Elle Clayton-Brown has had a big year in the water.
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The surfer from Corlette, 15, wrapped up her competition year with a win at the Surf Dive n Ski Australian Junior Surfing Titles, her first time at nationals, this month.
Surfing with friend Nyxie Ryan from Lennox Head, the pair won the under-16 girls school’s all-stars division for NSW.
“My goal this year was to qualify for Aussies and win, and I did,” Elle said.
“This year has been great. Hectic, but great. I’ve surfed more because of pro juniors. This year has been really good for me and my brother Mikey competitively.”
Like his sister, Mikey, 14, is an up-and-comer in the junior surfing ranks. To elevate her ranking and further her career in surfing, this year Elle joined the World Surf League’s Pro Junior Tour.
The tour took Elle up and down the coast throughout the year to places such as Kiama, Bells Beach in Victoria, Avoca, the Gold Coast and Newcastle. Elle’s best result was a ninth finish at the Subway Pro Junior Kiama in April.
Following the Kiama competition, Elle travelled to Coffs Harbour where she took out the under-16 girls division of the Billabong Oz Grom Cup.
Additionally, the teen came second at the 2017 Mattara Classic, held in Newcastle in October. She surfed in a man-on-man final against Phillipa Anderson, a Newcastle surfer tipped to make the championship tour in 2018. Elle only lost to Anderson in the dying stage of the final.
“The first couple of years I was really just learning but this year I took it up a level,” Elle said. “I have so much more confidence in my surfing now, which is really important.”
Following the classic, Elle won a wildcard into the Port Stephens Toyota NSW Pro, held at Birubi Beach for the first time ever in November. In the Women’s QS6000 – the main event – Elle surfed against world No. 7 Sage Erickson from the US.
“That was such a good experience for me,” Elle said. “I was pretty nervous going into it, against the world No. 7. But I went out there to have fun, enjoy it and learn from it. And I did. I was out there and I saw her [Sage] do these huge turns and I just thought to myself ‘this is what I need to be doing’.”
Elle has ended her year ranked 19th on the WSL Pro Junior Tour and 7th in Surfing NSW’s rankings.
Her next pro junior tour competition will be in Victoria on January 13-14.
Ellie-Marie Watts
A journalist with 10 years experience, Ellie-Marie connects readers to the stories that matter in their communities. A Port Stephens-based news, sport and event writer and photographer with a passion for human interest features.
A journalist with 10 years experience, Ellie-Marie connects readers to the stories that matter in their communities. A Port Stephens-based news, sport and event writer and photographer with a passion for human interest features.
