Santa Cruz Mayor Hilary Bryant Challenges Tech CEOs To Surf Competition (VIDEO)

While the California city of Santa Cruz might be better known for its world-famous coastline, the city's mayor Hilary Bryant thinks it should be just as famous for its tech community.

So during a weekend government and technology innovation conference, the mayor and mother-of-two challenged the tech CEOs in nearby Silicon Valley to a surfing competition.

"I'm throwing down the gauntlet to the CEOs of Silicon Valley to come surfing with the mayor of Santa Cruz," she said at the conference. "A couple hours with the mayor and beautiful sunny Santa Cruz out in the ocean."

Bryant told The Huffington Post that the point of the "Silicon Valley CEO Surf Challenge" is to get the sometimes insular tech community thinking about Santa Cruz, which is only about 40 minutes away.

"We already have a vibrant tech community, a top university, coworking spaces and a close proximity to Silicon Valley," she said. "We want to let these CEOs know that we're not just a good place to live and recreate and have fun, but we're also a very serious place to do business."

While the challenge may be more of an effort to attract attention than to actually get CEOs in the water, Bryant told HuffPost that she would welcome any takers.

"Oh my gosh," said Bryant, who has surfed for over 20 years. "I'd absolutely do it without a doubt."