Caroline Marks is first surfer to win Team USA “Best of” Athlete Award

San Clemente, California (May 7, 2019) – Caroline Marks became the first surfer to win the United States Olympic Committee’s Team USA “Best of April” award, which recognizes the outstanding achievements of prospective Team USA Olympic athletes. 
 
USA Surfing has known Marks since her first competitive surfing years. She was the youngest surfer to qualify for the WSL Championship Tour while she was still competing in USA Surfing Prime Series events.
 
“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.”
 
As the youngest surfer on tour, 17-year-old Marks won the first event of the World Surf League season and placed third in the second event to clinch the No. 1 spot in the world rankings. Her powerful, slashing backhand turns destroy wave faces and demonstrate an athleticism well beyond her years. 
 
“Caroline came out of the gate swinging,” said USA Surfing junior national coach Brett Simpson. “She’s clearly made a lot of headway in the off-season. Her boards and confidence are through the roof. She’s definitely caught the eyes of the surfing world… and her competitors!”
 
Marks is one of the hardest-working athletes in surfing, putting in countless hours to hone her sport. She was named Rookie of the Year last year and is an excellent representative for the sport. She recently told Refinery29 magazine, “why be normal when you can make a difference in the world? I don't really want to be a follower, I want to be a leader. I want people to do what I'm doing."

About the Team USA Awards
Each National Governing Body may nominate one female, one male and one team per discipline. An internal nominating committee selects five nominees from both the male and female categories, and three from the team category to advance to the voting round. Votes received from NGB representatives and select members of the media account for 50 percent of the final tally, with the other half determined by online fan voting via TeamUSA.org/Awards.
 
Contact: Becky Fleischauer, 302-588-0671, becky (at) usasurfing (dot) org