Team Profile: Team Brouck Sisters - Maureen & Hortense Brouck
December 12th, 2023
Have you ever relocated to a foreign country for a competition, despite never setting foot there before? This is a Rebelle Rally story of grit, determination, and perseverance by way of Team #117, the Brouck Sisters. The team’s journey to get to the Rebelle defines perseverance, and was the inspiration behind this year’s newly created Perseverance Award. Read on to get to know the team.
The 2023 Rebelle Rally proved to be an unforgettable adventure for many teams, particularly for one international team that embarked on a remarkable quest to this year’s Rebelle Rally start line. Team #117 – The Brouck Sisters (Maureen and Hortense Brouck) discovered the Rebelle five years ago and had their sights set on it ever since. Inspired by their father’s passion for off-roading, the two were determined 2023 would be the year to fulfill their dream of competing.
Despite never visiting the U.S. before, the duo took the first step to the Rebelle (and leap of faith) by relocating to Florida, securing Work Visas at Disney World seven months before the rally, and earning enough to cover their registration fee. They then moved on to Texas where the sisters worked at a children’s camp and saved up enough to buy a competition vehicle. And they procured their third teammate, a 1998 Jeep TJ, from another unlikely source, which the sisters shared with us, “One day we were shopping, we saw this Jeep, and we decided to ask if he would ever be interested in selling it. The gentleman told us no but still took our phone number. The next day, he called us back and told us that he had changed his mind and wanted to sell it to us. We were, therefore, able to buy our Jeep in August, two months before the rally!” Their adventure to the start line continued from there, “During our 23 hours crossing to go to Mammoth, the road lights failed us in the middle of the night, but we continued to drive after half repaired. The trucks warned us with their headlights… So this trip was really an adventure!”
The sister’s passion for off-roading and the rally shone through during their journey and were capped off with some memorable moments throughout the competition, from realizing once they arrived at Mammoth that their Rebelle experience was finally real to an unforgettable marathon leg in Gold Point at a real-life Nevada ghost town, complete with tarantulas. Both Hortense and Maureen faced every challenge with a smile and a laugh. And as the competition unfolded, Rebelle staff witnessed that same unwavering determination that had brought the Brouck sisters to the start line now propelling them through the rally. “Day by day, the team improved, not just in their journey to reach the rally, but also in their performance as they settled into the Rebelle experience and climbed the rankings,” said Rebelle Founder Emily Miller. “This enduring spirit of grit, determination, and perseverance, from the outset to the final stretch, served as our inspiration, leading both myself and the staff to create an award during the competition, inspired by the Brouck Sisters’ special story and their embodiment of the Rebelle spirit. Moral of the story? If they can make it happen, so can you.”
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With the tenacity that the Brouck sisters showed, it was an honor for the Rebelle Rally to award them the Perseverance Award, presented at the 2023 Awards Gala Presented by Jeep – fitting given their third teammate. In its inaugural year, the special award for Perseverance is one of the Rebelle Impact awards that captures the heart required not just to get to and cross the start line, but the finish line of the rally. The Brouck sisters win $2,500.
“This award means a lot to us,” said Maureen and Hortense. “It’s a year of work spent in Florida and Texas far from home and dad. This is our reward for not having given up despite many moments of doubt. It’s the pride of our dad, who came from France to see us at the awards ceremony. We were very surprised and moved to hear our story highlighted during this awards evening, so yes, this award really represents us and our American dream!”
And for the rally Jeep, the story has only just begun. Now that it has belonged to a Texas sheriff and competed in the Rebelle Rally, Maureen and Hortense are ready to take her back to France to continue their adventures.
