Ocean warrior challenge

OCEAN WARRIORS: More than 90 young surf lifesaving athletes, Charlie Keepa (pictured) among them, will take part in the inaugural Eastland Port Ocean Warrior surf lifesaving competition this Saturday afternoon at Midway Beach. The organisers promise an action-packed afternoon of surf events that the 11-to-16-year-old athletes will not have encountered in surf lifesaving competition. They will be mentored by surf stars such as Olivia Corrin and Cory Taylor. Picture by Paul Rickard

GISBORNE surf lifesaver Cory Taylor, fresh from his second victory in the Nutri-Grain IronMan Series in Australia, will be home to play a major part in the inaugural Ocean Warrior event at Midway Beach this weekend.

Taylor will join three other top-class Kiwi surf athletes — Max Beattie, Danielle McKenzie and Gisborne's Olivia Corrin — in mentoring more than 90 young surf athletes.

The inaugural Eastland Port Ocean Warrior event will be held at Midway from midday on Saturday.

Ocean Warrior organisers Jason Pocock and Matt Sutton are thrilled to be able to bring four of New Zealand's surf lifesaving superstars together “to help show a pathway for the younger athletes”.

The event will be for young surf athletes from 11 to 16.

“They will compete in four groups, or ‘tribes' as we are calling them, each mentored by one of the top four,” Sutton said.

“The races they will take part in will be different from anything they have encountered in surf lifesaving competition before.

“It will be an action-packed afternoon of racing.”

Pocock said Cory Taylor's win at the weekend was fantastic timing.

“He's shown all of the young surf athletes in this country that dreams do come true if you work hard for the results.”

It was Taylor's second win in the Nutri-Grain series.

“We're aiming to give all of the competitors in the Ocean Warrior the chance to learn from the best in the business right now,” Pocock said.

“Cory, Max, Olivia and Danielle are all phenomenal athletes and they're really pumped up to get the chance to work with the young athletes.

“We are sure we'll have some of the future stars of the sport in the mix over the weekend, and to give the young up-and-coming stars a connection with these guys will allow them to see that anything is possible.”

This weekend's Ocean Warrior will be the first in a two-part series, with the second to take place in February at Red Beach in Auckland.

Sutton said that while the event had a competition element to it — five races across three hours — the events were also designed to bring out the best in the athletes taking part.

“It's not just about winning,” he said.

“We are really trying to promote to the athletes that being a good competitor means that you look after each other, that you treat everyone with respect and that you have fun doing it.

“We have a chance to help grow the surf sport athletes of New Zealand by giving them time with the stars of the sport, but also showing them what it means to be part of a tribe of people all striving to do better each day.”

This weekend's Gisborne-based event is sponsored by Eastland Port.

Chief operating officer Andrew Gaddum said the port was always looking for new ways to support water-based activities and sports.

“Turanganui-a-Kiwa/Poverty Bay plays a key part in our operations,” he said.

“We are delighted to be a part of anything that encourages others to enjoy it.”