| Five
Minutes with Brittani Nicholl: JettyGirl
Visits with One of Australia's Finest Young Surfers
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Photos by Chris Grant
BRITTANI
NICHOLL
BrittaniNicholl.com
"Mum
and Dad have always supported
me in everything I do. They
get a lot of enjoyment from
watching me surf and progress.
They also get the bonus of
spending a lot of time with
me, which they love.
--Brittani
Nicholl
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Within
ten minutes of meeting Brittani and her
parents, I felt like they were family. In
an industry based largely on self-centeredness
and idol worship, the Nicholls are real,
down-to-earth, awesome people. Our walks
down to Lowers weren't filled with awkward
silence but with genuine stories of life
back home, of Brittani's challenges of living
with Crohn's Disease, and the comparing
of notes between Australian and American
culture.
Brittani Nicholl is
a fantastic surfer and is one of Australia's
most promising young talents. She's gifted
with an ultra-smooth style and she hits
the lip with such speed that I had trouble
focusing fast enough to capture her in a
photo. After you've had a chance to read
her interview, be sure and check out the
video
of Britt ripping on Australia's Tweed
Coast. --Chris Grant
JettyGirl:
Your website states that you grew up in
Cabarita Beach on the North Coast of Australia.
What's your hometown like?
Brittani Nicholl: It's a coastal town with
a population of about 3000-4000. It can
be pretty busy at times and in the water,
but you soon learn to deal with it. There's
a good little bakery down the road, and
there is a main street with a few shops
and services. It's a good stretch to live
on, as there are beachbreaks pretty much
all along the coast, and quite a few point
breaks, all within minutes of each other.
We have a good steady climate most the year
round. There's no place like home.
JG:
You spent quite a bit of time in Southern
California this summer, how is life here
different than back home?
BN: I loved my time spent over in Southern
California, we had good waves and a swell
which made it so much better, and also had
a great photographer who spent his whole
day in the water with me kicking his little
legs a hundred miles per hour. I found the
people, friendly and polite. I felt comfortable
over there and it wouldn't be too hard to
adjust to their way of living and lifestyle.
Everything over there is soo much bigger
then at home, big cars, big signs, and huuuuge
food portions!! Also, it seems there is
always something going on, and things are
always happening ...everything seems so
fast paced.
JG:
While in the US, did you take any interesting
side trips anywhere? If so, please share
a memory or two...
BN: I did take a few side trips. We had
lunch in Venice where we saw some interesting
sites. We called in to Morro Bay for a quick
stop and look around, it seemed like a nice
little fishing area. We headed off North
for five days or so and drove up to San
Francisco, stopping a night in at Santa
Barbara and Santa Cruz along the way. I
really liked Santa Barbara, it's a nice
area ...although there was no swell the
further we headed North. Even with lack
of swell, we still saw a contest at Santa
Cruz where they were wearing booties and
steamers. I honestly didn't know what they
were surfing because there weren't any waves.
The surfers were sitting behind a rock waiting
for the guys up on the cliff to call them
into a set which was no more then a 2-foot
bump.
San Francisco was
pretty hectic and after doing the touristy
thing there, we went on to Las Vegas and
spent a night there after driving endless
hours along the heated desert! It was pretty
amusing when we saw a sign saying, "Turn
off air conditioning, as this may cause
overheating." It would have been pretty
bad to be stuck out there in the middle
of nowhere on the side of the road in 50-degree
(equivalent to your 120) heat! Las Vegas
was cool, there were casino's everywhere,
as well as the people lined up in the street
trying to hand you 'girlie' cards. They
hassle you as much as the people on the
streets in Bali! We also did Disneyland
whilst we were over there which was a bit
of fun.
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JG:
People who watched you ripping our local beaches
this summer wouldn’t be able to tell by
watching you, but you’ve had Crohn's disease
for a good part of your life. For those of us
that don’t know, what is Crohn's disease?
BN: Yes, I've had Crohn's Disease for 12 years
now, and after major surgery in late 2007, I've
ended with an ileostomy bag, which I've had for
just over 2 years now.
Crohn's Disease is an inflammatory
bowel disease which can affect both the small
and large intestine, also any part of the digestive
tract. The inflammation extends deep into the
lining of the affected organ, causing ulceration.
