Coach Bill / Dad, Entrepreneur Special Educator, American Political Scientist, Writer, Musician.

There are countless souls across the country and the earth itself who bring hope through action to others. It is because of these spirited minds that others are also emboldened to follow suit and continue to spread a chain of love far from the original catalyst of positive change. Is it not then that life becomes immeasurably more rich when we softly enter into each others lives by serving one another? There is a man and his family who is active in such a manner. He and his band travel the world spreading goodness, hope, joy, laughter and a deep faith that there is altruistic love out there and that it is seeking to enter into as many hearts as possible. This man is Izzy Pascowitz and his band is called Surfers Healing. Those who know of them can attest to the tremendous gift of time, energy and the monumentally relentless drive Izzy and his merry band of surfers and volunteers bring to the life of individuals on the autism spectrum and with intellectual disabilities, such a...

Servant Leaders Come In Full-Force / Surfers Healing #OnePerfectDay in Belmar, New Jersey Click above to see video.

Bethany Hamilton When one surfs, they are no longer in the realm of normality. Their is wild life out there that will not be tamed. In the summer of 2005 I was living in the Hawaiian Island of O’ahu and had visited Kaua’i to unwind. The island is mystifying. It appears like a giant volcano jutting out from the water. Upon airplane approach the viewer sees an island surrounded by endless blue infinite ocean. From the cliffs of Waimea Canyon one has to ask themselves if they are not in the Grand Canyon.  The breadth and scope of Waimea Canyon, a wonder of the world, is simply another cosm in this varied ecosystem island that is Kaua’i. Daily, the surfing community enters the water to surf and catch waves. Invariably, because we are entering into the habitat of marine life and because the Hawaiian islands are the most remote group of islands on Earth, it is a major hub for whatever sea life is in the Pacific ocean, this includes… sharks. Those infamous moving monster...

It is few and far in between that two activities, such as skateboarding and surfing, can be found to so completely deliver a strengthening of so many life skills, as well as provide therapeutic benefits all at once. Both individual sports require the dynamic interplay of executive function and cross-hemispheric neural connectivity at heightened levels, placing them in their own pantheon of 'go-to' therapeutic intervention activities to use. In addition, the proprioceptive component that comes on-line and gets toned is of particular benefit to youth and adults with neurological and/ or gross motor skill deficits, such as commonly found with those on the autism spectrum, downs syndrome or varied 'special needs.' Proprioceptivity is our ability to know where our body is and how fast it is moving through space. A surfer's proprioceptive response makes them self-aware of the positioning of their limbs and stance on the board, as well as how fast they are moving...

There is a tide in the affairs of men, Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in the shallows and in miseries… And we must take the current when it serves, Or lose our ventures. -William Shakespeare The future has arrived, the flood is reaching its crescendo. The time to strike the iron with the hammer is about to reach its full pitch in South Norwalk, Connecticut. Grab your voices, bring your longboards and head out in to the water. Paddle out beyond the surf using the channel and meet in the lineup.  Strengthen your heart legs, Make your core flexible and ready to take the pounding of the waves; Push harder past the break, go forth beyond to the calm… Awaiting the next set, position yourself Ready with #EpicCommitment, ride it all the way in -William Stowell (Coach Bill) Scene 1 There are brothers and sisters of ours who are not given the oppo...

A surfer lets go of the need to control outcomes in the water knowing that he is in something bigger than himself. All he can do is ride his board as gracefully as possible. With some experience he situates himself at the right spot at the right time, and have the ride of his life. Analyzing wave patterns and their timing, riptide channels, sea floor contour and how the wind interacts with the wave, an experienced surfer takes it all in and moves in sync with all the patterns. Suddenly, the surfer and the water are one, and not two separate entities, yet still retaining their original nature. Two, yet one. The natural algorithmic practice of positioning oneself in tune with breaking waves is a practice of letting go and letting that which is natural physically and mentally move us. Repetition of such a lifestyle activity does go deep into the grain of one and changes you from the inside out. Outside the water, our brilliant minds make connections left and right. This generaliz...

I s it possible to connect one's work with what one loves? What fruit comes when you bring work and play together? How does passion play into the equation if it is mixed with our work? In the heat of the moment, a Father wrestled with how to embark on how to best empower his son. The boy was diagnosed with autism, a condition created almost completely by damaging preservatives found in vaccines that severely damages brain tissue. These preservatives are heavy metals like aluminum and are listed on the CDC's website. There is also strong scientific evidence pointing to other factors that exacerbate the severity of autism in a child, such as bisphenol A, and exposure to modern day environmental pollutants which can be found in the food, water and air. This post is  about what one parent did in response for his son. Its about being positively   and lovingly proactive and not sitting back with his main priority of taking care of his family. This post is about how I...

For a few years I have been working on integrating the showmanship and basketball skills of the Harlem Globetrotters into my 1:1 coaching work with kids and adults on autism spectrum, those with ADHD/ADD and/ or those with executive function skill deficits. I see the ball-handling skills exhibited by professional basketball players and such show acts as the Globetrotters in-line with the holistic executive function skill use I teach and model. I also see the body positions that are required to surf and skate well pop up as we move to rhythm and beat, beat to rhythm. I love it. As I dance before dawn early in the morning or late at night I get ideas on how to stay crisp, fresh, keep the fun present, sustain and quickly implement ‘real-time’ coach-student feedback, harness my energy, manage my students energy, and the observable positive results I am able to help trigger.  I’d be remiss to say that my basketball moves don’t flesh into my dancing. They mesh with the...

Every surfer in the water who has been surfing for many years understands that there is a point in time and place when a wave is approaching and the option to paddle over it, attempt to catch it, or altogether get out of the way has to be made. Rapid fire executive function skills come into play, such as gauging, foresight, prioritization, impulse control, goal-directed persistence and even emotional control. What will the surfer do? Are they lined up to catch the wave successfully? Are they too far to paddle over the wave and then have to take evasive maneuvers, like 'duck-diving' under the white, foamy break water? But what about when the wave is too big? What about when the surfer is in the break zone, their is a new set of waves coming, and they are too deep in the wave-break zone to do much about it? What then? All these question must be addressed by the individual in split seconds. Multiple executive function skills come into play, or cascade with each other in...