Five Toe Joe

Joseph “fivetoejoe” Glascott surfing in July at the AmpSurf event in Rockaway Beach, New York City

It’s a sunny Saturday morning in July. The water is warm, right around 70 degrees, and the sweet sound of yews echo up and down the beach. I’m swimming around surfers and AmpSurf volunteers, working hard to capture the pure joy of the moment. Bill’s out in the water too, shooting video. I turn my camera towards the jetty, playing with the uptown light, and at once I notice a surfer sitting in the lineup. We quickly start this dance: he gets in position, I get into position. It feels really familiar, and I wonder who he is. I’m guessing maybe he’s a volunteer who decided to catch a quick wave or two before things really got going. I shoot him turning the board around and then his arms paddling as drops of the ocean fall from his fingertips. His face is serious and focused. He spots his wave, paddling into it as the volunteers nearby make room, and we all watch and yell in unison. As I photograph him pop up close to shore, I realize at once he’s not a volunteer; he’s one of the participants. Like all the surfers I know and love, he gets right back on the board, and paddles back out. I shoot him as he glides through the water, the two of us making eye contact as we head farther out. Some of the volunteers circle around him, in awe of how well he surfs. I hear pieces of his story as he talks about his relationship with surfing—I’m certain I hear him say it’s been twenty years since he’s been back in the lineup.

A few weeks later, Joseph Glascott, driving his beloved Harley, meets up with Bill and me at Floyd Bennet Field. It’s surreal seeing the bike in person now that I know more of the story and how his motorcycle plays a key role. Joseph wears a white button down shirt and dark dress pants, a navy-blue patterned tie and pocket square tucked away in his backpack. It’s always weird to see a surfer in “street clothes.” I’ve photographed him before, and we’ve been talking often. It’s interesting doing photo shoots with friends, and he’s definitely my friend now. The three of us can’t stop laughing as we move around the location to unique spots I’ve scouted just for this day. At once, I see that this isn’t his first photoshoot. He’s mastered poses, knowing exactly how to position himself, just like in the water. I give little direction. He smiles and tells me he has a bit of experience with modeling/acting; he was in a Hot Wheels commercial back in the day. Bill is beyond excited! Later back home as we’re talking about what a unique shoot it was and how much fun we had, Joseph sends me a text. It’s the commercial. As we watch it several times with ear to ear grins, I think about him as a little kid, growing up, as he told me, surrounded by positivity, a lesson handed down from his Dad and a quality you notice the minute you talk to him. Like every great teacher, Joseph’s taken that inherited positivity, applied it to his own life, and freely paid it forward to the next generation and all of us lucky enough to call him friend.

When and where did you first start surfing?

JG: I started surfing, boogie boarding actually, when I was about 14/15 years old down at the West End 2 jetty. Started learning how to catch waves and the general rules of the line-up. Back then WE2 was pretty territorial so you had to learn fast. The next summer I borrowed my cousin's board, a 6’2 trifin thruster, that was hanging in my grandmother's garage, and paddled out for the first time. After that day I was hooked. It was tough learning at WE2 since I'm goofy foot and soon made Gilgo my home surf spot. Eventually, I moved up to an 8ft locally shaped board from a shop called Phoenix and often borrowed friends longboards down where we were at. 

Has water always been important in your life?

JG: The ocean became a shaping force in my young life. It provided me with many of the lessons young men need to learn at that age, like patience, humility, and the love of the natural world. It also taught me how to challenge myself, not allow fear to hold me back. The more time I spent in the water the more I wanted to learn about it and eventually got involved with ocean and environmental issues on Long Island.

Surfing again has reconnected me to a part of myself I thought was lost. - Joseph

When did you learn about Amp Surf? 

