Vette aims high with a little help

NATIONAL CHAMPION: Gisborne’s Saffi Vette is carried across Piha Beach by brother Finn (left) and Gisborne Boardriders Club member Magoo Braithwaite after her victory in the open women’s final of the national surfing championships in January. Picture by Cory/NZ Surfing Magazine

SURFER Saffi Vette has her sights set on earning a spot in the World Surfing League (WSL) as one of the best female surfers in the world in 2022.

Her blockbuster year started with the national women’s title at the age of 19. Now Vette aims to earn a spot on the WSL tour through the Australasian qualifying series next year.

With seven events lined up through the first half of 2022, Vette plans to base herself in Australia to train and compete.

If Vette was one of the top eight surfers at the end of the Australian qualifying series, she would automatically qualify for the Challenger Series, which directly feeds into the WSL tour.

“Obviously, the main goal is to get on tour, but I also want it to be an experience . . . staying focused but having fun,” Vette said.

“Competitive surfing is one thing, but being a surfer is another. As long as I keep improving, am a good human and help my community, I’ll be happy.”

As part of her journey to get to Australia, Vette launched a crowdfunding campaign through Tairawhiti Adventure Trust to help cover the costs of competing so she can focus on her surfing.

On top of the standard travel costs, being a professional surfer requires extra funding for coaching, medical costs, equipment and membership fees.

“We’ve done a budget and it was about $49,000. It’s a lot.

“I can only do so much working a minimum-wage job . . . but taking the stress (of funding) away, it’s been amazing.”

She said as an athlete she would prefer to focus solely on competing and improving. She wasn’t just sitting around waiting for money to roll into her bank account.

“We don’t get funding from High-Performance Sport New Zealand . . . sponsors help a bit, but it’s not enough to cover the costs.

“I felt embarrassed doing crowdfunding, but it’s my community who want to support me.

“Everything counts at the end of the day and I’m grateful for that.”

Vette will travel to Australia in early January, about a month before her first event is scheduled to run.

She plans to spend the time fine-tuning her processes and approach ahead of the Phillip Island Pro in Victoria.

“I’ll be narrowing everything down so when it’s time I don’t have to second-guess anything.

“The last thing you need before going out there is to worry about stuff; you need to go out and just do it.”

As part of her preparations, she said she would be working with Ricardo Christie’s former Australian-based coach.

Mahia-Gisborne surfer Christie formerly competed on the WSL Championship Tour and has been a “huge mentor” for Vette on what to expect in the high-performance competitive surfing scene.

Despite her success as a national champion, Vette is humble about her talent. She says she wouldn’t be where she is without the people around her.

“Thank you to my family, my community and Tairawhiti Adventure Trust . . . you know who you are.”

Bank account details for the fund can be found at saffi-vette.com or through the Tairawhiti Adventure Trust’s social media.