Bethany Hamilton

Bethany rides a wicked curl (http://realsportsheroes.com/bethany-hamilton/)

Bethany Hamilton is ranked at the top in the world as a female surfer. Bethany Meilani Hamilton was born February 8th, 1990 in Hanalei Kauai, Hawaii and is now 21 years of age. She has 4 people and 2 dogs (1 alive and 1 dead) in her family. She has her mom Cherilyn Hamilton and her dad Thomas Hamilton. Her 2 brothers are Timothy Hamilton and Noah Hamilton. Her dogs are Hanalei (Hana) and dead dog Ginger. Her life is never normal anymore. About 6 years ago, on Halloween morning, Bethany was out surfing and in seconds her life flashed in front of her. A tragic shark attack left her with one arm and a stub.

Surfing as a child, Bethany spent most of her free time in the water. She learned to surf at the age of 4 from her parents. She trained for a few years for her first competition. Bethany entered her first competition at the age of 8. Bethany won both her short and long board division for her age group. She was mostly with people much older then her. This meant that most of them had more practise in competitions then her. But after only a year of being in competitions and training she got her self sponsored by Rip Curl. They are very trusty sponsors and because of that she is still sponsored by them now. As a young surfer she has accomplished a lot.

Family and Friends

The attack brought her family and friends closer together. Bethany knew that after the attack her family and friends would be there for her more then ever. When the attack happened her best friend, her surf sister and her best friend's dad were there. Holt Blanchard, Alana Blanchard's dad, was the one who pretty much saved Bethany's life. Alana is Bethany's best friend. They learned to surf together and now surf together all the time. Most of the time they're in the same heat together at competitions. The Hamilton family and the Blanchard family are really close, spending lots of time together at competitions or just normal days. They enjoy each others' company.

Her Foundation

How would you feel if you had your own foundation? Well Bethany has one. After her attack she started traveling around to different places to tell people about her story. After Bethany saw the other boys and girls that were amputees she knew that she wanted to start a foundation and help change their life. She started a foundation called Friends of Bethany. Friends of Bethany is a foundation to help families with an amputee in them. After she started the foundation she traveled around the world seeing different boys and girls and tried to help change their lives.

A hero is someone who does thoughtful things for people and expects nothing in return. Bethany Hamilton shows all the different character traits of a hero and all she expects in return is to see all of the people she inspired to smile, and see the good in all bad things. She is my hero because she inspires most of the world. Also, she doesn't let anything get her down. To be in a shark attack and not be afraid to go back in the water takes a lot of courage and strength. Another thing that makes Bethany a hero is that she made a foundation for all the families with an amputee. Even with just one arm, she has accomplished more than most teens. If there's anything you could learn from her, it's that you should be thankful for what you have and not take life for granted.

"Love life" - Bethany Hamilton