The State Senate today honored members of the Hawai‘i Adaptive Surf Team (HAST) who represented the 50th state at the International Surfing Association Adaptive World Surfing Championships held in La Jolla, California during November 29 through December 3 of last year.
The HAST competitors honored on the floor placed fifth in the world out of 26 countries and proudly brought home six medals in their individual divisions.
The goal of HAST is to guide and mentor adaptive surfers towards their highest possible potential. HAST also supports and sponsors participation in surfing championships including the local Hawai‘i Surfing Association competitions and world competitions. HAST is one of the programs of AccesSurf which is a local nonprofit organization founded in 2006 to assist individuals with disabilities enjoy the ocean with free beach and ocean access programs.
The six water men and women recognized today were Ann Yoshida, Ava Heller, Meira Durate, Darian Haynes, Rich Julian, and Buster Kawasaki.
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