News feature
No jumping the shark for surf sensation Bethany Hamilton (16 August)
Bethany Hamilton’s surfboard has an unusual design on it. The zig zag stripes mimic the patterns of a poisonous sea creature, and are designed to ward off sharks. “Sharks are way scared of this pattern,” her brother Noah told ABC News America. “But the main thing is, it’s a total confidence booster.” Hamilton must have needed all the confidence she could muster to get back in the water after October 31, 2003.
 The 13-year-old pro surfer was attacked by a tiger shark whilst surfing near Tunnels Beach, Hawaii, losing 70% of her blood and her entire left arm. Yet thanks to her excellent physical condition, she recovered quickly and was back in the waves with a specially modified surfboard less than 12 weeks later.
Hamilton’s stupendous survival ensured her 15 minutes of fame in the wake of the attack, as media outlets worldwide rushed to cover the story. She appeared on well-known American talk shows Oprah Winfrey and Ellen de Generes, gave interviews on The Tonight Show and on CNN, and posed for a fashion shoot in Glamour magazine.
Nobody expected Hamilton’s celebrity to last, yet she has proven herself remarkably media-resilient in the three years since the attack. The 16-year-old home-schooled teen and her family are quietly turning the eminently marketable Bethany brand into a mini-empire.
Hamilton now has an eponymous line of jewellery and cosmetics, a range of fragrances, a website, a CD, various DVDs and an advertising contract with Subway Restaurants. She has co-written a book, ‘Soul surfer’, which made the LA Times best-seller list, and plans to write more. She has thrown the first pitch in a baseball game for the New York Yankees, opened the state legislature in Honolulu, visited Thailand post-tsunami with World Vision and given pep talks to US troops in Germany. She participates in as many charity events as she can. She has even been credited with religious conversions thanks to her unswerving Christian faith.
So where does the teen surf idol go from here? To Hollywood, of course. After two years of contract wrangling, Bethany Hamilton: The Movie will start shooting this October on the North Shore of Kaua’i in Hawaii. Described by ABC News America as “Blue Crush meets Rocky meets Chariots of Fire”, the film is being produced by Romano/Shane Productions, the team behind the 2004 Will Smith movie I, Robot and 2002’s Catch me if you can, with Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio.
 “Bethany is a shining light with a great, compelling story of overcoming adversity,” said producer Michel Shane on starbulletin.com. Hamilton’s manager Roy Hofstetter described her as “a six to 60 demographic” in The Observer. Emma Watson, the British actress who plays Hermione in the Harry Potter movies, is apparently keen to play Hamilton in the film. Britney Spears’ younger sister Jamie Lynn is also rumoured to be interested in the role.
Meanwhile, Hamilton continues to surf, coming fifth in her first competition after the loss of her arm. She subsequently took first place in the Open Women’s division of the 2005 Hawaii National Scholastic Surfing Association. She has been sponsored by Rip Curl since she was 12 and is a member of the US surfing team. “I think it doesn’t matter if you are the best surfer in the world,” she told The Observer. “I’m going to try and be the best surfer I can be. It’s not all about competing and being the best. It’s more about having fun and just doing what you love.”
As for her move to the big screen, Hamilton feels it’s the perfect way for her story to reach more people. According to her there aren’t enough good movies out there with positive themes. With up to eight more books on their way and the film release date set for late 2007, Hamilton looks set to stay firmly in the public eye. She told Time “I’m happy I’ll be able to tell my story and inspire other girls.”
Given the sheer determination and tireless energy of Bethany Hamilton, her story may well inspire more people than she thinks.
By Arwen Summers
Link:
Bethany Hamilton’s webpage
Quick Bites
Random Bethany facts for your next trivia quiz:
Bethany’s fragrances, Stoked and Wired, come in surfboard-shaped bottles and feature a blend of scents reminiscent of the ocean.
She is looking into a bionic limb that would allow her to play guitar again.
Her pastor is developing a series of fictional adventures based on Bethany’s character.
She is known for sticking her tongue out as she comes down off a wave.
The fashion shoot in Glamour magazine that she featured in was called Love Your Body.
She has a reputation in competitions for always choosing the last possible wave to ride.
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