Caroline Marks Wins Olympic Gold Medal, Brings Back Memories for Friday Night Locker Room’s Steve Wilson
By Steve Wilson // August 7, 2024
In 2016 Marks Supported local Merritt Island Girl battling cancer
In 2023, Caroline Marks won the World Surf League Women’s World Tour Championship. And now, she has won a gold medal at the 2024 Olympics. However, to me, she will always be the 14-year-old girl that supported a friend of mine that was battling cancer. (Image: Red Bull)
Related Story:MARKS STRIKES OLYMPIC GOLD! Space Coast Native Talks About Her Stunning Victory, ‘It’s Beyond All My Wildest Dreams!’
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Poet Maya Angelou is credited with saying, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
In 2016, Caroline Marks made me feel good. She, and her brother Luke, took the time to give words of encouragement to a local teenage cancer patient.
Marks won the Gold medal for Team USA in women’s surfing this week at the 2024 Summer Olympics, and it brought back fond memories for me of the Marks family.
I will admit that I don’t know a lot about surfing. I find it interesting to watch, but have never surfed, myself.
When Merritt Island resident Julie Spurlock was diagnosed with cancer for the second time, I contacted multiple individuals from all over the world and asked for video clips of support for the teenager.
One of those I reached out to was Caroline Marks. It was no time before I received, not only a video clip of support from Caroline, but one from her brother, Luke, as well.
It made me feel good to know that Caroline and Luke took the time to do this. Neither of them knew me or Julie, but to them, it did not matter. They both wanted to help a young person in need.
WATCH: In 2016, Caroline Marks, now an Olympic Gold Medalist, sends a video clip of support for teenage cancer patient, Julie Spurlock. Marks was 14 years old at the time she sent the video. Clips like this helped Spurlock beat cancer twice!
In 2019, when Marks was in Brevard County for a surfing tournament in Sebastian, I had the opportunity to meet her in person, conduct an interview, and thank her for supporting Julie. Marks was on the verge of becoming a superstar, but you would never know it. She was incredibly nice.
Marks’ career has been nothing short of spectacular! She has won multiple national tournaments and is the youngest surfer to ever compete in a World Surf League event.
In 2023, she won the World Surf League Women’s World Tour Championship. And now, she has won a gold medal in the 2024 Olympics. After winning the gold medal, Marks posted on her Instagram account, “Dreams come true. All glory to God.”
So much has happened to her since she sent me her video clip eight years ago.
But to me, Marks will always be the 14-year-old girl that supported a friend of mine. Maya Angelou was right. I don’t remember exactly what Caroline Marks said in 2016, but I know she made me feel good. And more importantly, she made Julie Spurlock feel good.
WATCH: In 2019, the Friday Night Locker Room’s Steve Wilson interviewed Caroline Marks as she prepared to participate in a surfing tournament at Sebastian Inlet. Marks recently won the gold medal in women’s surfing at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Steve Wilson was born in DeRidder, Louisiana and grew up in both New Orleans and Macon, Georgia. He moved to Brevard County in 1984 and retired from local government as the Community Advocate/Assistant to the City Manager with the City of Rockledge in 2018.
Among the awards and accolades Steve has received over the years are 15 + year Rockledge Little League volunteer, Brevard Public School Jefferson Award Recipient, Rockledge High School Raider Booster Award 2001, 2006, City of Rockledge Employee of the Year 2006, Rockledge Kiwanian of the Year 2006-2007, City of Rockledge Quality Public Service Award 2008, 2012, 2017, Rockledge Kiwanis Citizen of the Year 2012-2013, Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame – Sportscasting 2015, Rockledge High School Leadership and Service Award 2016, Central Florida Humanitarian Award 2017, Space Coast Inspiration Award – 2018, Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame – Lifetime Achievement – 2020, Ecofest Achievement Award – 2022, Quality Floridian Award – 2022, presented by U.S. Congressman Bill Posey.
Wilson is especially proud of his chairing two fundraisers in support of pediatric cancer research through the St. Baldrick’s Foundation in honor of Merritt Island resident Julie Spurlock that raised over $25,000.00.
He has been a partner, along with Orville Susong, for the past 24 years with the Friday Night Locker Room, a broadcasting team that covers and reports on a wide variety of local events that are of significance to the residents of the Space Coast and beyond. Their mission is to promote youth sports, support first responders and law enforcement personnel, and showcase community and charitable events that are produced by our nonprofit partners in central Florida.
The Friday Night Locker Room has awarded hundreds of sports achievement plaques to Brevard County student-athletes over the years. They have also awarded more than $18,000 in academic scholarships to Brevard County high school seniors.
