National duty for new coach

Northland's Jason Ruddell has been appointed as national junior team coach by Surfing New Zealand (SNZ).

After his first year coaching the Northland team at the 2011 National Surfing Scholastics at Ahipara where he guided the team to fifth, their most successful finish ever, the 32-year-old was selected for a role he is excited about taking on.

Ruddell, who has worked as a personal trainer at CLM Whangarei Aquatic Centre for 10 years, said he fell into the coaching scene after taking local up-and-coming surfers Paul and Joe Moretti, Paco Divers and Manu and Patxi Scott-Arrieta under his wing.

"I saw how much talent they had and said to them they were at a level where they could get good results if they really trained hard," Ruddell said.

He started putting the young surfers through their paces in the gym to compliment their surfing.

"I've always wanted to be involved in fitness and training, and surfing is a passion of mine. I wasn't really into the competitive scene when I was younger. I was a free surfer looking for the least crowded beach with the best wave. But when I progressed with my career and knew the young boys up here were doing well, I wanted to get involved with coaching," Ruddell said.

He put his hand up to coach the scholastics team earlier this year, and took the International Surfing Association coaching levels one and two, run by SNZ. When SNZ advertised the junior coach position following the National Surfing Scholastics, Ruddell decided to apply for the role.

"They were aware that I had finished my coaching levels and what I was already doing with the boys up here, so I guess that helped," he said.

Ruddell also runs his own surf lessons and his new national coaching role will take him away from both his personal training and teaching business Surf Lab, during the early months of the year as Ruddell prepares a squad and selects the NZ Junior Surfing team to contest the International Surfing Association World Junior Championship to be held in Panama during April.

Ruddell's first major assignment will be to attend the New Zealand Surfing Nationals at Piha, starting January 14, after which he will hold the first camp for a squad that hopefully contains some Northlanders, he said.

The nationals, which incorporates all categories, will be the ideal opportunity for Ruddell to analyse the country's best juniors.

"I will be scoping out the squad, filming them in the water and following their progress," he explained.

Seeing as he would be down there, Ruddell said he might as well compete in the Over-30s and Open categories.

There will be three more camps before the team heads to Panama in South America.

Mimiwhangata surfers Paul and Joe Moretti were a part of the team who went to South America this year, and only Paul is eligible to compete in the 16-18-year-old contest again this year.

Paul Moretti finished in 43rd place in the boys under-16 class this year, and Ruddell said the promising young surfer has the ability to improve if he makes the 2012 team.

It will be Ruddell's first time in South America, and he is looking forward to exploring new ground, and facing new challenges in the role.