{"id":601613,"date":"2025-11-29T16:18:17","date_gmt":"2025-11-29T16:18:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/601613\/"},"modified":"2025-11-29T16:18:17","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T16:18:17","slug":"from-dare-to-team-usa-in-weeks-the-lightning-journey-of-oregons-sightless-surfer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/601613\/","title":{"rendered":"From dare to Team USA in weeks: The lightning journey of Oregon\u2019s \u2018sightless surfer\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"BJ3NPYE24ZHU5ITUKUCU4QUIL4\">When Emily Purry casually asked her surf guide how far off she might be from competing, she never expected his answer would catapult her onto Team USA within weeks. On a recent episode of the <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/3I0ozqHsuBEfjre72OUOdV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/3I0ozqHsuBEfjre72OUOdV\">Peak Northwest podcast<\/a>, Purry<b> <\/b>shared the whirlwind journey that transformed her from a beginner blind adaptive surfer to an international competitor representing Oregon on the world stage.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"article__unordered-list\">\n<li id=\"72LPQLHFNZGBZK35OTIFIQ6IDE\">Generative AI was used to summarize a recent episode of the <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/zD9q-llNqL0?si=F9HScAJqZloiyB9N\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/zD9q-llNqL0?si=F9HScAJqZloiyB9N\">Peak Northwest podcast<\/a>. This story was reviewed and edited by The Oregonian\/OregonLive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"F37WM6AV4NHNVJJD6PU2LHV4UI\">\u201cIt was quite the whirlwind. Honestly, nothing that I expected or really even thought could happen,\u201d Purry, who goes by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/strongsightlesssurfer\/reels\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/strongsightlesssurfer\/reels\/\">\u201cStrong Sightless Surfer\u201d on Instagram,<\/a> told host Chiara Profenna. \u201cI\u2019ve been surfing for a very short time. I\u2019m very new to the sport.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"2RVDIQ2ZPVFZPHOVT5X7DHDT3Y\">That conversation with her guide quickly escalated from hypothetical to actionable. When he suggested she could compete immediately, Purry discovered she needed to enter a competition before Team USA tryouts, leaving her with just two options: Hawaii the following week or Japan in three weeks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"DV6L2MGBHRGVPKHWDL7NNRLCLI\">Despite being a novice surfer who had progressively lost her sight to Stargardt\u2019s macular degeneration, she made a decision that would intimidate even seasoned travelers: \u201cAs weird as it sounds, I think I can pull off Japan. And so, I flew to Japan independently. It was my first time flying internationally by myself.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"BVFCRYCVW5DENI75JBCBNCJ7MM\">The logistics were daunting. In rapid succession, Purry had to purchase her first surfboard, navigate international travel alone, and trust strangers in a foreign country where communication was difficult. \u201cI had to meet people I\u2019d never seen before in my life. I talked to one of them on the phone once,\u201d she explained, detailing how she was picked up by a Japanese man whose English was limited.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"TDVE2PQLS5EJ3M3SW32LL5HMBU\">Despite these challenges, Purry not only competed in Japan but returned home and, just eight days later, successfully tried out for Team USA. <\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"6FCVPLBFRVC3HO55ADG3R4RTQQ\">For Purry, this journey represents far more than athletic achievement.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"WPKUJNCK7RHLXNMKFW5YZVLGXM\">\u201cIt started to bring my confidence back as far as who was I, who I used to be, and how much I missed me as a human being,\u201d Purry shared, highlighting the deep connection between physical activity and sense of self. <\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"RNYAXN2Y2NDQFB5R6ECDGNPWJE\">Purry spoke on the podcast as she was preparing for the ISA (International Surfing Association) World Competition in Oceanside, California, held Nov. 2\u20137.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"I64SJBUIHFA77FCLIHM45NWTAI\">\u201cI definitely want to win,\u201d she shared on the podcast, revealing the competitive spirit that propelled her from that first casual conversation to the international stage in mere weeks. In Oceanside, Purry went on to help Team USA secure the silver medal at the ISA World Championships.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"TP6OFN2Z6RAXVFCZOWYXX6K7TY\">Listen to the full episode here: <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"Y5GDIQMWJFAVBAWC4EIS2NNWLM\">Subscribe to The Oregonian\/OregonLive\u2019s travel and outdoors podcast Peak Northwest on <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/advance_417d9_oregon?q=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.skimresources.com%2F%3Fid%3D126006X1587347%26xs%3D1%26url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fpodcasts.apple.com%252Fus%252Fpodcast%252Fpeak-northwest%252Fid1486961693%26xcust%3Dxid%3Afr1701892116108fhj&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.oregonlive.com%2Ftravel%2F2025%2F04%2Fmount-bachelors-cascade-concrete-makes-spring-skiers-work-for-their-turns.html&amp;event_type=click&amp;author=Jamie+Hale%2CChiara+Profenna&amp;shopnl=0&amp;section=Travel+%26+Outdoors&amp;subsections=Living%2CPodcasts%2CLife+%26+Culture%2CExperiences&amp;article_published_time=2025-04-30T21%3A10%3A24.454Z&amp;article_modified_time=2025-04-30T21%3A10%3A24.454Z&amp;linkbuybutton=0&amp;pagebuybutton=0&amp;bc_id=9a4fe12b-1323-4c22-a98b-ee75f32886d5&amp;ref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.oregonlive.com%2Ftravel%2F2025%2F04%2Fmount-bachelors-cascade-concrete-makes-spring-skiers-work-for-their-turns.html&amp;trx-iid=iid1746468230000jig\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Apple<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/3I0ozqHsuBEfjre72OUOdV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Spotify<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLK5y1wx_JF3az5xbYwxHE5K4hBlqolsd0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLK5y1wx_JF3az5xbYwxHE5K4hBlqolsd0\">YouTube<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/link.chtbl.com\/cb0207xZ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">anywhere else you listen<\/a> to podcasts. Hosts <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oregonlive.com\/user\/jameshale\/posts.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jamie Hale<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oregonlive.com\/staff\/chiaraprofenna\/posts.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Chiara Profenna<\/a> take you to some of the greatest destinations in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Check out more Peak Northwest episodes below. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Emily Purry casually asked her surf guide how far off she might be from competing, she never&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":601614,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5311],"tags":[49,978,659],"class_list":{"0":"post-601613","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-states","8":"tag-united-states","9":"tag-us","10":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115633894373017237","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601613","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=601613"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601613\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/601614"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=601613"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=601613"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=601613"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}