. By this point, Hamilton's story was known to people all over the world -- even those who knew nothing about surfing -- and she would have countless opportunities over the next few years to inspire people with her words as well as her performances.
