By Rubin E. Grant
Spain Park senior swimmer Ella-Joan Browning is headed to Tennessee on a rowing scholarship, and she has her dogs to partly thank for it.
Shortly after Browning and her family moved from Bloomington, Illinois, to the Altadena Woods neighborhood in Hoover in 2021, she fell down a flight of stairs in their home and injured her ankle.
For her, she said, it was “a defining moment.”
“I had two small dogs, a yorkie and a Maltipoo, and was coming down the stairs with one on my right and one on my left,” Browning said. “They crossed sides, I lost my balance and fell and sprained my ankle.”
Browning injured the anterior talo-fibular ligament in her right ankle and was in a boot for eight months. She went to physical therapy regularly, had ultrasound therapy and even tried acupuncture, hoping the injury would heal without surgery.
But then in March of 2022, she twisted the ankle again, this time tearing the ATFL and calcaneofibular ligament as well as spraining ligaments on the top of her foot. She was forced to have surgery toward the end of her sophomore year.
“It was catastrophic,” her mother, Hillary Browning, said. “They had to cut some ligaments and put in some internal braces. She had to fight to get back. She literally had to learn to walk again. She couldn’t swim.”
“I was out of the water for 12 weeks,” Ella-Joan Browning said. “I wasn’t able to kick or push off the wall.”
Browning began rowing, hoping to stay in shape for “what I thought was going to be my future collegiate swimming career,” she said.
‘It was at that moment I discovered my passion,” she continued. “I am very thankful for my dogs because, if I hadn’t tripped over them, I never would have.”
Browning began reading books and watching videos to learn more about rowing. She vigorously worked out on a rowing machine at home and eventually joined the Lake Purdy Rowing Association to receive some professional coaching in the sport.
“Meeting everyone on Lake Purdy, especially Jackie Major, a former Olympian, helped me further develop my love for rowing,” Browning said. “They have also played a part in making me a stronger and better rower than I ever thought I could be.”
Rocky Top Beckons
Browning didn’t realize rowing was a college sport until someone from the University of Alabama rowing program contacted her last year.
“I had seen rowing races at the Olympics, but I didn’t think about it for college,” Browning said. “Alabama reached out to me and that caused me to really think about it for college.”
She went to Tuscaloosa to watch Alabama practice, and, she said, “I actually fell in love with rowing.”
Alabama recruited Browning extensively. She also considered programs at Florida, Texas, Indiana, Oregon and Washington.
“I visited Oregon and Washington over the summer last year, but I had to wear a sweater because it was somewhat cold,” she said. “It was gorgeous out there, but I don’t like cold weather.”
Finally, Tennessee rowing coach Kim Cupini contacted Browning and invited her to come to Knoxville for a visit.
During her recruiting trip, the first thing that stood out to Browning was the time of the Vols’ practice.
“They start at 7:30 a.m.,” Browning said with a bit of fervor in her voice. “I’m a swimmer and I’m used to being in the water at 5 a.m., so that was amazing to me that I could sleep in a little longer.”
Browning also was impressed with coach Cupini and the women on the Vols’ team.
“They’re a great group of girls,” she said. “They’re more of a family. It’s more about we than me.”
So, on Feb. 7, Browning made it official that she would head to Rocky Top, signing with the Vols. She is one of a handful of athletes from the state who signed rowing scholarships. She will become the only rower from Alabama on Tennessee’s roster, which includes several international rowers from New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Scotland.
“When I go to Tennessee, I just want to be able to show them how much I can improve while also supporting my teammates and pushing them to improve as well,” Browning said. “Rowing is a team sport and the only way you will see improvement is if you push yourself and your teammates.”
Leaving the Pool Behind
Browning’s decision means she won’t become a collegiate swimmer, forgoing the family’s sport on her mother’s side.
“I’m a former swimmer,” Hillary Browning said.” My dad was a swimmer and my mom was a swimmer. I didn’t swim in college, but I was an assistant coach at Illinois Wesleyan and I had a swim team.”
Ella-Joan Browning’s older brother Austin swam for Spain Park, and she has an uncle and aunt who were competitive swimmers.
Browning has been a member of the Spain Park swimming team the past three years. In her final state meet in December, she had two top 10 finishes in Class 6A-7A competition in the 200-meter freestyle and 500-meter freestyle at the 2023 AHSAA State Championships at the James E. Martin Aquatics Center at Auburn. She came in ninth in the 500 free and 10th in the 200 free.
In the girls 400-yard freestyle relay, Browning, Carrie Corgill, Anna Grace Lynch and Josie Corgill led Spain Park to a third-place finish to reach the podium.
“She’s a phenomenal swimmer,” Hillary Browning said. “It’s something she’s been doing since childhood.”
While Hillary Browning will miss going to swim meets to watch her daughter perform, she’s pleased that she will have a chance to row in college.
“Since I’m a former swimmer, it’s sad that she won’t be a swimmer,” Hillary Browning said. “Rowing is not something we expected. She had a devastating injury and discovered a whole new passion. I’m immensely proud of her.”
Spain Park swimming coach Anna Siegfried is eager to see what Browning does as a rower at the next level.
“She’s an amazing leader,” Siegfried said. “Rowing is more of an up and coming sport in the South. A lot of Ivy League schools have it. It’s especially good for swimmers who are built for it with the wider and broader shoulders that rowers need.
“I think Ella will do great at Tennessee. It’s going to be great to see how she flourishes in rowing. I am so excited for her.”
Browning doesn’t plan on taking her dogs (the Maltipoo died and she now has a yellow lab to go with the yorkie) with her to college, but she hopes to take one of her four cats, if it’s allowed.
“The cat I plan on taking with me is named Tennessee Whiskey,” she said. “I threw the Tennessee in his name because I am rowing for Tennessee.”
Browning plans to study recreational therapy and business in college in hopes of one day owning her own company. She also has designs on becoming an Olympic rower.
“I would love to go to the Olympics,” she said. “I believe I can get there if I keep improving.”