Four years ago, Erin Brooks was nine years old. She had just moved to Hawaii from Boerne, a little town in the middle of Texas with about 10,000 residents, and life was very different. But as soon as she started surfing, the spark was undeniable. Soon, she starting taking surf trips from her home on the North Shore to Kauai, where she met Bethany Hamilton’s brother. Then, she got a surf coach who had coached Bethany Hamilton. And then, she met Bethany. Now, four years later, Bethany and Erin are at very different points in their surfing journey, but they’re both examples of how two generations of surfers can be similar.
“I’m pumped for women’s surfing as a whole,” said Bethany. “The progression is what I’d expect with the next generation and the inspiration they have now! They are gonna rock it and have so much fun!”
Hamilton and Brooks recently took a trip to Waco, Texas, the unlikely site of one of the world’s most famous waves. And by the looks of things, they had a good time. Brooks signed her very first contract with Rip Curl under the watchful eye of Bethany, and now, the master and the apprentice are officially teammates.
