Cruel story behind Coast surfer’s absence at Pro

Her years couldn’t have gotten off to a better start ... until this happened.

ELLIE Brooks’ 2019 couldn’t have gotten off to a better start.

Last month the 22-year-old was named the 2020 Global Wave conference youth ambassador and was handed the solo wildcard entry into the Boost Mobile trails at Snapper Rocks just two days later.

But disaster struck on the day of her trial on Tuesday.

“I was down at Snapper doing an interview with Sally Fitzgibbons and she was already in her wetsuit so I thought I should go and get changed,” she said.

“I was running up the hill there to go to the bathroom and there was a hole covered by grass that I fell into.

“My foot landed on a broken pipe and went straight through.”

SIX HUGE PRO MOMENTS OVER THE YEARS

With her heat less than an hour away, Brooks was determined not to let slip a golden chance at making her professional circuit debut on home turf.

“My partner and I cleaned it out and taped it up,” she said.

“I didn’t want to miss out on potentially making it.

“My coach worked with me on the mental side of it but it’s always been my dream to get in even though my foot was getting worse and worse.

“I made a few mistakes so it wasn’t just my foot.”

Gold Coast surfer Ellie Brooks won’t compete at the Boost Mobile Pro after injuring her foot just an hour before her trial.. Picture: SURFING QLD

After finishing third in her heat and being knocked out, the born-and-bred Gold Coaster went straight to hospital where the full extent of her injury was revealed.

“I found out I had knicked a tendon and needed stitches,” she said.

“The stitches will come out in around 7-10 days but it will probably take me 2 weeks to fully recover.”

HOW SURFER IS BREAKING NEW GROUND

Brooks spent the remainder of the competition watching on after a cruel injury robbed her of her world debut.

“It’s been a dream of mine forever and I can’t comprehend how much it will mean to me when I get there,” the Coolangatta local said.

A potential professional debut isn’t the only thing Brooks injury has impacted.

“I’ve recently been doing stunt double work for a television series and surfing for it which has been really fun,” she said.

“We went and surfed in the huge cyclone Oma swell and they just called me to see if I could do a three day shoot but I can’t because I’ll be out of the water with my injury.”