Victoria Feige prides herself on her upper-body strength. Its what has propelled her through two Tough Mudder competitions and what she relied on when she started surfing again after becoming a paraplegic at age 18. So when the 31-year-old paddles out into the lineup at La Jolla Shores, California, for the Stance ISA World Adaptive Surfing Championship (Dec. 9-11), shell have one goal in mind.If I could get a really nice wave, thatd be sweet. Thatd be good, the Vancouver native says.She is the only woman on Team Canada in the nations first year participating in the contest.As soon as we were considering some competitors for this event, I knew immediately Victoria would be one of my first picks, says Gerry Burns, coach of Team Canada and a fellow adaptive surfer. Shes had an extensive surfing background, shes athletic, a go-getter and, I think, pretty hard-core, too, which is great, especially if the waves get big.It will be Feiges first surfing competition, a major feat considering that at one point she wasnt sure she would ever surf again following a snowboarding accident. During her freshman year at Colorado College, Feige -- who had a decade of snowboarding experience -- attempted a method grab, a move shed done successfully many times, and it went awry.It all went well until it just didnt, she says. I overshot the jump because I wanted to go big for a picture. So I went really big, and I didnt speed check. I knew in the air that I was rotating badly and it wasnt going super well.A faulty landing resulted in a fracture of her T12 vertebra, and initially she was paralyzed from the waist down. During her first two years of physical therapy, Feige was unable to walk more than 10 steps without full support.But through a rigorous physical therapy program and due to the nature of her injury, Feige was able to regain some of her ability to walk. Now, while she says she spends 80 to 90 percent of her time in a wheelchair, shes able to walk a little over a mile with the help of ankle braces and trekking poles.I didnt feel tremendous loss, Feige says of her post-injury life. I didnt go through a big depression. I didnt have a big freak-out. I was very motivated to live my life. I didnt want to be defined by it, more than anything, so I was pretty determined not to be like a cliché of someone who doesnt do as much anymore.And she hasnt slowed down. Shes an active swimmer, cyclist and sit-skier, and she works as a disabled skiing instructor. The injury also led to a career detour into physical therapy: She earned her masters degree in 2012 and now works full time as a physical therapist.Feige has also completed two Tough Mudder Whistler obstacle-course competitions, in 2013 and 2014. With the help of her team -- the Chair Bears -- Feige was able to rig her wheelchair into a makeshift rickshaw, replacing her back wheels with sturdier mountain bike wheels and attaching wooden handrails to the frame so that her teammates could help pull her from obstacle to obstacle.[My teammates have] known me through physio school and knew the limitations of my body, she says. But I wanted to have an adventure, I wanted to have a good time, I wanted to push the limits, and they were game for that.Training for Tough Mudder included runs around the Vancouver seawall, with stops at the local park for chin-ups, pullups and army crawls. Throughout the course, Feige was able to use her upper-body strength to power through obstacles like the Everest (a steep wall climb) and the Funky Monkey (monkey bars). The experience was both challenging and exhilarating.But when it came to surfing -- a sport she had first picked up at age 16 -- following her injury, Feige was less sure. I had seen mono-skiers around Whistler, so I knew, straight off from the hospital, that I would be able to ski. The loss I felt, actually, was about surfing. I was like, You need strength and balance to surf. Even just getting down to the beach, hows that going to work?It wasnt until a family trip to Maui in 2007 that Feige got back in the water with a tandem surf lesson -- reinvigorating her waterwoman spirit.As soon as we caught that first wave, it was beautiful. It was that same feeling of being picked up by the water, the acceleration, the balance, she says. By the end of the lesson, she was doing assisted handstands on her board.In January 2015, Feige and her brother took a surf trip to Panama to build her skills on different types of breaks and on different types of boards -- skills shes ready to show off this weekend.[Victoria] exemplifies the perseverance and determination of the athletes that are competing in the 2016 Stance ISA World Adaptive Surfing Championship, ISA president Fernando Aguerre said in a statement to espnW. She didnt let her snowboarding accident deter her from pursuing her passions and an active lifestyle.The event is in its second year and will include 76 athletes from 22 countries.To prepare, Feige has been paddleboarding and swimming three times a week. She is particularly excited to meet fellow adaptive athletes and encourages other injured surfers to find their way back into the lineup the same way she has.People who love surfing are gonna surf. Once you try it, you get the bug. 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Springboks coach Allister Coetzee has plans to meet with Nigel Owens ahead of Saturdays Rugby Championship clash with the Wallabies, describing the Welshman as one of the worlds best referees.Coetzee confirmed on Thursday he requested a pre-match meeting with Owens and under World Rugby regulations, an invitation must now be extended to Michael Cheika and the Australian coaching staff to join them.After their Bledisloe Cup defeat in Wellington last month, a bitterly disappointed Cheika accused referee Romain Poite and Owens - the whistelblower in last years World Cup final - of having preconceived ideas about Australian players and ignoring approaches from captain Stephen Moore.I think its just great to, even if you dont discuss any technical stuff, just to say hi to the guy and meet him before the game, Coetzee said.Nigel is definitely one of the worlds best referees.I think the players enjoy Nigel on the field, the way he communicates, its loud and clear and when he doesnt communicate you must know you are doing the right things on the field.It will be a big contest at the breakkdown because Nigel allows a fair contest.ddddddddddddCheika does not usually meet with referees before Tests but it would be a wise move given recent events surrounding the Wallabies and match officials.The Australian Rugby Union filed a complaint to World Rugby against New Zealand, alleging their coach Steve Hansen secretly met with Poite before the All Blacks 29-9 win at Westpac Stadium.Hansen had actually met with Jaco Peyper, who was the referee in the first Bledisloe Cup Test a week earlier and an assistant to Poite in Wellington.Moore, meanwhile, is under pressure to improve his demeanour in on-field discussions with referees after a number of recent run-ins with officials.His opposite number, Springboks captain Adriaan Strauss, already has a good relationship with Owens, according to Coetzee.Id like to say yes, he said.Nigel, it doesnt matter the different personalities, hes quite astute and emotionally intelligent to handle different captains. 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