Dark days for the once-dominant USA.
One of the most exciting young up and coming surfers is, undoubtedly, Erin Brooks. Described as the “barrel and air future of surfing,” the Texas born, Hawaii raised phenom, 16, has been turning heads for the better part of three-ish year and is one of the crown jewels of our modern game. With the Olympics right around the corner, it might be imagined that USA Surfing is thrilled with this prodigious talent, pure Americana, in the stable.
Alas, Brooks has a father who possesses Canadian citizenship and, as of one month ago, she joined him carrying that maple leaf-adorned passport.
Brooks’ bid to surf for Team Canada was initially rejected by The North’s stingy courts.
Per the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation:
In a letter explaining its decision not to grant a “discretionary grant of citizenship,” Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada says Brooks did not meet the requirements.
“The application is refused on the basis that the applicant is not stateless, has not experienced special or unusual hardship or provided services of an exceptional value to Canada which warrants a discretionary grant of Canadian citizenship,” the letter stated.
Well, somehow, someway, and with a potential gold medal glittering, the Canucks found a way to adopt Brooks and now one of the favorites heading to Teahupo’o in under six months will be wrapped in red and white sans blue.
Brooks, equally thrilled, took a moment to run her new citizenship in the face of those slack-jawed yokels who live south of the border.
Again, per the CBC:
Erin Brooks picked up her passport in Vancouver on Jan. 18 to end a two-and-a-half-year fight to become a Canadian citizen and didn’t hesitate to mark the occasion in typical Canadian fashion.
“I went straight to Tim Hortons to get my fix and then grabbed some bags of ketchup-flavoured Lays chips for my flight [that aren’t available in the United States],” the professional surfer recalled in an interview with CBC Sports last week from her training base in Hawaii. “I definitely have some Canadian taste buds.”
Ouch.
Tim Hortons, for those who don’t know is a better version of Denny’s. Ketchup-flavououroured Lays a superior crisp.
And I must admit to being both hurt and envious for have you ever tasted poutine? The French-Canadian delicacy which consists of French fries smothered with brown gravy, sprinkled with cheese curds is maybe by favorite dish ever. Some chefs add spicy sausage. Others add Irish cheddar and bacon. No matter how it is constructed, it is delicious and the fact that Brooks gets to enjoy as a national right stings.
I wish Canada was, currently, bending immigration rules for surf journalists who hate surfing.
Sad face, eh.
Commented on Disqus? Log out, tap the Disqus button, and your old name and comments come back. The box is ours.
Your comments are still here. Every one of them.
Twelve years of BeachGrit comments came across from Disqus. Connect and we will show you how many are yours. We get your username, nothing else.
Connect Disqus to reveal.
You are so right. All of them should have to go live in the place they represent. If they want their cake, go eat it. Live in Canada, Ireland, Brazil, Japan, or wherever. They are all nice places to live. It just seems so unauthentic to say “I represent Brazil” when Tati grew up and lives on Kauai. It’s the chase of fame through the international spotlight of the Olympics. Super lame and not SURF at all. Take the flags off the jerseys and go shred.
law firm of Dewey, Cheatum & How?
Funny how no one is mentioning Cody Young, who is also from Hawaii and a US citizen, competing for the snap frozens in the Olympics (has already qualified). I mean he had the good idea to apply for citizenship way in advance but as if he’s really a canuck.
don’t really care about Brooks switching her citizenship, except if she has dual.
should have to claim one if you are competing for that country’s and give up your other citizenship.
two things:
1. Erin is completely annoying to surf with. hope she moves to Canada.
2. the problem here is that Erin could not get into the olympics in the U.S. competing against her peers, so had to cheat her way in. Daddy brooks has created another self entitled, overly privileged brat who will always think the ends justify the means, which goes back to #1. she is so annoying to surf with.
Agree 100%. This brat is a cheat.
‘annoying’ as in she paddles around you, etc? tbh, not saying you’re wrong, but after hearing Caity say she had paddled out at pipeline a few times pre-contest and not been able to catch a single wave I’m wondering if we can blame some of these young women for being a little over the top in the lineup.
