Mauli Ola's 2012 Surf Experience Tour Will...

Mauli Ola’s 2012 Surf Experience Tour Will Honor Pro-Surfers

 Mauli Ola Foundation will kick off its fifth annual Surf Experience Tour in May to coincide with Cystic Fibrosis Awareness Month. The MOF national surfing and children’s hospital tour will begin on the west coast, followed by its national “bus tour” and rounding out in Hawaii.

 After years of tireless dedication by some of the world’s biggest pro-surfers, Mauli Ola has decided to honor its brightest surfing stars by naming each Surf Experience Day after a pro-surfer who has contributed to the cause. “We really want to highlight the surfers this year, in appreciation, by naming each event after a surfer. If we didn’t have the world’s best pro-surfers out there for us, we wouldn’t be where we are today,” states MOF Surf Experience Director Bobby Serna.

 Gavin Beschen will have the distinction of being the namesake of 2012’s inaugural Surf Experience Day, on May 5^th. “Gavin Beschen is from San Clemente, California. He will fly in from Hawaii to be with us at for the Gavin Beschen Surf Experience Day at Church Beach at Camp Pendleton near his hometown,” explains Serna. Shawn “Barney” Barron will attend the Barney Barron Surf Experience Day in Santa Cruz, California, rallying support for Mauli Ola’s surfing event in his hometown at Cowell’s Beach on May 12^th.  Other exciting stops along the tour will be the Buttons Kaluhiokalani Surf Experience Day which will take place at Queens Beach in Waikiki, Hawaii during Memorial Day weekend.  According to Serna, “Buttons was voted by his peers as the 35^th most influential surfer of all time. He’s the Godfather of modern day surfing, and to have a surf event named after him and have him support it is just great!”

 The Kalani Robb Surf Experience Day will take place in Santa Monica, California on July 14^th, honoring the pro-surfer and Director of Community Relations for Mauli Ola Foundation. MOF Vice President and three-time ASP World Champion, Kala Alexander, will be honored with two 2012 Surf Experience Day events in his name: Amesbury, Massachusetts on August 26^th and at Haleiwa Beach Park in Hawaii, on December 1^st.

 Other pro-surfers with Surf Experience Days named in their honor include: Gary Edgar, Alex Gray, Torrey Meister, Hans Hagen, Morgan Faulkner, Todd Holland, Mixed Martial Artist Nissen Osterneck, Teddy Navarro, Wes Lane and Pascel Stanfield.

 Stops along this year’s Mauli Ola Surf Experience Day tour will, for the most part, remain the same. As Bobby Serna puts it, “popular surf spots don’t really change from year to year,” though Serna shares that they have added one New England destination into the fold. “Our plans to visit Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Rhode Island inspired us to add an additional Surf Experience Day along the state’s breathtaking coastline (beach location TBA).

 Mauli Ola Foundation will continue its tradition of visiting children’s hospitals at each Surf Experience stop, consulting with Child Life specialists at each hospital to ensure the most fulfilling and enjoyable experience for all of the pediatric patients. According to Bobby Serna, hospitals and physicians are now contacting Mauli Ola Foundation for statistics, anecdotal evidence and information about its success with Cystic Fibrosis and surfing. “The Foundation has been contacted by different doctors wanting to do studies based on our work,” explains Serna. “They want to know about everything from improved lung function to the positive psychological effects of our Surf Experience Days on CF families.”

 Bobby Serna is especially proud of the promotional synergy that’s developed between many of the country’s top children’s hospitals and Mauli Ola Foundation, stating,  “Once they get an up close view of what we do with our Surf Experience Days, they encourage more patients to come down to our events.”

 For more information of Mauli Ola Foundation’s 2012 National Surf Experience Tour, visit www.mauliola.org/events.