Chelsea Tuach surfed her way to a quarterfinals finish at the 2021 Jacksonville event. Photo: Super Girl Pro
Editor’s Note: This feature is presented by our partners at Super Girl Pro.
The second-largest, all-female surf event in the world (the first being the Super Girl Surf Pro Oceanside) is about to go down at the Jacksonville Beach Pier in Florida. November 11-13 – that’s this weekend – 90 of the best female surfers in the world will gather to compete and celebrate women in action sports at the Air Force Super Girl Surf Pro Jacksonville, along with 12 live concerts, fitness classes, panel discussions on female leadership and sustainability, and much more, all free to the public.
Last year, Jacksonville saw up-and-coming surfer Alyssa Spencer take home top honors and the Super Girl Cape, with Florida-born, U.S. Olympian Caroline Marks finishing as the runner-up in rippable surf that produced a number of nine and ten-point rides. This year, the Oceanside event also saw Caroline Marks finish runner-up, this time to Sawyer Lindblad of San Clemente, who edged out the defending Oceanside Super Girl Surf Pro champion in the last minutes of the final. As the event returns to Florida this weekend, there’s no doubt Caroline will be hungry to retake her status as defending champion.
Other top pros set to compete in Jacksonville include Sage Erickson, Moana Jones Wong, Luana Silva, Caitlin Simmers, and Samantha Sibley, who have all either earned their own Super Girl capes in the past, or come tantalizingly close. The women’s longboard competition will also take place at Jacksonville after a successful showing in Oceanside this year that saw Rachael Tilly take home her first Super Girl Cape after defeating Honolua Blomfield in the final.
Sawyer Lindblad made history this year as the youngest ever to win a Super Girl event. Photo: Super Girl Pro
That being said, there’s a lot more to the Super Girl events than just surfing. The Super Girl Series is centered around promoting female empowerment, inclusion, and equality by providing opportunities and inspiration for young women to participate in traditionally male-dominated areas of interest. This weekend, Jacksonville will also host the Super Girl Gamer esports tournament, an all-female DJ competition, pro skateboarding, female comedy, and a mentorship program with Caroline Marks. The Super Girl Concert Series will return as well, hosting star acts Smash Mouth, Matisyahu, Less Than Jake, The Expendables, Kira Kosarin, and others. Beach activities like soccer, volleyball and lacrosse as well as free classes classes on fitness, yoga, wellness, and more round out the roster.
“We are thrilled to have such an exciting and diverse lineup of activities at the event in addition to world-class surfing,” said Rick Bratman, CEO of ASA Entertainment, the event’s producer. “The Air Force Super Girl Surf Pro is not only a showcase for the top-ranked surfers in the world, but also a springboard to help launch surf careers and provide unmatched mentorship between pros and newcomers. We can’t wait to get back to Jacksonville Beach!”
Sage Erickson spends time with fans. Photo: Super Girl Pro
“Super Girl embodies the individual, and what they believe in and their passion for it,” said Sage Erickson.
“This cape means so much to me,” Alyssa Spencer agreed after her win at Jacksonville. “It’s so cool to come full circle. Since I was a little girl I’ve been watching these events and following the girls who won them, and now I’m one of those girls. So I just hope to inspire another one of those little girls to know they can do the same thing one day too.”
The Air Force Super Girl Surf Pro is focused on celebrating women, but any and all genders are welcome, so get down to Jacksonville Beach Pier for some weekend fun and to show your support. And if you can’t make it, be sure to tune in at Supergirljax.com.
