Rell Sunn

Born: 1950
From: Okaha, Oahu, Hawaii
Known for: Pioneer for women's surfing

Biography

Rell Sunn began surfing at the young age of 4 years old. She started surfing competitively at 14 years old. During this time period, there were not many surfing events for women so she frequently competed against other males her age. While she was in college at the University of Hawaii, she became the first female lifeguard in Hawaii in 1975. At 16 years old, she won the Hawaiian junior championships for surfing and late that year she was invited to the world championships for surfing. She placed 3rd in 1975 Lancers cup. In 1976, she created her own surf contest called 'Rell Sunn Menehune Surf Contest' in Makaha. Her work with surfing in Hawaii kept a lot of the children doing something positive with their lives. She surfed in the 1st year of professional women's surfing 1977 and ended the year ranked 6th in the world. From 1978-1985, she stayed in the top 8 and finished 3 in '79 and '82. She was called the 'Queen of Makaha.' In 1979, she helped form the women's professional surfing association. A film was made about her life called the 'Heart of Sea.' She spent most of her life trying to spread the good word about surfing all across the globe. She even worked with Surfer magazine to bring surfing to China. She welcomed people freely into her home that were searching for a purpose in their life. She often helped trouble find their way. In 1983, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. This did not stop her from surfing. She kept surfing and enjoying life as much as possible. She struggled with breast cancer for 15 years and died in 1998. She was 47 years old. Over 3000 people attended the funeral in Hawaii.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rell_Sunn

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