Earlier this month, the surfing community was turned on its head when a 12-year-old claimed four national championships in a single season—an industry record. But Florida native Caroline Marks will be the first to tell you just how shocked she was to earn those titles. After all, the preteen fell into the sport almost by accident.

“I actually used to horseback ride,” Marks said. “But I grew up with the boys. I have four older brothers, so when I saw them out there having so much fun, I decided I wanted to try it too. After that it just clicked, and that one day turned into the rest of my life.”

Marks began her competitive surfing career only a few years ago. After discovering her natural talent at just 10 years old, it only took a year for her to capture the attention of some of surfing’s elite competitors. At 11, Marks was asked to join the Surfing America junior team, a position that she reclaimed again this year. “It was weird,” Marks recounted when asked about being chosen for the travel team. “I had been packing up my stuff after surfing, getting ready to leave, thinking that I didn’t have a shot, and then they called my name! I was super psyched. It was so cool.”

As the youngest member to ever be nominated for the Surfing America team, Marks has traveled the nation, learning from some of her surfing role models like Carissa Moore. “She is just so good,” Marks explained. “I love her style, she is great on both the back and front of the board, and she charges big waves. She just rips so hard, big and small waves. The first time I met her, I was just blown away by how nice she was, as well as her talent.”

Though Marks hopes to emulate Moore’s style in her own surfing, her current style seems to be delivering. “I never thought this would happen, to be honest,” she said. “I never thought I would win this many divisions.”

She claimed her most notable title, the 2014 NSSA Nationals Open Women’s Mayor’s Cup Title, earlier this month. Carried on supporters’ shoulders to receive the award, her win made her only the second 12-year-old in history to win, the other being her idol, Moore. “There’s a board with all the names of the people who recently won [the NSSA title], and you look at the names and there are some amazing surfers,” she said. “Next thing I know, I’m on there! That was probably my favorite thing—getting my name on that board.”

But that was just one of around 30 competitions Marks participated in during the year. She said each has taught her something new and given her a chance to learn from the best, perfecting her craft along the way. Winning was just icing on the cake. “When you go out there and you are with girls that you used to look up to, and now you are competing against them, it’s just crazy.” she said. “But you have to impress the judges, since every surfer is so good, you just have to go for it. The competition is so high, so you really have to do something awesome to stand out. I like doing big turns, throwing a lot of water.”

Even with the success she has had, Marks channels wisdom beyond her years when talking about her future plans. “I would love to be a professional surfer, but I am definitely going to go to school and get a college degree,” she said. “I hope to one day make the world tour, but right now, I’m just getting started, so it’s definitely going to be a journey.”

One thing is for sure; we will likely see a lot more from the young surfer. “Surfing is one of those things—once you catch that first good wave, the feeling is amazing, and after that you are hooked. I think everyone should try it. I love it.”

Check out Marks’ epic win at the 2014 Surfing America Championships:

Image courtesy Grom Social, Inc.