In my case this lead to bleeding, vomiting, fevers
and night sweats, abdominal pain, diarrhea and
loss of appetite, causing severe weight loss and
fatigue.
After receiving the ileostomy bag, I've had none
of these symptoms and have been living a normal
and healthy life.
JG:
We met your parents over the summer and they’re
awesome ...driving you places, taking Lowers trips,
and filming all of your surf sessions. Were they
athletes when they were younger too? How has their
support helped you as you try to achieve your
goals in surfing?
BN: Hahaha, Dad just laughed ...saying that he
'still' is an athlete! (He likes to think so).
Both mum and dad were athletes when they were
younger. Mum was a competitive runner, she also
liked to skate down big hills (and fall off),
as well as have a bit of fun on a motorbike. Dad
was a keen soccer player, and was still playing
up until a few years ago. I played in an indoor
cricket team with him last year which was fun,
he also used to play rugby league and was a keen
golfer, surfer, skater and motorbike rider himself...dad
was pretty talented in most the things he participated
in, he 'was' a good surfer back in the day but
just doesn't get in the water much anymore.
Mum and dad have always
supported me in everything I do. They get a lot
of enjoyment from watching me surf and progress.
They also get the bonus of spending a lot of time
with me, which they love. They film and help coach
me as well. Seeing myself surf back on a screen
has been the best tool in helping me to advance
my surfing. They've said that if I wasn't doing
this kind of sport, they would have saved a lot
of money, but they also wouldn't have seen a lot
of the places that they now have.
Watch
Brittani surf 
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JG:
You’ve produced some nice surf video
clips of yourself, one of which ended up here
on JettyGirl as well as being shown on Surfline.
How did you get into editing video and is
that something you’d like to continue
pursuing?
BN: Yes, thank you to the people behind putting
my clip up on those sites. Over the years
I've been surfing I've always enjoyed the
media side of things with the filming and
video editing. When my parents started filming
I liked that I could watch it back on the
tv, but after a while I thought it'd be cool
to start playing around with it and whip up
a few clips. All the stuff I've done is self
taught, I just pick things up as I go. |
I studied Multimedia in
my last years at school and did a film for my
major project in year 12 which got me high marks,
although it was unfinished due to me ending up
in the hospital for surgery.
I completed a 6-month course
last year in Graphic Design, which was good, but
I find that I still enjoy the filming and editing
more. I'm currently in the middle of a course
of just that, Filming, Editing and Animation.
Both of these courses are based around the surf,
skate and snow industries, which has given me
more of an insight into what goes on behind the
scenes. I'd like to continue pursuing things in
this direction, it's something I enjoy doing in
addition to my surfing and competing. I mean most
of the time I've got my camera on me, so it's
good to edit some stuff whilst I'm away and when
times of boredom strike.
JG:
Some quick favorites... Favorite food?
BN: Favorite Food - Magnum Ego.
JG:
Reading material?
BN: Reading Material - Lance Armstrong,
"It's Not About The Bike."
JG:
Color?
BN: Some people may think 'pink', but it's actually
bluey/green, kind of aqua but not.
JG:
Animal?
BN: Small dog.
JG:
Favorite surfer while you were a grom?
BN: Favorite Surfer back in the day - I can't
really remember to be honest, but I do look up
to Lance Armstrong.
JG:
Surfing maneuver?
BN: Power carve.
JG:
Wave?
BN: Home.
JG:
Any parting thoughts, goals, props or thank you’s?
BN: Being a good person, keeping healthy
and enjoying my surfing are my main priorities,
I'm just going to continue what I'm doing and
take life as it comes, one day at a time.
A big thank you to Brett
and Shelby Detmers for accommodating us and being
great friends, as well as Kurtis from Kurtis Goggles
for taking the time and effort to come down and
hang out. Also, a massive thank you to Chris Grant
who kicked and kicked and kicked to get some great
shots!
Thanks to the guys from
Futures - Tim and Vince. Shaddy from Electric.
Megan from Billabong. Mick and Adam, for believing
in what I do and who I am. Surfline and JettyGirl.
Special Note:
For more information about Crohn's Disease, please
visit Living
with Crohn's Disease or Crohn's
Online
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