One of the first things Quinn Waitley and her family purchased after moving from East County to Coronado in 2009 was a foam surfboard from Costco.
Waitley’s dad, David, screwed metal handles onto the top of the board to make catching waves accessible for his daughter, who was diagnosed with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy at birth.
Little did Waitley know, she was honing her skills as an adaptive surfer before even knowing what the sport was, before para surfing was even officially created.
Now, Waitley, 29, is a seven-time national champion in adaptive surfing.
Defying the odds
Waitley is a quadruplet, and according to USA Today, identical quadruplets occur in roughly one out of 11 million pregnancies. Of those quadruplet births, 11.1% result in a medical complication, according to the National Library of Medicine.
Coronado resident Quinn Waitley is one out of 11 million, and among the 11.1% affected by the unlikely circumstances of her birth. Yet, as a seven-time national champion in adaptive surfing, she is also one-of-one.
When Waitley was born at just 28 weeks as an identical quadruplet, she was diagnosed with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, which affects motor control and muscle movement in all four limbs.
Waitley considers herself to be a “very high-functioning quadriplegic.” She uses her wheelchair to get around, but ditches it when it’s time to hit the water.
Journey to becoming a professional athlete
Born into a family of athletes – three out of her six sisters being Division 1 soccer players – Waitley was instilled with a competitive drive from a young age.
She dabbled with adaptive basketball, rugby and soccer as a kid, but her first venture into professional sports was primarily influenced by her time spent outside keeping up with her sisters on their skateboards and scooters. In 2013, Waitley began competing in professional adaptive skateboarding.
I loved the mindset of adaptive skaters and how they viewed their wheelchairs as a skateboard or BMX bike, not as this medical device that you’re trapped in.
Quinn Waitley
“I loved the mindset of the adaptive skaters and how they viewed their wheelchairs as a skateboard or BMX bike (bicycle motocross), not as this medical device that you’re trapped in,” said Waitley.
Adaptive skateboarding, or WCMX, is a sport in which wheelchair athletes perform tricks derived from skateboarding and BMX at a skatepark. Waitley competed in professional WCMX competitions, but ultimately redirected her attention after deciding the sport was becoming too strenuous on her body at her age.
Despite this, she carries the lessons from her time as an adaptive skateboarder into her current pursuit as a member of the USA Para Surfing Team.
“Skating is still a huge part of my surfing,” said Waitley. “My mentality with skating was always go big or go home and it’s kind of made me fearless in the water.”
Growing up in her East County home, she spent many days in their backyard pool becoming comfortable with the water. When Waitley and her family moved to Coronado, Waitley was ready to face some waves.
“We got a Costco board and screwed on metal handles and my dad was just like, ‘Hang on,’ and I was like ‘Okay,’” Quinn laughed.
Days spent in the Coronado waters with her family pushing her onto waves eventually transpired into a professional career.
A champion backed by her family
Created as an official sport in 2015, Waitley tried out for and made the USA Para Surfing team in 2017, where she competes in the Prone 2 division – categorized by athletes who require assistance paddling into a wave and getting back on the board safely.
“I joke and say I get to skip the hardest parts of surfing, which is standing up and paddling,” said Waitley. “Adaptive surfing is just more of a team effort and I feel like able-bodied surfing is very singular; it’s about one person and when it comes to adaptive surfing, it includes my whole team – even the one’s not in the water with me.”
Whether it’s competing in Hawaii, Costa Rica, Australia, Japan or up in Oceanside on her surf tours, her dad, and more recently her brother-in-law, are there to assist her on and off the waves.
“My entire family has supported me through this, but to be able to compete at this level with my dad – I can’t even describe the bond that he and I share,” said Waitley. “I just love that as a young adult I can still share these moments with him. Competing and surfing is so fun and we get to do it together. It’s just a very awesome experience.”
In the midst of savoring the competitive nature of professional surfing, Waitley has seen her perception of her cerebral palsy diagnosis change as she has been able to forge a successful career as an athlete.
Sports have kind of made me view my disability in the most positive way possible. I feel like society uses the word disabled or disability in a horrible way. Going out and playing sports has flipped the concept and turned it into a positive. Even though I surf lying down with assistance, it’s still surfing.
Quinn Waitley
“Sports have kind of made me view my disability in the most positive way possible,” said Waitley. “I feel like society uses the word disabled or disability in a horrible way. Going out and playing sports has flipped the concept and turned it into a positive. Even though I surf lying down with assistance, it’s still surfing.”
Nonprofit aimed at empowering others
Waitley and her family aim to pass on that mindset through their nonprofit, Team Quinn Surf. Founded in 2016, the organization provides adaptations, assistance and support to individuals with disabilities so that they may have the opportunity to experience the same freedom in the water and on the beach that Waitley has.
“We joke that Team Quinn Surf started when I was born back in ‘95,” said Waitley. “When you’re disabled, the beach is the last place you would ever think of going. We just love to introduce families and people with disabilities to the water, beach and surfing.”
Team Quinn Surf hosts frequent events, with their next adaptive surf event coming up on Oct. 15. People of all ages, disabilities and experience levels are welcome and all adaptive equipment is provided to attendees.
While Waitley’s eyes are set on her upcoming competition at the U.S. Open Adaptive Surfing Championships, running from Sept. 5-8 in Oceanside, her long term vision is to see the sport of adaptive surfing thrive and eventually make its way into the Paralympics.
“I love competing and pushing the sport for the next generation of adaptive female surfers,” said Waitley. “I just hope to motivate people, whether they are born disabled or they have an accident, that they can still do what they want to do – whether it’s going to the beach, catching a wave or becoming the next para surfing champion.”
