Michael Amorillo Collab with Nicholas Borelli at Shaper Studios
These are some photos from a recent surfboard collaboration project with Shaper Studios in San Diego. This plank is a 9 foot Singlefin and is for a good friend and fellow surfer Nick Borelli who shaped the board on this project. Behind every person there is a unique story. Nicholas Borelli is a former Captain in the Marines and is always sharing his positive energy with others. He recently introduced me to his passion in utilizing surfing as a way to help others heal and has educated me on the Wounded Warrior Project.
The Wounded Warrior Project purpose is to raise awareness of injured service members to the public, help injured service members to assist each other and provide programs/services that aid these injured service members.
Several weeks ago while surfing on base, a younger inexperienced Marine lost control of his board while trying to ride a larger wave. The board left a huge gash in my board and hit me in the head. I went to the beach and was pretty angry to say the least. As time passed, slowly but surely the group that the other surfer was with started to get out of the water. Nick was on the beach with me explaining the background history of each individual and how they became a part of Wounded Warriors. Each guy walked out of the water smiling ear to ear after enjoying a good surf session in the Pacific. Happy to be alive, and thankful for the moment. At that point in time I immediately had a flashback to a time not too long ago when I was their age and thought about what was going on in my life at that point in time. Had I faced death? What had I done or what did I do to help others? Would I risk my life to help someone I do not know?
It is a powerful thing to be reminded about the gift of life. We all like superheroes possess many powers that are sometimes left untapped. I thought deeply about this as I worked in the blue shaping room at Shaper Studios. This 9 foot plank represents the power of exchange. It serves as a personal reminder to me to wake up each day and recognize the gifts we have been given or developed through countless hours of work and use them to help others as often as we can. Thank you to Nick, Shaper Studios and the young Marine who opened up my eyes to what is truly real in this world.