Surfing champ in different arena

 Professional surfer Matt Hewitt competing at the Bay of Plenty surf lifesaving championships. Photo by Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media Services.

Champion Mount Maunganui surfer Matt Hewitt is going back to where it all began in a bid to boost his 2014 season on the world stage.
The 22-year-old professional, ranked in the top-150 surfers on the globe, entered his first senior surf lifesaving carnival recently and came away with some surprising results.
As well as a noteworthy third in the open men’s board race - behind the Mount club’s national stars Andrew Newton and Sam Shergold - Hewitt picked up a bronze in the beach sprint and scrambled to gold in the open men’s beach flags.
"It’s always good to put yourself up against top athletes to see how your fitness, skills and mental approach compares but I must admit I was a bit surprised with my sprinting results," Hewitt laughed.
"I’ve always been reasonably quick off the mark but usually my short legs find it hard to keep that pace going."
Surf lifesaving featured in Hewitt’s formative years, before the lure of wave-riding drew him away, with Hewitt competing for Mount Maunganui at the national ...more