Lisa Andersen, 28, ripped it up last week in the waves off Portugal to win her fourth world title in surfing. Andersen's fearless, fluid style helped her outscore all the other women on the Association of Surfing Professionals' tour.

At age 10, Andersen was the only girl on her Little League team. She traded her bat for a hot-pink surfboard when her family moved to Florida. She's been riding waves to the top ever since, changing surfing's all-guy image. In August she was the only woman competing with 360 men in surfing's U.S. Open. Andersen says her daughter, 4, deserves a high five for keeping her focused: "Erica distracted me from all the distractions."

Daily News from TIME for Kids

October 10, 1997 World Report