About Rachel Imerese::

• Age: 24
• Where I live: Long Beach, New York
• Where I'm from: Melbourne, Florida

Sport Interests: Surfing, running, and yoga

How I got started with surfing: I have always been active and have always loved to be outside. I grew up at the beach and I rocked the Morey Boogie Board for years as a kid. Growing up in Florida 10 minutes from the same beaches Kelly Slater and CJ surfed, I was always around surfing and started really getting interested in it when I was about 16. I didn't really start surfing until I was about 19 and I was hooked after the first ride.

Athletic achievements: Getting to where I currently am in surfing is a great achievement for me because surfing didn't come naturally to me. I spent a good month just being able to paddle out and sit on my board! Starting Gnarley's Angels: Surf Lessons for Girls! was also a great achievement for me, and I have had a great time with that.

Athletic goals: Improvement! I am always striving to improve my surfing in any way possible and to push myself to go further every session.

Inspiration: Anyone who is having fun in the water, especially free surfers who are surfing just for the love of it, not to win a contest or get recognition. Melanie Bartels and Rochelle Ballard are really pushing the limits of women's surfing and so are a lot of the really young girls out there right now so they are always an inspiration to surf harder and have more fun.

Philosophy: If you're not having fun, it's time to stop for the day and re-evaluate things. AND be positive.

Favorite spot to surf: Jobos in Puerto Rico can get really fun, but I have no one favorite spot. Whenever the waves are fun, and I'm there, that's my favorite spot at the time.

Favorite Girls4Sport wear: The long sleeve rashguard is the best!

What I do when I'm not in the water: Work, run.

Job: Middle school social worker and a family drug counselor

Education: I have a Master's Degree in Social Work from Fordham University and a B.A. in Psychology from University of Central Florida.

Interesting/unusual facts about me: I could eat ice cream all day every day, and I only go running to balance out my ice cream habits.

Photos by Kevin Norris.