The Challenged Athletes Foundation has partnered with the Junior Seau Foundation to create the Junior Seau Foundation Adaptive Surf Program. Their mission is to enable kids with serious physical challenges to enjoy surfing…the stoke of catching a wave and feeling its energy that’s indescribable to those who haven’t felt it, but brings a knowing smile to everyone who has.
One of the athletes in the program was teenager Sam Day, a youngster fighting cancer. At an unforgettable day in San Diego, surfing legends Rob Machado and Tia Blanco joined Sam and an intrepid band of other young athletes in the water. This video captures the undefeatable sprit that Sam and his fellow athletes embody.
The video was made by Sony Artisan Justin Jung who describes not only how he shot the video, but also how working with Sam struck a chord with him. Describing Sam catching a wave with Rob Machado, Jung says, “He caught this big wave and the look on his face when he got to shore… he was so happy and Rob was so stoked and the whole beach was just cheering.”
The project became all the more important to everyone who made the movie and everyone involved in the program when they leaned that Sam had succumbed to cancer. “After hearing about Sam’s passing this project became all that more important to me,” Jung says. “Having played such a small role in being able to show the joy that the Junior Seau Foundation Adaptive Surf Program and Challenged Athletes Foundation brought to his life…it was such a heartwarming reminder of why I love what I do.”
