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.
