Caroline Marks

Caroline Marks is an American professional surfer of Greek ancestry. [1] She is a multiple national champion and the youngest female to compete in a World Surf League event. She is the youngest surfer ever to qualify for the women’s Championship Tour.[2] [3]

Caroline Marks
Personal information
Born (2002-02-14) 14 February 2002
Boca Raton, Florida, United States
ResidenceMelbourne Beach, Florida, United States
Surfing career
Best year2nd – 2019
Surfing specifications
StanceGoofy

She competed in the elite (top 16) of the World Surf League[4] and ended 2018 season in 7th place, becoming Rookie of the Year. She was born in Boca Raton, Florida on 14 February 2002[5][6][7] and lives in Melbourne Beach, Florida.[8]

On December 1st, 2019, Caroline qualified as one of the two women of the USA’s first surfing team to compete in the 2020 summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. [9]

Early years

Being the third of six children, Marks grew up in Melbourne Beach, Florida. The house she grew up in had a big backyard with a motorbike-track, halfpipe, and a surf break across the street. [10] She discovered her love of sports, first on horseback through barrel racing. She began surfing when she was 8.[11] Coming from a large family, Caroline and her siblings all support and encourage each other in their individual passions.  When her older brother Zach was 12, he created a social media site for kids called Grom Social. Caroline helped create images and characters for that site to interact with users.  It is now an app available on all mobile platforms and she continues to post on it as her own profile updating users on her adventures and accomplishments.  Likewise, her brother, other siblings and the rest of her family have been a constant presence at her competitions, cheering her on, giving her pointers and shouldering her when she takes home a win.  [12] [13] [14]

Career

In 2018, her first year on tour, she had three third-place finishes in 10 events, was named rookie of the year and finished the season ranked seventh in the world. [15]

In April 2019, at the first event of the WSL Championship tour, Marks defeated seven-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore at the Australian's home break of Duranbah, New South Wales in the quarter-finals of the Boost Mobile Pro Gold Coast. She then continued through the semi-finals beating Malia Manuel from Kauai. In the finals, she defeated three-time world champion Carissa Moore from Oahu, to claim her first WSL event title (beginning the 2019 season as the world's top-ranked female surfer).[16] [17]

She is the first surfer to receive Team USA’s Best of April Award, which recognizes the outstanding achievements of prospective Team USA Olympic athletes. “Caroline is one of those rare athletes that from when she was 12 years old it was obvious that she was going to be world champion,” said USA Surfing head coach Chris Stone. “Not if, but when. To see what she’s doing at 17 years old must be frightening to all her competitors. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her.”[18]

In 2019, she finished second on the WSL Championship tour to Carissa Moore.[19] By finishing second, Marks earned a spot on the team for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, along with Moore.[20]

Junior Event Wins
  • 2015 US Open Jr. Champion
  • 2016 ISA Girls World Champion (U16)
  • 2016 US Open Jr. Champion [21]

Open Event Wins
  • 2015 Volcom World VQS Champion
  • 2x Open Women’s NSSA Champion
  • 6x Surfing America Champion
  • 2x Open Girls NSSA Champion [22]

WSL Qualifying Series Wins
  • 2018 WQS Los Cabos Pro Winner
  • 2018 WQS Florida Pro Winner
  • 2019 WQS Florida Pro Winner [23]

WSL Championship Tour Podiums
  • 2018 WSL Rip Curl Women's Pro: 3rd Place
  • 2018 Vans US Open of Surfing: 3rd Place
  • 2018 Surf Ranch Pro: 3rd Place
  • 2019 WSL Boost Mobile Pro Gold Coast: 1st Place
  • 2019 WSL Rip Curl Women's Pro: 3rd Place
  • 2019 WSL Corona Open J-Bay: 3rd Place [24]
  • 2019 MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal: 1st Place

References
  1. https://www.redbull.com/us-en/caroline-marks-surfs-greece
  2. "Caroline Marks". Red Bull. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  3. "Pro Surfer: Caroline Marks". World Surf League. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  4. "Athletes". World Surf League. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  5. "Pro Surfer: Caroline Marks". World Surf League. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  6. "Caroline Marks Biography, Videos & Photos - Roxy". Roxy.com. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  7. Chen, Jessica Q. "Caroline Marks makes history as a 16-year-old on the WSL Championship Tour". Latimes.com. Retrieved 11 December 2018.
  8. Grossman, Hillard. "Melbourne Beach native wins $100K", Florida Today, vol. 54, no. 24, 9 April 2019, pp. 1A and 8A.
  9. "Carissa Moore, Caroline Marks qualify for U.S. Olympic surfing team" NBC Sports. https://olympics.nbcsports.com/2019/12/01/carissa-moore-caroline-marks-surfing/
  10. "Pro Surfer: Caroline Marks". World Surf League. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  11. "Teenage professional surfer Caroline Marks comfortable with unconventional life". espnW. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  12. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/311204
  13. https://www.espn.com/espnw/life-style/story/_/id/24182570/teenage-professional-surfer-caroline-marks-comfortable-unconventional-life
  14. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/grom-social-ambassador-caroline-marks-110000117.html
  15. "Caroline Marks Is Loving The Ride To Professional Surfing Success And Perhaps The Olympics".
  16. "How To (Nearly) Combo 7x World Champ Stephanie Gilmore At Her Home Break". Stab Magazine. 4 June 2019.
  17. "Day 5 Post Show: Marks Claims First Win, Ferreira Sweeps". World Surf League.
  18. "Caroline Marks is First Surfer to Win Team USA Award". Surfline. 2019-05-08. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  19. "Women's Championship Tour Rankings". World Surf League. Retrieved 2019-12-24.
  20. OlympicTalk (2019-12-02). "Carissa Moore, Caroline Marks qualify for U.S. Olympic surfing team". OlympicTalk | NBC Sports. Retrieved 2019-12-24.
  21. "Caroline Marks Bio". www.ronjonsurfshop.com. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  22. "Caroline Marks Bio". www.ronjonsurfshop.com. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  23. "Pro Surfer: Caroline Marks". World Surf League. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  24. "Pro Surfer: Caroline Marks". World Surf League. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
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