Oceanside USA Surfing Para Surf Championship Debuts Impressive Performances - Top Finishers to Represent U.S. on ISA World Para Surf Championship Team

The Oceanside USA Surfing Para Surf Championship is always a great big reunion of friends and competitors from across the nation and Hawaii, and time to shine and show off what Para Surf athletes have been working on all year. It was the perfect way to celebrate International Surfing Day. 

The 2022 edition presented by Playa Bowls featured impressive debut performances. 
 
In his first competition as a Para Surfer, Forrest Weinberg of Long Beach, Calif. won the Stand 2 Men’s event, earning him a spot on USA Surfing’s International Surfing Association (ISA) World Para Surfing Championship team. 

Fellow military veteran and 2021 Prone 2 ISA World Para Surfing Gold Medalist Jose Martinez continues to improve his fitness, speed and critical maneuvers, starting off the final with a long, carving, 8-point ride that had the rest of the field playing defense.
 
Two-time ISA World Para Surfing Championship Gold Medalist and team co-captain Sarah Bettencourt got a buzzer beater long, connecting wave to earn an 8.5 and move from last to first in the Prone 1 division. Fellow team co-captain Christiaan "Otter" Bailey found and kept rhythm with the ocean, easily winning the Prone 1 Men final. 
 
"The depth and breadth of talent on display at this years USA Surfing national championships was unreal," Bailey said. "We're super stoked to invite some new faces onto our team this year! It's time to dig deep, dial in equipment and train hard in the coming months, as come December, Team USA will be ready to drop the hammer and bring the fire to defend its ISA World Champion title!"

Bailey said the level of talent, support teams, sponsorships, and publicity reflects the drive to get Para Surfing in the Paralympics - the world's largest sporting stage. 

USA Surfing’s Team Toyota Para Surf team won the team Gold Medal in the 2021 International Surfing Association’s World Para Surfing Championship event presented by AmpSurf in Pismo Beach, Calif. It was USA Surfing’s strongest showing in the event’s six-year history, with nine American surfers making the podium. Learn more about the team: https://usasurfteam.medium.com/the-push-for-paralympic-surfing-continues-3f3ced1d3b33​

See results for all the divisions below. 
 
Stand 2 Men
1st Forrest Weinberg
2nd Shawn Whitaker @shawniewhitaker 
3rd Shawn Lewis 
4th Carter Hess @a_swellpirate 
 
Kneel 1 Men
1st Aaron Loy @aaronloy4 
2nd Benji Davis
3rd Mike Pingatore
4th Josh Bogle @joshybogle 
 
Prone 2 Men 
1st Jose Martinez
2nd Jesse Billauer @jessebillauer 
3rd Shawn Eastham @shawneastham
4th Scott Davis 
 
Prone 1 Women
1st Sarah Bettencourt
2nd Katherine Beattie
 
Prone 2 Women
1st Quinn Waitley @quinn_cess

Stand 1 Women
1st Faith Lenox @faithhopemaui 
2nd Liv Stone @livstone 
 
Stand 2 Women
1st Sarah Dean
 
Stand 1 Men
1st Michael Spivey @spyv005 
2nd Ryan Gambrell @ryan_gambrell 

Stand 3 
1st Ty Duckett @ty_seeen 
 
Prone 1 Men
1st Christiaan Otter Bailey
2nd Casey Proud
3rd Jacob Pacheco
4th Parker Olenick @parkero.11 
 
Waveski
1st Chris Oberle  @chrisoberle 
2nd Ethan Kairer @starfishontoast 
3rd Jeff Munson
 
Vision Impaired 1
1st Joshua Loya @spotloya 
 
Vision Impaired 2
1st Alison Eakin @gratitudegardens__