Surfer Caroline Marks was just 11 years old when she began beating out the big kids, winning her own age category as well as the Under-14 and Under-16 divisions. She quickly became the youngest surfer to land a spot on the U.S. national team and at 12 tied the record as the youngest-ever women's champion in the National Scholastic Surfing Association Open.
This season, she's landed a covetable spot competing against the best in the world in the World Surf League Championship Tour. And she's only 16 years old.
While traveling the world for surfing competitions isn't exactly the stuff of a typical teenage life, a great playlist can help to keep her grounded.
"I don't always listen to music before I'm about to compete or surf," she said. "But when I do, 'The Greatest' by Sia is on repeat. I absolutely love the words to this song. It gets me in a happy mindset -- confident and ready to take on whatever I'm facing."
For day-to-day training, Marks prefers rap.
"My go-go song when I'm training is 'Trophies' by Young Money and Drake," she said. "I like more upbeat songs when I'm about to train. It's crazy what a song can do to your mood, so for me this song gets me hyped!"
