Brown herself is equally passionate about surfing and, after missing Olympic qualification only narrowly this summer, very much intends to create another slice of history four years from now in Los Angeles by competing in two separate sports. “I love LA, I live in LA, and so I think it’s a really good chance for me to qualify for both and get two gold medals for Britain,” she says. “People say it’s not possible to do both but that just puts an even bigger fire in my heart to prove them wrong.”
Like skateboarding, it is the wider culture of surfing – and how you learn while socialising and playing with friends – that she most enjoys.
“I don’t really like to go skating and surfing alone, I like having a crew with me that pushes me to skate and surf,” Brown says. “I feel like we make memories that way. Yes, I do have tricks that can be scary, tricks I’ve got to do for a contest, new tricks I want to learn, but it pushes me when I’m with my friends and makes it more efficient. It’s like my playground.
“I like to get up at five-ish and be the first one into the ocean. Come back, eat, do some school, then go skateboarding. If the weather is still good, I’m back in the ocean hanging out with my friends and then I have dinner with my family.
“I still do teenage stuff. I love getting girly, love hanging out with my non-skating and surfing friends. I do miss a little bit not going to school, but a lot of my best friends are competing and travelling the world.
“I’m aiming for my dream and having a lot of fun. Tokyo was amazing. We put on a really big show, but since then skate-boarding has grown and the gender gap has closed. I can’t wait to show the level skateboarding is at now.”
