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January 2020

 We sincerely hope everyone had a safe and fun holidays and Happy New Year! Cheers to a new year of health, happiness, focus, and adventure. Speaking of focus, we wanted to share with you what we're focusing on in 2020: Access Trax will grow with a focus on hiring disabled veterans and other populations that may face challenges with employment; Access Trax will continue to focus on advocating for accessibility at public beaches and National Parks; and finally, Access Trax will focus on continuing to establish positive relationships with like-minded individuals and organizations who aim to make the world a more inclusive place for all. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you or someone you know would like to collaborate.
A blonde woman wheels down a grey path over sand towards the beach during sunset with green shrubs on either side.

The Gurmilan Foundation Fundraises for Adaptive Surf Camp Equipment

The Gurmilan Foundation is a nonprofit based in Southern California that empowers individuals with disabilities through education and opportunities. The foundation helps others reach their full potential through training, grants, and the opportunity to participate in adaptive sports. In 2019, the Gurmilan Foundation hosted adaptive surfing camps in California and Mexico. Their first ever camp in Baja California was a huge success, and they have plans for more events in 2020.

In order to organize a safe and fun adaptive surfing event, lots of planning, volunteers and adaptive equipment is involved. From adaptive surfboards to accessible beach mats, adaptive equipment is used to ensure everyone regardless of physical ability can participate. Accessible beach mats like Beach Trax provide a stable surface for everyone to use on the sand. This is perfect for wheelchairs, walkers, baby strollers, beach carts, and people walking. The adaptive surf boards may be modified to have hand grips near the front, have extra padding on the sides, or have a soft foam top for safety, for example.
Surf camp participants and volunteers gather around Beto on the beach.
The Gurmilan Foundation takes all of this into consideration for their adaptive surfing camps and fundraised for accessibility equipment. Items on their list included the Beach Trax portable beach pathway and a new floating beach wheelchair to assist with getting in and out of the water. Within a few weeks, the fundraiser goal was achieved and in December, Beto Gurmilan picked up his new set of Beach Trax. Access Trax is honored to serve such amazing organizations and we look forward to what 2020 brings!
Hear Beto explain why his adaptive surf camps need beach accessibility.
If you would like to support the Gurmilan Foundation's efforts to purchase more equipment for their surf camps, please check out their GoFundMe campaign here.

Dates Announced for the 2020 AmpSurf ISA Para Surf Championship
Bruno, an adaptive surfer using a wheelchair, moves over the hard pack sand near the water with his surf board attached to the chair on the left side.

Mark your calendars for the long awaited 2020 World Adaptive Surfing Championship March 11-15th presented by AmpSurf! This marks the 5th event since its start in 2015, and the transition to the new title of “Para Surfing.” This new title comes as the World Championship debuts the Para Surfing Classification system which has been in development. This athlete classification system was developed with the help of Occupational and Physical Therapists and first used by the U.S. Open Adaptive Surfing Championships. The aim is to have a standardized system that levels the playing field for competitors.

Surfing was added to the 2020 Olympic Games, and the ISA (International Surfing Association) is pushing for Para Surfing to be added to the 2023 Pan American Games. If this momentum is successful, surfing may be added to the Paralympic Games in the coming years. This momentum is great news for the next generation. The growth of the sport is inspiring today’s youth to become tomorrow’s Paralympic surfers.
At the World Para Surfing Championship, highly competitive adaptive surfers from more than 23 nations come together to go for gold. At the 2018 Championship, there were 120 athletes! Thanks to the classification system, surfers of similar abilities and surf styles compete against each other. Athletes can win in their specific division and add points to their home country’s overall team score.

For more event details, read the full story on our website here.
 
An adaptive surfer riding prone (on his stomach) on the board carves right into a wave as another surfer moves out the back of the wave.

Beach Trax Makes it to South Africa
Back in 2018 at the World Adaptive Surf Championship, Kelly of Access Trax met the founders of the South African non-profit, Made for More SA. Their adaptive athletics organization uses sport as a vehicle to bring hope, build relationships, and provide people with disabilities opportunities to build a professional sports career.

Over the years, Made for More SA's team saw the Beach Trax pathway in action and how it could help make their adaptive surfing programs more accessible. The ease of installation, transport, and storage were important factors. In the end of 2019, they reached their fundraising goal and purchased over 700 square feet of Beach Trax. On January 25th, Made for More SA used the pathway for the first time at their first adaptive surf event of the year!

Help Access Trax by Sharing a Google Business Review!
A man using a power wheelchair holds a stack of grey Beach Trax panels as they slide into the trunk of his car.
A woman wearing a hat sitting in a beached kayak smiles for a photo with a man leaning over the kayak. There is a grey pathway in the foreground.
At Access Trax, we are dedicated to providing effective products and services with excellent customer care so everyone can enjoy the outdoors barrier-free. We sincerely appreciate the time you take to share feedback about us via email, social media, and our Google Business page.
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Women's Entrepreneurship Grant Winner Announced
WomensNet Logo
Thank you to everyone that helped us earn votes for the Amber Grant Award in 2019. We were honored to be alongside the 11 other innovative female-led companies in the running. While we didn't win, we wanted to take a moment to congratulate Amy Mitchell and her company, Lisse Shave Inc. Amy is based in Canada and her company makes safety razors for women. The Amber Grant Award is made possible by WomensNet, and has helped hundreds of entrepreneurs over their 20+ year history. WomensNet typically receives beween 300-500 applications each month for the award, so just being a finalist is a feat!

Stay tuned for another voting opportunity to help Access Trax win a grant! The FedEx Small Business Grant officially opens this week and we are competing again this year. In 2019, we were in the top 100 finalists out of over 16,000 businesses!

Beach Trax Quick Tips
A man smiles as he assembles the grey Beach Trax pathway into a large square stage over grass at an event.

For Sand:

  •  Grade the sand easily by taking a few stacked panels and drag across the surface walking backwards down the intended path
  • For high traffic or multi-day events, have a broom handy to sweep as needed (and before loading into the car!)
  • To secure a panel to the sidewalk temporarily, we recommend Gorilla Tape (available at Home Depot) since it sticks to concrete and the panels without leaving residue

For Grass, Dirt or Gravel:

  • To keep panels in place, you can use a gardening stake in the outer corners of the panels

For All Terrain:

  • It is best to have a double-wide path so people can easily pass each other
  • If you don't have enough panels to go double-wide the whole way, connect 2 panels to the side every so often so people can pass each other
A gray pathway extends over sand at the bay to the kayaks on the shore.
Beach Trax arranged in a platform on the beach with people.

Testimonial Spotlight
Jennifer Gladwin of Adaptive Maui uses Beach Trax frequently to provide access at adaptive watersport events on the island. The organization also helps families vacationing on Maui who need Beach Trax to enjoy the beautiful beaches and activities.

Here's what Jenn has to say: "We use Beach Trax here on Maui where the sand can move quite significantly season to season and permanent pathways are not an option. We also LOVE that we can move each 3x3 piece around to make any shape/size that we need. We have used our Trax on grass and sand and they are so useful for EVERYONE not just wheelchair users. Our community loves them."

Thank you for sharing your feedback, Jenn, and for providing accessibility on Maui!
A diverse group of people poses for a photo at a grassy park near the beach with a large adaptive surf board in the front.

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