Savannah Shaughnessy charges harder than you do.
The 23-year-old Santa Cruz surfer recently received recognition for her hell-woman status as a 2012 nominee of the Billabong XXL Girls Performance Award.
The journey has brought her into close contact with her heroes and pushed her from one life-threatening situation to the next. But more than the glory, Shaughnessy is chasing the sweet reward of reaching her full potential.
After pushing the limits of paddle-in surfing at Puerto Escondido's Mexican Pipeline last summer, Shaughnessy charged the 2012 winter season at Mavericks with fearless abandon. Her performance at Mavs was recognized at the Mavericks Big Wave Invitational's closing ceremonies when Shaughnessy was presented with the Top Female Performance of the Year Award. In August of last year, Shaughnessy was the only female competitor at the Mexican Pipeline Tube Ride Invitational.
