Vette one of ‘old hands’ in team

RETURNING: Gisborne surfer Saffi Vette is one of three returning members of the New Zealand team to the junior world surfing championships in Japan last year. She is in a 12-strong team to this year’s event at Huntington Beach, California. It starts on Saturday. Cory/NZ Surfing Magazine picture

SURFING

GISBORNE surfer Saffi Vette is in the New Zealand team for the ISA World Junior Surfing Championship in the US from Saturday.

She is one of three returning members of the New Zealand team to the 2017 junior world championships in Japan.

The others are Raglan’s Caleb Cutmore and Mt Maunganui’s Kea Smith.

Vette finished 11th overall in the under-16 girls’ division last year, and moves up to the u18 ranks in this year’s event at Huntington Beach, California.

This year she has competed in events on both sides of the Tasman as she seeks to build international experience.

The event runs from Saturday, October 27 to Sunday, November 4.

Nine of the 12 surfers in the New Zealand team were competing at the National Scholastic Surfing Championships in Gisborne this month. Three of them — Raglan surfers Cutmore, Brie Bennett and Kora Cooper — won titles.

The scholastic event mirrors the world junior championship in its focus on the team aspect and in the need for surfers to pace themselves for the duration of a long event.

With only three of the team having competed at the world junior champs before, the rest will have to call on that domestic experience.

For the past two years the team has finished 10th overall and they will be aiming to push into the top eight to gain qualification for the Aloha Cup.

Last year the US won the event. Hawaii were second, Japan third and Australia fourth.

Mt Maunganui’s Kehu Butler had to opt out of the event after being selected and is focusing on his preparation for the WSL World Junior Championship in Taiwan this year after he won the Australasian Junior Series.

The Mount’s Elin Tawharu was also selected for the team but stepped up to represent New Zealand at the World Surfing Games in September, where she placed 22nd overall.

Butler and Tawharu have been replaced by Shane Kraus (Piha) and Tiana-Breeze de Mooij (Mt Maunganui).

The ISA World Junior Surfing Championship is the largest junior surfing event in the world. Over 350 surfers from 44 nations will take part.

The New Zealand team members are —

Under-18 boys: Caleb Cutmore (Raglan), Conor McLennan (Christchurch), Shane Kraus (Piha).

U18 girls: Kea Smith (Mount Maunganui), Saffi Vette (Gisborne), Tiana-Breeze de Mooij (Mt Maunganui).

U16 boys: Kora Cooper (Raglan), Myka Black (Christchurch), Tom Robinson (Whangarei).

U16 girls: Ariana Shewry (Oakura), Brie Bennett (Raglan), Estella Hungerford (Christchurch).