On waves with the big boys

Mount Maunganui surfer Matt Hewitt will carry with him a quote from boxing great Muhammad Ali as his career ramps up a gear, blasting out of the junior ranks and into the cut-throat World Qualifying Series as he chases the dream of a spot on the rich ASP world tour.

Hewitt, 20, is in China this week, surfing his first WQS (world qualifying series) event, the US$95,000 ($120,000) Hainan Classic in Hainan Island, where he's the sole Kiwi pitched into his first round heat against South Africa's Nikita Ross, Christian Saenz (United States) and Venezuela's Rosanny Alvarez.

Hewitt said Ali's quote: "Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill", would be a source of inspiration as he fought his way through the WQS.

"There's literally hundreds of guys doing the QS events, all with that dream of making it onto the CT [top-40] so it's not going to be easy," he said. "Everyone's chasing the dream so it'll be a matter of staying focused and keeping that self-belief, knuckling down for a few years. It's easy for guys to lose focus, go out partying and fall off the pace."

There are literally dozens of WQS events around the globe each year, all carrying different ranking points and prize money, with the initial battle making it into the top-100 to qualify for the cash-rich six star prime events.

Faced with the choice of competing in the four-star Hainan Classic or a lowly $15,000 Bells Beach one-star event across the Tasman, Hewitt used the last of his prize money from the Australasian pro juniors circuit to wing it to China.

He's heading home to contest the New Zealand nationals in Piha, the venue of his title triumph in 2009, later in the month before heading across the Tasman in a bid to qualify for the third leg of the ASP world pro junior series at Burleigh Heads. He was ninth in second leg at Arpoador beach in Brazil last November.

Only the top two from 16 invitees qualify for the pro junior but Hewitt will stay across the Tasman for three WQS events - the US$95,000 Breaka Burleigh Pro, US$155,000 Australian Open at Manly and the US$155,000 Burton Toyota Pro in Newcastle.

Hewitt will do it without the backing of Aussie surf giant Billabong after being dropped from their team last year because of the global economic downturn and is preparing for a hand-to-mouth existence for the next few years.

"Things are hard to map out from here but I'll give myself a few years to see if I'm cutting it. The aim is to crack the top 100 and get to the six star prime events as soon as possible," Hewitt said.

"Still not having a major sponsor means finances will play a big part, but I'm using some leftover junior prize money to get me through the start of the year and will hopefully have some prize money to reinvest otherwise I'll tick it up with mum and tell her I'll pay her back some day."

Hewitt was the first Kiwi to win twice on the Australasian pro junior circuit last year, with the circuit regarded as tough and a great training ground for the WQS.

"It's a whole new page but a lot of the guys who've done well at juniors kick on at QS level. Another bonus is that the QS has mixed judging panels, not just Australians, so there's won't be the definite bias the Kiwi boys have struck as the Aussie judges look after their own."

There are five WQS events across the Tasman this year, with dozens more in such venues as Hawaii, Peru, El Salvador and Mexico.