(June 14, 2023 - Oceanside, Calif.) - Para surfers made history today at the 2023 USA Surfing Para Surfing Championship and Para Surf League Open at Oceanside North Jetty. 

For the first time, para surfers from around the world were invited to compete in USA Surfing’s Para Surf Championship – an annual event for the best para surf athletes to show judges what they’ve been working on all year.  

Surfers from both U.S. coasts, Hawaii and seven countries battled it out at Oceanside’s North Jetty for national titles and a chance to compete at the highest level of global para surfing – the 2023 International Surfing Association’s World Para Surfing Championship. See 2023 USA Surfing team roster below.

Since the start of ISA World Para Surfing Championships in 2015, the American team has brought home three consecutive team gold medals, two team silver medals and team bronze. 

The addition of competitors from countries around the world offered a preview of what surfing’s potential Paralympic debut in LA2028 might look like. The Paralympics follow the Olympics and feature the world’s largest sporting stage for athletes with a range of physical disabilities.

Para surfers compete in nine categories based on how they ride the waves and whether they use support teams: standing, kneeling, prone, assisted and visual impairment.  See classification list and competition results below. 

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2023 USA Surfing ISA World Para Surfing Championship team members include: 

*more members will be added by the selection committee, the following are confirmed based on today’s results. 

Stand 1 women

Liv Stone, Oceanside, Calif. 

Stand 2 men

Forrest Weinberg, Long Beach, Calif. 

Stand 3 men

Mark Cromer, Long Beach, Calif. 

Kneel men & women

Aaron Loy, Carlsbad, Calif.

Erin Koffel, Santa Cruz, Calif.  

Prone 1 men & women

Jacob Pacheco, Long Beach, Calif. 

Katherine Beattie, Los Angeles, Calif. 

Prone 2 men & women

Jose Martinez, Los Angeles, Calif. 

Quinn Waitley, Coronado, Calif.  

PS Sit/Waveski

Chris Oberle, Oceanside, Calif. 

PS VI 1

Joshua Loya, La Mesa, Calif. 

PS VI2

Haley Houston, Encinitas, Calif. 

USA Surfing Para Surfing Championship and Para Surf League Open results: 

Stand 3 

1. Mark Cromer 

2. Ty Duckett, North Hollywood, Calif. 

VI1

1. Aitor Francesena Uria, Brazil

2. Joshua Loya 

3. Brian Shaw

VI2

1. Haley Houston

Stand 2

1. Forrest Weinberg

2. Carter Hess

3. Dana Cummings

Stand 1

1. Robson Gasperi, Brazil

2. Jonathan Borba, Brazil

3. Ant Smith, South Africa

Stand 1 Women

1. Liv Stone

Sit/Waveski

1. Chris Oberle

2. Ethan Kairer 

3. Jeff Munson 

4. Spike Kane

Kneel Men

1. Aaron Loy

2. Mike Pingatore 

Kneel Women

1. Erin Koffel

2.Michelle Eastman

Prone 2 Men

1. Jose Martinez

2. Jesse Billauer

3. Robbie Brown

Prone 2 Women

1. Quinn Waitley

Prone 1 Women

1. Katherine Beattie, Los Angeles, Calif. 

Prone 1 Men

1. Casey Proud

2. Jacob Pacheco

3. Ryan Porteous

4. Christiaan Bailey 

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This week’s event takes on extra significance, as ISA and USA Surfing continue to push for Para Surfing to be included in the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles. An announcement is expected this summer.  

Competition classifications are determined by the International Surfing Association (ISA) based on how the athletes ride the wave. 2021 Para Surfing Sport Classes include: 

Para Surf Stand 1 - Any surfer who rides a wave in a standing position with an upper limb amputation or congenital or impairment equivalent.

Para Surf Stand 2 - Any surfer who rides a wave in a standing position with a below-the-knee amputation or congenital or impairment equivalent, short stature, or leg length difference.

Para Surf Stand 3 - Any surfer who rides a wave in a standing position with an above-the-knee amputation or both lower extremity amputations or congenital or impairment equivalent.

Para Surf Kneel - Any surfer who rides a wave in a kneeling position with an above-the-knee amputation or both lower limb amputations or congenital or impairment equivalent.

Para Surf Prone 1 - Any surfer who rides the wave in a prone position that does NOT require assistance paddling into a wave and getting back on the board safely.

Para Surf Prone 2 - Any surfer who rides the wave in a prone position that DOES require assistance in the water, paddling into a wave, and getting back on the board safely.

Para Surf Vision Impairment 1 - Any surfer who rides a wave in a standing position with IBSA classification Level B1.

Para Surf Vision Impairment 2 - Any surfer who rides a wave in a standing position with IBSA classification Level B2 and Level B3.

Para WaveSki - Exhibition Class - Not an ISA Division