Vette rises in tough Grom conditions

AMPING UP: Finn Vette heads down the face of a wave last weekend. His only expectations at Piha were to enjoy himself, and he rose to win the final event of the Grom Series. Pictures by ww.PhotoCPL.co.nz

SURFING

FINN Vette has taken the New Zealand Grom Series in style by winning the final event of the season at Piha last weekend.

Coming into the 2021 Super 16, Vette was locked in a tough battle for first place with Mount Maunganui’s Jack Hinton for the overall series win. Vette had built a small lead and secured the title when Hinton crumbled under the pressure and bowed out in the semi-finals.

Strong onshore wind and small waves made for tough surfing for the best junior surfers in the country, but Vette navigated the testing conditions.

He said he hadn’t given much thought to the rankings prior to the event and went into the day with just the expectation to enjoy himself.

“We managed to get a couple in the final for some good scores . . . all round it was a good day for me.”

Vette’s 14.67 in the final saw him outlast his fellow competitors, whose scores all fell in the low-to-mid 12-point range.

After a slow start to the final back-to-back good waves gave him the early lead, which he then solidified with his final wave of the event, a 7.67-point ride to secure both the Super 16 and Grom Series titles.

In the women’s draw, Asia Braithwaite had to settle for third place in the under-16 division, with an 8.37 heat total.

Braithwaite had held the early lead in the final after opening with a 5.0-point ride but was pushed back to third at the hands of Ana Brock (Mount Maunganui) and local surfer Leia Millar who scored a 4.33-point ride on her last wave to finish second overall.

Despite not competing in the division over the weekend, Christchurch’s Ava Henderson had already secured the grom series title, as she completed the hat-trick of winning the u16, u18 and open women’s divisions.