Meet Rosie - our Champion Surfer

How we help

Rosie Marks was doing so well in the competitions that she was spotted by Natracare who now sponsor her. We have provided Rosie with new boards and are helping out financially so that she can carry on training and taking part in competitions.

Rosie says…

"The stuff that’s happening to me, like being sponsored by Natracare, is stuff that me and my friends have talked about for years but we never thought it would actually happen. It's like my dreams are actually coming true which is weird because dreams aren't supposed to do that! It’s so easy to over do it; the surf can be a very demanding master, it doesn’t wait for a convenient moment to arrive and it is always feast and famine. When it is flat I keep that feel good factor, I still go for an early morning swim at a pool 10 miles away, and am in the water by 6:30. I also run, although it doesn’t come so naturally, but I do have the use of a local gym and sauna. Fitness is a habit for me, acquired and maintained thanks to my mum”.

Future surfing events

Spring is always a fantastic time for surfers with its light evenings, consistent waves and promise of warm water. Rosie’s commitment to surfing is undiminished but she has had to juggle the responsibilities of important school exams and a job, with time in the water.

In her GCSE exam year, contests were a bit of a problem for Rosie, as they take up a lot of time that isn’t really spare. She got through her first round heat in the English schools contest at Woolacombe but fell ill and was unable to go back the next day. An aim of Rosie’s is to get good enough to handle Croyde, probably the best beach-break in the country, on the bigger and more hollow days, gaining no doubt a certain local respect in the process. This ambition came a step closer recently when the surf reared up to an impressive double head high and cleared the water of the less-than-bold and all other women, and Rosie rode some large waves. Her grin later expressed what this meant to her. Feast it was and she surfed 4 or 5 times over the weekend, then went down with three other school friends for a dawn patrol, having the beach to themselves; running back for a quick change and the school bus. Rosie is now studying for her ‘A’ levels to start on the road to becoming a physiotherapist, so good grades are very important to her. She plans to enter the ‘Jesus Pro-Am’ and British surf contests in 2004 and Natracare wishes her the best of luck.

About Rosie’s surfing

Competitions:

2nd place in the British Schools Championships, under 18s category, Woolacombe, 26/27 th March 2003
4th place in the RIPCURL English Nationals (Juniors/under 18s?), Watergate, 3/4/5 th May 2003

Ranking:

No 2 under 18 female in the UK

Rosie lives just 5 minutes from a beach in Devon, so playing about in the sea has been a lifetime activity. Rosie's family has always spent a lot of time in the water - both her parents were into surfing when they were younger and her Dad, Andy, is as enthusiastic now as he ever was. It was natural that Rosie would get on a board herself as soon as she was old enough. Now she's one of the young female surfers riding the waves and proving that it's not only the boys that can rip.

Starting off 'spongeing' - Rosie moved on to 'stand up' surfing when she was 12. At first she didn't want to enter competitions. Suring’s all about fun and she just wanted to have a good time with her pals. But one of her friends, Kathleen, persuaded Rosie to join her representing their school in the British Schools Championships when she was 14 years old. Rosie came second in that competition and really enjoyed meeting other surfers and taking part in the event.

She then decided to go into the RIPCURL English Nationals in May 2003, competing against girls from all around the country. Rosie's Dad took her and two friends down to Watergate Bay near Newquay in Cornwall for the competition. They had a great time - all the girls who were competing became good friends and had a lot of laughs both in and out of the water. They were also able to meet some of the older surfers like Robyn Davies, one of the UK's top female surfers, and watch them rip. The older surfers were really supportive of Rosie and the girls in her age group, talking to them about their surfing technique and giving them tips to improve their own style and manoeuvres.

Keeping Fit

Staying fit and healthy helps Rosie to keep strong and improve her surfing. She swims 2 or 3 times a week in the mornings before school and also runs occasionally with her friend Katy. But the best training for surfing is surfing, so she tries to get in the water as much as possible - although it's not exactly a chore. If anything, it’s harder for her mum to keep her out of the water and make sure she's done all her schoolwork!

Living so near to the beach allows Rosie to keep a close eye on the surf. When surf's up, Rosie is down on the beach, often at 6.00am in the morning to get 2 hours practice in before school. She also spends a lot of time watching other surfers. Her local beach attracts some of the best surfers so when there's a really bit swell Rosie can watch and see how they handle it.

She surfs all through the winter too. The water's really cold but there's no way she would stay out of it for that long. She has to make sure she's wearing all the right gear so that she doesn't get cold - a good winter wetsuit, boots, gloves, and a hood. It makes it harder to surf but at least she doesn't get too cold. Winter also has its good points as there are fewer people in the water and there's a better swell.

Rosie also tries to eat well and keep to a healthy, balanced diet - plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, and not too much cake and chocolate. This is fairly easy for Rosie anyway because she's lactose intolerant, so she can't eat dairy products.

Rosie's family are a pretty sporty bunch. Both her mum and her grandmother took competitive swimming really seriously; Rosie's mum used to train 10 times a week! And she's still winning medals for swimming now. Her dad and mum both took part in surfing competitions when they were younger and Rosie can remember her mum winning the women's bodyboard competition at the Jesus Surf when she was little. Rosie's younger sister has also won a couple of medals in surf life saving and some rosettes at horse shows.

The Surfing Life

Most of Rosie's friends surf too. Their school bus goes past two surf beaches, so they all look out the windows and go crazy when the surf's up because they've got to go to school. But they can check out the surf on the way back from school too and get straight down to the beach - when they haven't got too much homework to do!

Rosie and her friends encourage each other with their surfing and her friends are really happy that she's done so well in the competitions. When Rosie got into the finals at the competitions they stayed to cheer her on. Although they're competitive when they're out there, they don’t really mind when they get back in.

When they're not surfing Rosie and her friends live down at the beach - even in the winter they spend most of their time there. They go swimming and paddling in the sea and around the rocks. They go rock jumping and take photos along the coast. They also go dune jumping and sand boarding after school.

Time Out

Living in Devon is good for music too - there are some really good bands and singers that play music around the area, so Rosie and her friends watch them play on Friday and Saturday nights. Rosie really loves the area she lives in, she thinks she's very lucky to live there and wants to spend as much time in it as possible. Rosie says she can't go to a city or town for more than a weekend without missing the life and the scenery at home.

The Future

Her only plan at the moment is to try and get as good grades in her exams as possible so that she can keep her options open - and keep surfing and she is looking forward to her next competition in Ireland in October 2004.