Emilie Uttrup

Years Surfing: 6

Fave Board: @divinesurfboards

Instagram: @emilieuttrup

What/who got you started surfing? As much as we can’t control what happens to us in life, we can control how we choose to deal with things. One day I realized I had been given this second chance and that it was up to me to make the best of it, even if that didn’t involve horses anymore. I didn’t want to be afraid or sad or angry anymore. And while the path I’d imagined for myself since I was a little girl was gone, I wanted to be strong again.

The last seven years have taught me that dreams can change, and that’s okay.

Surfing gave me the opportunity to feel alive again, to travel, to seek new experiences, to connect with new people and go after what I want. It brings me happiness and the ocean is my healer. And ultimately, surfing taught me that it’s not about how many times you fall, it’s about paddling out and trying again.

Check out Emilie’s inspiring  story of recovery in a film by The Inertia here.