ELLIE BROOKS AND HER PASSION FOR FEMALE SURFING

Could you imagine being in an all girls surf session with a female coach? Pretty rare right? Well, Gold Coast surfer and QS Campaigner Ellie Brooks has just launched her new business “IN MOTION” with the aim to empower young female surfers and create a safe environment for them to improve in the ocean. 

We decided to reach out to Ellie and have a chat and see what the future will hold for her. 

Hey Ellie! Can you please introduce yourself, where you’re from and what you’re up to at the moment. 

Hi! My name is Ellie Brooks and I’m born and raised in Coolangatta on the Gold Coast. At the moment I am currently studying full time Business Management at Southern Cross university. I have also just created my own coaching business empowering girls! And in between that I am still working on my surfing and training super hard for when the QS events start back up again!

When did you start surfing?

At age 10! I was a little nipper before I started surfing. My dad taught me and I will never forget the first wave he pushed me into. I was hooked! From that moment onwards if he was surfing I was going with him haha.

You’ve been competing since a young age, and last year you were lucky enough to surf in the Women’s CT Event at Snapper Rocks. What was it like surfing against the best women in the world and how does it differ from the QS events?

I started competing in 2015, that was my first year on the QS, however I only did a few events. I managed to win the New Castle QS which helped me get enough points to start doing the main QS 6000 comps. I unfortunately got sick in china and also had a back injury that prevented me from competing consistently for the next two years.

Haha I wish I got to compete against them, I was in the trials! But literally an hour before I was meant to compete I split my two toes open when doing a media interview with Sally – I got my toes strapped up and tried to surf but I was in so much pain. I went to the hospital straight after my heat and ended up getting 3 stitches in both toes and out of the water for 2-3 weeks. This year I was in the official event but sadly Covid changed that haha.

You have also just started doing some group and private coaching sessions for girls only, why did you decide to begin this journey?

I have and am so excited about it all! I genuinely love surfing and everything it has taught me so I wanted to pass on whatever I can to the younger generation who have similar dreams of one day qualifying for the world tour. I hope I can help these girls feel confident both in and out of the water so that they feel like they can achieve anything they put their mind and heart into. I remember all the things I went through, that transition from a young girl to a woman can be tricky! School, friendship groups, nutrition and then being an athlete… I hope I can help these girls in all aspects of life and of course surfing! I feel having a female mentor who can relate is so important for growth. It is super early days but my goal is to create a space where young women can come together and feel strong, confident and empowered!

Did you have to do any coaching courses to get certified to coach young females?

You do! There is the ASI surfing instructor course, CPR and a blue card which allows you to work with kids. I did Surf Life Saving till I was around 17 competitively so I did a lot of my courses then and just updated them. As for the other aspects I want to help the girls with, I am just going off past experience and what I have learnt along the way with the help of my friend who is a nutritionist. 

Where do you envision this going in the future?

I hope this becomes a full time thing for me in the future, once I finish my university degree. I would love to have a professional girls squad that I can travel to events to and help them at their competitions. Obviously help them competitively but also with their mental side and nutrition side around events.

Being a female surfer yourself, how will you help these young girls on the journey to become athletes or even just recreational surfers? 

There is so much that goes into being an athlete. So much hard work, blood, sweat and tears! But I want these girls to understand that it is all part of the process and that it is all so worth it. I wish to provide more than just coaching, I would love to help them with nutrition, I have a huge passion for health and fitness so it would be amazing to help out where I can and pass on my life learning so far. I also went through a few tough times at school so understanding bullying can be an issue with girls this age. I am happy to share my experiences and help the girls through it if they are going through anything similar. Just being there for these girls, ensuring that they are loving what they are doing, enjoying the entire process and most importantly having FUN 🙂 

Are you looking to get into elite coaching?

Yes, I love elite coaching as I feel like I can really relate to these girls. From the past few years competing professionally on the QS against some of the best females in the world I feel like I could pass down this information and help them.

This driven young athlete turned surf coach has such an awesome future ahead of her. If you want to do a session with Ellie, her instagram is @elliejbrooksss and we’re sure she’d be stoked to hear from you! Good luck with your future endeavours.