Oceans' 20: Junior Surf Life Saving athletes battle rough conditions at Mount

Talitha McEwan won the Under 14 Girls' Diamond race at the Oceans 20 Junior Surf Lifesaving competition at Mount Maunganui. Photo / George Novak

Getting in a lot of stretching and some rest was how Talitha McEwan was planning to spend her Sunday evening.

The 14-year-old Pāpāmoa Surf Life Saving Club member was one of more than 800 juniors competing at the Oceans' 20 premier Under 14 Surf Life Saving event, held at Mount Maunganui's Main Beach from last Thursday until yesterday afternoon. After four days of competing - which included first placings in the Under 14 Girls' Run Swim Run and Diamond races, a second in the Tube and Grand Cameron races and a third place - Talitha was feeling happy with her results, albeit a little sore.

"I did pretty well in the swims and surprised myself in my Diamond [race]," Talitha says.

However, the competition was no easy task.

The Oceans' 20 is in its 20th year and is New Zealand's largest and most competitive junior surf life saving event, attracting athletes from around New Zealand and Australia. While athletes battle it out for individual titles in the surf and sand, they also compete for team points, with Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service winning this year's Oceans' 20 trophy.

Talitha says early in the competition athletes were faced with rough conditions, which made for some demanding races. During her Board race on Saturday, she lost her board, forcing her to swim to shore.

"The Thursday and Friday were quite tough because the waves were really big."

To prepare for the event she trained every day and spent every bit of spare time she had out on her board in the water - and her hard work paid off. She says she loves surf life saving, a sport she has been involved with since she was 11.

The Oceans event was her second surf life savng competition when she started, with one of the biggest drawcards being able to meet new people, face tough competition and seeing her own results against.

She says she is a self-driven young woman - and her excellence in sports overall, beyond surf life saving is proof of it, also achieving top results in swimming, triathlon and running, and also playing water polo.

While she planned to rest, stretch and recover after her four days at the beach, her schedule didn't allow a lot of time for it.

Tomorrow, Talitha competes at an athletics champs running in the 3000m, 1500m and 800m races and this weekend she has a swim meet in Auckland.

She says some days "it's quite tough" juggling all her sporting commitments, but she loves it and wouldn't want it any other way.