JG: I learned about AMPSURF from my girlfriend Kailey. She had listened to me talk about the good ol’ days of surfing back before I lost the leg and how much it meant to me and my life. She started asking why I didn’t surf anymore, and I listed all the reasons I gave away my board and why it was an impossibility in my current condition. This made her laugh because of the fact that riding motorcycles again was never in question, but for some reason surfing again seemed like an impossible task. So apparently there is this thing called Google, and she typed in amputee surfing, and Ampsurf was the first result to pop up. She wanted to surprise me by signing me up as a birthday gift but wasn’t sure if I would be into it. Needless to say, I was blown away by the thoughtfulness of the gift and that she believed I could do this even when I didn’t.

The loss of my leg and my new status as an Asymmetrical American™ 🤣 was brutal at first. - Joseph

Joseph, how did you lose your leg?

JG: I lost my leg in a hit-and-run motorcycle accident in Oct of 2008. While riding home from a friend's house, someone ran a stop sign, hit me off the bike and left me for dead in the street. They didn’t amputate the leg that night like they should have since my vascular sys in the leg was destroyed. I spent the next two months in the hospital. After eight or nine surgeries, the doctors said all they could do was keep cutting back the infected areas, and that's when they told me I had to make the decision to either keep going or to amputate the leg below the knee. It was the most difficult decision I had ever had to make, but understanding my situation could get worse if I didn’t, I made the choice to have them go ahead and remove the leg.

How has your life changed because of that loss?

JG: The loss of my leg and my new status as an Asymmetrical American™ 🤣 was brutal at first. The only thing that kept me going and in positive spirits was the love and support from my friends and family. That may seem cliche but it is the absolute truth. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn't be here today. Recovery was steady but slow. I returned to work in January of 2009, even before I had my prosthetic. I am a school Librarian and missed my students. Getting back working with them helped a lot too. Once I healed up I started working with a great company called International Prosthetics and Orthotics. After a year or so with the help of a cane, an Irish Blackthorn to be specific, life started to get back to normal, or at least the new normal. I had to learn how to do many of the simple things of daily life all over again with consideration of the leg and balance and how to deal with the pain once I weaned myself off of the Dilaudid. One thing that didn't change was my love of motorcycles. I was up riding again in the fall of 2009. Yet, for some reason, the idea of surfing again seemed an impossibility until recently when someone I have come to care for very much signed me up for the AmpSurf event.

Wow, so you got right back on your motorcycle without hesitation?

JG: There was never a doubt in my mind that I was going to ride again. It took me about about a year or so to be healed up and strong enough to ride, but my good friend Irish Rob told me whenever I was ready I could take out one of his bikes. I spent a lot of time during my recovery at Rob’s house. So one day we were just hanging out, and the feeling, the need hit me. I asked Rob where the keys to Red were, red being his red ‘05 Sportser, and without hesitation he told me the keys were by the back door and that the garage was open. He didn’t make a big deal of it or even follow me out. He just let me have that moment to myself. I only rode up and down and around the block a few times that first time out, but in those few minutes I felt like I was whole again. 

What was that like going back to work? How did your students and coworkers react?

JG: Going back to work was challenging. I didn’t have my prosthetic yet and had to get around on my crutches and it was obvious that something was “missing.” At the time I was working at the Jr High School and the kids, like most kids, asked all the odd and awkward questions that only kids will ask and it was great. They were like, “sucks you lost your leg. Can I see it?” They had no pity, just empathy and curiosity. 

Tell me about the idea of using the nickname Five Toe Joe. 

JG: The nickname FiveToeJoe was given to me by my long-time friend and riding partner “Irish Rob.” Much of my recovery was spent at Rob's house in the garage working on motorcycles, drinking beer, and talking shit. Rob likes to break balls and bust chops and on one particular day we were carrying on about something ridiculous when he said “Hey five toe, let’s go.” Embracing the name helped turn something tragic into something of an identity to be proud of. Being disabled wasn’t something I was going to be ashamed of. So I embraced it head on, and FiveToeJoe was born.

Did you decide right away you were going to participate in the AmpSurf event?

