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HAMPTON - U

Portsmouth Herald - 8/11/2017

HAMPTON - U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., stopped by the Surfing with Smiles event at North Beach Thursday, where people suffering from disabilities got a lesson in riding waves.

Hassan, who arrived after making a stop at Jaeger USA in Rochester earlier that day, said she was happy to see the community gather to help those with special needs for the event. Thursday was the third Surfing with Smiles event of the summer and drew a crowd of 90 participants with disabilities and 175 volunteers. Organizers said it may have been the largest in the event's history. The event is in its ninth year.

"This is just a really wonderful event," said Hassan. "What I'm hearing from families is how supported they feel. This is really fun for their children. It's really important for kids who experience disabilities to understand what they're capable of doing."

Hassan's son, Ben, suffers from cerebral palsy, and the senator said her experience raising Ben helps her understand what families who come to Surfing with Smiles go through.

"I think it helps me understand how meaningful this day is for so many families and individuals who are here," said Hassan, "Because just a trip to the beach that so many of us take for granted can be a really kind of overwhelming task to do by yourself when you have a whole lot of special equipment and other things you're trying to manage, too."

Hassan said she has never surfed but that she has done plenty of body surfing in her day. She walked barefoot on the sand with a lei around her neck talking with beachgoers.

"To see this kind of community support, to see this many families out here, just tells me how special this evening is," said Hassan.

Many who came to surf Thursday had been coming to Surfing with Smiles since the very first year, like 27-year-old Justin Norwood who suffers from Down syndrome. He said he loves surfing, calling the day a "surfing party."

Taylor Thomas, who started the event with Lindsey Mercer nine years ago, said she appreciates Hassan taking the time to stop at Surfing with Smiles, as well as the media coverage the event has received to help it gain attention. She said the event is growing to the point where Surfing with Smiles organizers may need to start limiting the amount of participants to ensure each person has a full team and enough time to spend in the water. Participants are assisted by teams of five who each have a different role in making sure riders safely catch waves and return to shore.

"It's a blessing and a curse," said Thomas of the growth. "You can't complain that our event is growing, and we're excited."

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