*have not been in the lineup with them, no idea if any of this is legit, just throwing it out there.
annoying like she paddles out and drops in, or she back paddles youand you and she’s a wave hog…and you can’t say anything because she’s this little kid, who’s a girl….and often she comes out when there’s wannabe enforcers that block for her.
I’ve never surfed with erin at pipe, but the reality is that the girls actually have a bit easier time out there if they’re wiling to charge. the guys are always calling girls into waves out there.
If Caity couldn’t catch a wave, it’s because she didn’t put herself into position.
Canada’s national dish is stoner food… considering that during covid Australia ran out of toilet paper, USA ran out of ammo and Canada ran out of weed, it all kinda makes sense now.
Funny how her Dad a little while ago answered they were from Maui when my buddy asked him where they were from when he saw him at Sunset filming her one day. My pal called him out right away as he realized when he heard the name Brooks. Silence after that.
You should have to live in the country full time to represent that country full stop.
Brooks & Done.
finely threaded women’s pant suits…
Needs more Camel bell!
toe me in…no dingy…
Passport requirement: Spend a winter in Tofino or Nova Scotia, see how long she lasts under constant grey or frozen limbs respectively
you’d think.
There’s an opportunity here for her. Just a phone call to Pete Devries away. Put out an edit with Pete. Ingratiate herself with Canadians, and build her brand locally and abroad cause Pete Devries seems like a solid sort. Wins all around.
Surprising the IRCC ignored the fact of her being a seppo when considering the special or unusual hardship test. Thank God the good Justices saw rightly and corrected the IRCC’s obvious misapplication of the law. Is it worth trying poutine? I can buy it in instant form and briefly contemplated doing so recently.
but can she join the ice hockey league too ?
If I don’t get to eat proper Canadian poutine before I die, my life will have been for nothing. I love Gravy. I love Cheese. What’s not to love about it. Chips and gravy is a simple winter pleasure here in Oz so it’s only natural that with the extra cold, another comfort food was added when inventing Poutine. I want it!!
I’ll take you, hold my hand.
Certainly a mystery why one wouldn’t love it
It’s not the same, but not being in Canada, you should try baking a bag of oven fries in the oven until they’re all nice and crispy, pour over a pouch of that ready made gravy from the supermarket then grate cheese all over it before sending it back to the oven to melt and crisp the cheese. Very tasty.
Looks like it’s a layday in the surf journalism world
I’m going back to bed
Looking forward to Erin warming up to Colter Wall records and wearing a cowboy hat.
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
Poutine is a ‘drunken well past midnight’ kinda last resort peasant/derro food, nice when needed.
Tim Hortons is the far superior Canadian equivalent of starbucks (not Denny’s), which started seven years before, and has far more than twice as many Canadian outlets as that inferior internationally well-known ‘ButtFucks’ chain.
My own favourite Canadian foodstuff from 10 and more yrs ago was $10 live lobsters from any Nova Scotian supermarket (or side of the road seller), decent size too.
Or a seafood platter from ‘Johns Lunch’ in Dartmouth.
Heck even McDonald’s sold a lobster roll.
Not a good place to live if you’ve both a seafood addiction and gout though.
(Luckily I still mainly have the seafood addiction, so far…)
P.S.
And of course the ‘DohNairr’ which is really just a big fat juicy doner kebab drenched in sweetened condensed milk based sauce.
(personally I preferred it with regular hot sauce etc)
P.P.S.
Oh yeah, a full Canadian breakfast (at any time of day or night) pissses on the equivalent English and/or American versions, hence a lot of BIG people there haha
poutine in idiocracy of canada? french fries in butt(er).
We all know her alleged love for Canada is bullshit but this is all so painfully scripted. I am officially cheering against her. Good job, team!
“How do you do my fellow Canadians? Let’s go Montreal Maple Leafs!”
A Canadian: south of the border is all the same.
might actually make the meal list if I were being executed
Erin’s great, I’m glad she’s going to rep Canada at Chopes but she def lost some points here forcing the “Gee I’m soo Canaydian!” thing with clearly premeditated snack choices. Next thing she’ll be posting lil clips of herself swigging shots of maple syrup while riding on the back of a moose
Maybe I’m just bitter though because she gets to enjoy the ketchup chips and I do not…