Gisborne to the Mentawais and beyond

Tom Dixon-Smith setting up for a barrel.

?A longstanding dream is becoming a reality for a young Gisborne surfer. Gisborne Herald reporter Jonathan Rush speaks with the Dixon-Smith family about the challenges and rewards of pursuing that dream . . .

The Mentawai Islands are a long way from Tairawhiti, 8957km to be precise, but for 18-year-old Gisborne surfer Tom Dixon-Smith the decision to relocate there has been a crucial part of his strategy to pursue a professional surfing career.

This year Tom has registered to compete in nine events on the surfing World Qualifying Series (WQS), a highly-competitive international surfing circuit aggressively pursued by the emerging top world surfers.

His short term goal is to finish the 2018 WQS ranked in the top 350 professional surfers which would give him the ranking needed to get into top tier events in 2019.

While this could seem a daunting prospect to many, for Tom this has been his dream since the age of 12 and, despite various challenges and setbacks, he has kept his dream alive.

Born in Durban, South Africa, Tom caught his first wave at the age of four and instantly became obsessed with the ocean and surfing.

In 2006, Tom’s parents decided to relocate to New Zealand with Tom and younger brother Jack.

“We felt New Zealand offered a brighter future for us as a family,” said Janene Dixon-Smith, Tom’s mother.

The family settled in Gisborne and the young Tom continued to develop his connection with the ocean and surfing.

At age nine, he started competing in surfing events and began to receive recognition for his abilities.

However, certain aspects of Tom’s behaviour, which his parents had noticed since he was a toddler, were starting to become increasingly difficult as he got older.

“We noticed differences from when he was a baby, mostly relating to sensory issues, routines and reluctance to respond to people other than family or close friends.

“I stopped reading the recommended parenting books as none of the approaches seemed to work and the way children were described sounded nothing like Tom in any way,” she said.

School became increasingly difficult and, at age 10, Tom was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome (now commonly referred to as Autistic Spectrum Disorder or ASD).

ASD, a developmental disorder that affects communication (verbal and non-verbal), social skills and behaviour, is different for every child.

Due to these challenges, Tom had to overcome being constantly misunderstood and, in some instances, judged for being different.

“School is a hard place to be for someone with Asperger’s and yet there are very few alternatives if you are unable to quit working and home-school your child,” said Ms Dixon-Smith.

Being out surfing is Tom's 'happy place'As a result, Tom began to experience anxiety and withdrew socially, preferring to either be at home or out surfing where he was happiest.

Surfing reduced his anxiety, and as time went on Tom was only too happy to further immerse himself in what was his ‘happy place’.

Following the diagnosis, a treatment plan was employed which included learning useful strategies for how to better adapt and manage in challenging settings.

When Tom was 13 he started doing his own research on Asperger’s and discovered a pro surfer by the name of Clay Marzo who also had ASD.

The similarities and parallels were remarkable, and Clay instantly became Tom’s role model.

Tom read his book and followed him on social media and the two have communicated since then.

Despite this encouragement, Tom still found it difficult to concentrate and function in a traditional school and classroom environment.

Both parents could see he was unhappy and decided Tom needed a change in environment.

An opportunity arose for Tom’s dad Vere Dixon-Smith to take on a management role at a surf resort in the Mentawai Islands and after much discussion, it was decided that such a move could be beneficial.

Fast forward two years and Tom has settled in well to his new life in the tropics.

“It’s made a huge difference in his life and he is noticeably happier and more confident in himself and his life choices,” said Ms Dixon-Smith.

Taken on a role as a surf guideTom has taken on a role as a surf guide for guests at the retreat and has maintained his schooling by learning online.

Life in Indonesia is far removed from New Zealand and predominantly self-sufficient. The nearest mainland town is more than 400kms across the ocean, usually four hours by boat.

“Our house is basically a small wooden hut set in the jungle, surrounded by coconut trees and we generate solar power and have rain and well-water for drinking.

“Living and working in this setting has helped Tom mature and grow faster than he would have back home,” said Mr Dixon-Smith.

The Indonesian archipelago has also provided a training ground par excellence in which to develop his surfing.

Following two years of targeted training and coaching from Vere, Tom has cemented his goals for pursuing a professional surfing career and has been identified by the iSport Foundation.

The iSport FoundationSet up by Richie McCaw, Dan Carter and Ali Williams, the iSport Foundation aims to support young athletes by helping them raise funds for essential costs such as travel, accommodation, equipment, uniforms, and competition fees.

The iSport endorsement comes at a perfect time for Tom as he looks to embark on the next stage of his strategic plan towards his goal.

Travelling and competing at top tier events is a costly exercise and while Tom’s parents are behind him 100 percent of the way additional support is essential.

In order to achieve his goals, Tom has to travel and compete internationally.

“Between competing in events, I will continue to work as a surf guide, while training for the next event.

Initially I will compete in nine events, but ideally, I will strive to compete in 14 events during 2018,” said Tom.

The events Tom has entered into are based in Indonesia and also the Philippines and Taiwan.

“I am more focused and determined than ever before and very excited about the year ahead.

Tom can’t wait to compete against the worlds top surfers.

“I feel like I have the potential, I just need to put my head down and go for it, however I am dependent on generating financial support to make it happen,” he said.

It’s taken Tom a number of years to get to this point and he is appreciative of everyone who has supported him along the way.

“I’ve been really lucky to have people like Shaun Collier who helped me with coaching when I was really young, Bronwyn Kay Agency and Woodward Chrisp Lawyers who have been amazing in helping me get this far.”

As much as Tom loves his time in the Mentawai Islands, Gisborne, where his mum lives, is still home and he does return regularly to spend time with family and friends still here.

“We love having him back when he is able to return. He has a really awesome group of friends, and it’s amazing to see how far he has come,” said Ms Dixon-Smith.

For individuals like Tom, goals can only be achieved with the family support he has but also financial support, without which these goals are just dreams.

Tom is sponsored by Carve Surf Products, Graham Smith Surfboards (G-Star), Foam Distribution, Mentawai Surf Retreat, Cool Flo Clothing and 1st Class Decorators.If anyone would like to support Tom’s campaign, and help him get to these events, then please go to the iSport page and search for Tom Dixon-Smith.