JG: As soon as Kailey told me about it I was in. I did have some questions about whether or not someone with a below-the-knee prosthetic could participate. After a quick email to Dana, the founder of AmpSurf, I was assured that the coaches and volunteers would absolutely be able to accommodate my handicap and get me surfing again. 

I never thought I would be able to pop-up and surf again.

For the first time in twenty years, you were back in the line up. That was such a heavy statement to hear you say. Can you describe what that was like? Physically? Emotionally?

JG: Physically, it was a serious challenge, but the joy and adrenaline of being out there again kept me energized and paddling out for just one more wave every time I rode one in. I’ve found it difficult to work out over the years without getting hurt and wanted to get back into the water just for the workout. I never thought I would be able to pop-up and surf again. Emotionally, it is still tough to describe. I love being in the ocean. About a year ago I had my prosthetists at IPO make me a water leg so that I could walk into the ocean again. The idea of taking my leg off and floundering into the water was something I was embarrassed about. I had finally come to the point where I wanted to get more out of life and start getting back to doing things that brought joy to my life. On my 45th birthday, I was at my house in Maine and walked into the ocean for the first time since 2008. It was an emotionally overwhelming experience. Being in the ocean and connecting to something so much larger than oneself was a power I had not felt in a long time. Still, the idea of surfing was something I couldn't even imagine. It took the faith of someone I love to convince me I could do it. And because of that faith and belief in myself, I had one of the best days of my life with AMPSURF and plan to continue to keep getting out there.

How has surfing again affected you?

JG: Surfing again has reconnected me to a part of myself I thought was lost. Just sitting out there on the board, legs dangling, hand pushing through the surf, listening to the sounds of the ocean, I felt whole again. Also, rising to the challenge and accomplishing something I truly thought was impossible has motivated me to get out there more and challenge myself with other things I thought were out of reach.

Do you plan on surfing more?

JG: I absolutely plan on surfing more. I already started saving for a new board and hope to be back in the water next spring if not sooner.

If someone is considering participating in an event with an organization like Amp Surf, what kind of advice or words of encouragement would you share with them? What can they expect? And how do they push through the fear?

JG: AmpSurf is an incredible organization. From my early questions, to getting in the water, I felt supported the whole time. The event was well organized and every person involved was kind, friendly, and had so much genuine encouragement. I felt like there was no way I could fail. I would encourage anyone, regardless of their disability, to participate in an AmpSurf event. I felt safe and supported while on the beach receiving instructions to being in the water with the coaches and all of the amazing volunteers. So much so that I hope to be able to volunteer in any way I can at some of next year's events.

The idea behind The Wild Journal is living a life that’s connected to nature, the outdoors, and water, being totally aware of its importance. Wild means something different to everyone. What does wild mean to you?

JG: To me wild means freedom. Free to connect with who or whatever you love. Free to express yourself, and free to create the world around you. But something that is wild is also something to be respected, honored, and revered. The ocean and the world around us should be respected for its unique beauty and power. There is nothing so humbling as getting lost in the woods or being pounded by a wave to make you feel humble to the majesty that is Mother Nature.

You recently celebrated your birthday with a trip to Paris during the Olympics. You look happy and like you fit right in to the Parisian vibe. Is that a trip you’ve always thought about? 

JG: I’m my wildest imaginings I would never have believed that I would get to celebrate my birthday in Paris, France with a woman for whom I have come to love so dearly. It was not a trip I had ever planned on taking, but it was the perfect birthday and trip I will not soon forget.

Do you celebrate birthdays differently since your accident?

JG: Not really. Birthdays have always been low key events for me. As I said earlier, with the love and support of my friends and family birthdays and holidays were always joyous events. Being asymmetrical didn’t change that. 

Joseph, what are two or three things you know for sure?

JG: 1. Shit Happens  2. Compassion is the Way  3. With love, life is simple, anything is possible