Richmond veteran surfs for first time at national sports clinic in San Diego

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- A Richmond veteran surfed for the first time ever during the annual Veterans Affairs National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic.

The clinic, held annually in San Diego, California, allows disabled veterans to participate in adaptive sports and recreational activities designed for recently injured veterans.

A local Air Force veteran, 51-year-old Tessa Grahmann of Richmond, attended this year's clinic, where she surfed for the first time. Grahmann served from 1999 to 2003 as a Satellite Wideband Communications and Telemetry Specialist.

Tessa Grahmann at the National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic. (Photo: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)

During her time in active duty, she was stationed at Creech Air Force Base, where she coordinated satellite communications and worked with drone missile pilots as certain drone missile projects were launching, according to a press release.

Grahmann said that the clinic was one of the first opportunities she’s had to open up about her disability diagnosis with a large group of other veterans who, according to her, treated her like family.

In an interview, Grahmann said that, although she doesn't discuss her disability in the civilian world, she learned a lot from other disabled people at the sports clinic.

The Richmond native said she's learned a lot about new technology that will help her and that she can go back with and request from her doctors.

"How would I have ever known that [while] just sitting at home in Richmond? So we're all getting stuff from each other [from] this whole trip, and we're learning," she said.

Tessa Grahmann at the National Veterans Summer Sports Clinic. (Photo: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs)

Grahmann also states that her time spent surfing at the clinic was amazing.

"I never in a million years thought that I would be able to surf, nevermind have an opportunity to surf in the area that we're in," she said.

The clinic ran from Aug. 25 to Aug. 29 and was "specifically designed for veterans with disabilities [to] allow eligible participants to gain motivation, improve their independence, achieve a healthier lifestyle and enjoy a higher quality of life."

According to the release, Grahmann said the clinic changed her life. She will continue to receive care at the Richmond VA Medical Center.