The festival, dedicated to celebrating women in surfing and various other sports, attracted thousands of enthusiastic spectators. They soaked up the pleasant weather while cheering on the competitors, all vying for the coveted Super Girl Cape.

Among the standout performers was Lanea Mons, a promising 16-year-old surfer from Jacksonville. Having honed her skills on these very waves since the age of 10, Mons has become a familiar figure in the local surfing scene.

“When this contest first came to my hometown a couple of years ago, I was just a young girl,” Mons reflected. “Seeing all these incredible women surfing was incredibly inspiring. Now, we have a really strong community of young girls eager to get out there and ride the waves.”

“When this contest first came to my hometown a couple years ago, I was a young girl too, and seeing all these amazing women like surfing waves was super inspiring, and I can see now like we have a super good community of younger girls you’re getting out there,” Mons said. 

Mons credits her local roots and early training at Thompson Surf School for fueling her love of the sport.

“I’ve always been at the beach, I always lived at the beach and then I went to a surf camp right here called Thompson Surf School and fell in love with it, and I’ve been surfing ever since.” she said.

Event organizers emphasized the festival’s role in empowering female athletes and inspiring the next generation.

“So we have 2500 women here from 11 different sports that are gonna be competing and it’s really just like a supportive environment. We’re women just showing everybody else like there’s no limits, like I can accomplish anything and it is a big event here in the community too because there’s nothing else like it.” Event Director Rick Bartman said.

Mons hopes that events like the Super Girl Surf Pro will continue to inspire more women to take up surfing and compete at a high level.

“A lot of people view it as a more male-dominated sport, but I feel like presently the women’s side of surfing is progressing so fast. I think it’s way more exciting to watch than the guys right now and I think you know if you love it just like get out there spend time in the ocean. Be grateful for it. Love the ocean, love the beach, love the land, if you really love it surf as much as you can,” she said.

The Super Girl Surf Pro continues to grow each year, highlighting not only the athleticism of women in surfing but also the supportive community surrounding the sport here on the First Coast.