ELLIE’S WAVE
SURFER EARNS GLOBAL GONG
GOLD Coast pro surfer and part-time uni student Ellie J Brooks, a member of the Mermaid Nobbys Miami Boardriders Club and World Qualifying Series aspirant, has been named 2020 Global Wave Conference Youth Ambassador.
The sixth biennial Global Wave Conference will be held at Southern Cross University’s Gold Coast campus from February 10-15 next year.
Registration will go live at 9am on Friday with a launch at the campus where Brooks will join fellow pros and world champ “Rabbit” Bartholomew.
Brooks, a right-foot forward surfer with a deadly backhand attack, competes on the WQS.
She made the fourth round at Manly last week and is now ranked 39th in the WQS.
This weekend Brooks is listed as a reserve in the Mermaid Nobbys Miami men’s team for the 35th annual Kirra Teams.
Predominantly a male event, if Brooks gets a start she will take on the guys and surf in place of MNM’s No.1 powerhouse Anthony Pols who is suffering an ankle injury.
Brooks ticks all the boxes to be the face of the Gold Coast 2020 Global Wave Conference and like her generation is concerned about ocean pollution.
“There should definitely be less plastic,” she said, suggesting using cups and stainless steel water bottles, taking cardboard boxes to the shops instead of a 15 cent bag.
Brooks’ surfing has taken her to some bizarre – and dangerous – places. “I was in El Salvador for a QS 6000 and one of the nights my dad and I were having dinner there they locked us inside and walked around the premises with machetes and riffles,” she said.
“We are so lucky here in Australia.”
Brooks adheres to a strict diet after a food-poisoning incident while in China although her weakness is peanut butter.