At just 19-years-old, Tia Blanco has become one of the most talked about amateurs in women's surfing. Winning both the 2014 under 18 National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) Southwest Women's and Surfing Prime America Women's competitions, Blanco surfs with power and style. As a member of the USA Surfing Team, Blanco took 3rd overall in the 2014 World Juniors. Defending her title, Blanco was the International Surfing Association (ISA) World Games Gold Medalist for the second time and the ISA World Jr. Games Silver Medalist. She is currently working hard to qualify for the World Tour for the first time. In addition to being a highly decorated athlete, Blanco is also an outspoken vegan. Blanco has become an ambassador for the animal rights association, PETA2, and is frequently featured in health media as a role model and athlete. In 2014 she won a PETA "Libby" Award for her service and was voted runner up in the 2015 PETA "World's Hottest Veg Celeb." Blanco is joining forces with The Challenge to benefit St. Jude's Children's Hospital.
