Surfing: Refined approach helps Billie Scott to Billabong Grom title

Whananaki surfer Billie Scott took out the Under 20 Girls division of the Billabong Grom Series. Photo / Supplied

A focus on getting into the right headspace has paid off for Billie Scott in a big way.

The Whananaki surfer completed a division victory in the Billabong Grom Series, finishing on top of the Under 20 Girls table.

Scott settled for second at the third and final leg in Piha but that was enough to secure the title.

She said she was pleased with her efforts in the Piha surf.

"I was feeling super relaxed and confident going into the final, I knew I'd put in the work needed before the event so just wanted to surf my best," she said.

"I was happy with my surfing but needed a better back-up wave to secure the win, however I was still happy with the second place.

'My overall performance throughout the last three events was good so it was a cool way to wrap it up.

"The waves were pretty pumping over the weekend. Not super big but consistent and really fun - perfect for the competition."

Scott has been surfing for years but only started taking it seriously in her teen years when she started competing in events.

She said it all started on the beaches of Northland's east coast.

"I grew up just a walk away from a few pretty epic beaches in Whananaki where my mum and dad had been pushing me into waves since I was born," she said.

"Not many kids were into it back then so I never really got fully into it until I was about 14 when I got a taste of the competitive side of surfing and I loved it."

That start culminated in a strong performance in the Grom Series.

Heading into the event Scott turned her focus to the mental side of the sport, which helped her succeed to a high level.

She said the combination of surfing, cross-training and mental preparation were key components to a top performance.

"Leading up to the start of the series I was trying to focus on just upping my level of surfing and getting my confidence up," she said.

"I was surfing and cross training pretty hard out to make sure I was feeling confident going into the events.

"I've found that your mindset can be one of the biggest factors in your surfing. I've been working on refining my approach to my heats and making sure I'm in the right headspace to perform at my best as that's been something that has held me back in the past."

Scott is now based in Hamilton as she begins her studies at the University of Waikato.
However, her studies won't stop her defending her Grom crown in 2019.

"I've just recently moved to Hamilton to study a Bachelor of Science at Waikato so my plan is to take advantage of being close to Raglan and try to push my surfing," she said.

"I still have next year in the U20s division so once I'm out of that I'll see how I'm going and take it from there."