A showcase of women's empowerment and putting the spotlight on their action sports, gaming, music, and more, the Super Girl Pro series continues to provide that platform into 2024. Oceanside, California has set the stage for the Qualifying Series (QS) contenders at the Nissan Super Girl Surf Pro presented by CELSIUS since 2012 and a new edition begins September 20 through 22.
Some of the sport's iconic names including five-time WSL Champion, Olympic Gold Medalist, Carissa Moore, eight-time WSL Champion Stephanie Gilmore, Southern California staples Courtney Conlogue, Lakey Peterson, Sage Erickson, and many more have claimed the coveted Super Girl capes and are now joined by the next generation of women's stars such as Alyssa Spencer and Sawyer Lindblad.
This year, a heavy-hitting lineup is set to storm the Oceanside Pier arena but only one will emerge victorious. So, who's in?
Alyssa Spencer
Dreams become reality through the Nissan Super Girl Surf Pro and Alyssa Spencer is a living embodiment of that. This was the first QS event a young pre-teen Spencer attended and the rest is history. From winning on the Super Girl in Jacksonville, Beach in 2022 to then winning in 2023 at Oceanside where she first competed, Spencer then went on to qualify for the Championship Tour to become a 2024 rookie. Now, Spencer looks to add her name to Super Girl history as the first to go back-to-back in Oceanside since the event became a QS.
Spencer joined the likes of Samantha Sibley, Lindblad, Conlogue, and Peterson as star-studded SoCal competitors to rock the Super Girl cape.
Keala Tomoda-Bannert
Already claiming one Super Girl cape on the East Coast in 2023, Keala Tomoda-Bannert went on to win the Hawaii/Tahiti Nui QS Regional trophy and join the 2024 Challenger Series elite. Now, the Kauai, Hawaii, competitor looks to add her name alongside Spencer and 2023 WSL Champion Caroline Marks with a win n both both coasts.
Fellow Kauai competitor and QS veteran Brianna Cope also returns to the jersey in search of her first Super Girl cape.
Zoe Benedetto
A perennial threat to the Super Girl cape, Zoe Benedetto already has multiple QS victories under her belt including multiple East Coast wins, a California win, and Caribbean win. But, the Nissan Super Girl Surf Pro title has eluded the 19-year-old so far as she looks to change that this weekend. Benedetto's QS success continues to also put her on the Challenger Series where she begins to find more success each season and looks to build on that heading into Oceanside before returning to the Challenger Series elite.
Benedetto's fellow East Coast threats Lanea Mons, Kylie Pulcini, Alana Lopez and more are also inbound for Oceanside success.
Vaihitimahana Inso
The Hawaii/Tahiti Nui region continues to produce incredible talents and Vaihitimahana Inso is one of the newest to join the conversation. At just 16, Inso already has a building resume that includes a QS win earlier this year and an ISA Junior Gold Medal. Now, the current regional No. 1, Inso, heads back to an event that she's been attending since she began competing in 2021.
A plethora of Inso's fellow Hawaii/Tahiti Nui contenders including Eweleiula Wong, Zoe McDougall, Kohai Fierro, Moana Jones Wong, and many more look to bring Hawaii/Tahiti Nui its first Oceanside win since 2018.
Chelsea Tuach
The first Barbadian to join the CT, Chelsea Tuach was part of an elite international field leading up to the new format of regional QS events and now maintains her place as an event threat each year. Tuach's Finals Day attendance record in Oceanside includes multiple appearances with a Quarterfinal her top result. Now, Tuach, is joined by fellow fellow Barbadian Chelsea Roett and an international field that includes formidable opponents Leilani McGonagle of Costa Rica, current No. 1 Sanoa Dempfle-Olin of Canada, and more seeking the 2024 title.
Sage Erickson
The two-time Super Girl Surf Pro victor Sage Erickson is back in the jersey, this year as the event wildcard, as the former CT star brings her great energy and inspiration to Oceanside. Erickson's incredible career includes multiple major victories among the CT and top-level QS events, including the 2019 US Open of Surfing title as well as the 2012 and 2014 Super Girl Surf Pro. Now, Erickson makes a major return to shakeup the emerging talents in attendance and let her competitive prowess shine.
Stay tuned for more beginning September 20 through 22 and watch LIVE beginning Saturday, September 21, at worldsurfleague.com.