Surfing has given JC Susan a passport to the world.
He started in Cape Town, honed his skills at Mount Maunganui
when his family emigrated to New Zealand in 2009 and will
test his ability in Panama next month.
Susan (18), a first-year psychology student at the University
of Otago, has been named in the New Zealand surf team for the
world championships in Panama at the end of June.
"It was one of my goals this year and I'm stoked to have made
it," Susan said.
Susan, who will be competing in the open men's division for
the first time, is one of four new members of the New Zealand
team who have risen through the ranks. They have competed
internationally at junior level and are accustomed to the
pressures of international competition.
The other three, Ben Poulter (Raglan), Tane Wallis (Piha) and
Grace Spiers (Whangamata), competed in this month's world
junior championships in Peru.
Susan learned valuable lessons when he finished 31st at the
world junior championships at Piha last year.
"I need to be a bit more prepared and focused this time and
not worry about the media," he said. Susan has set himself a
target for the world championships in Panama.
"I'm looking for a top-10 placing," he said. "I want to
perform better than I did at the junior championships."
New Zealand was seventh from 31 nations at the open
championships in Peru last year. The ranking was the highest
achieved by the New Zealand team in the past decade.
This year's team is spearheaded by Paige Hareb (Taranaki),
New Zealand's most successful female surfer who, in her first
outing at the event, was runner-up to Australia's Chelsea
Hedges in Peru last year.
Hareb is ranked 12th on the Association of Surfing
Professionals world tour and fifth on the world qualifying
series.
Susan started surfing in Cape Town at the age of 12.
"A mate started so I tagged along," Susan said. "I was hooked
and couldn't stop."
His techniques improved after settling in New Zealand two
years ago and he was ranked third in the under-20 grade
during this year's New Zealand series despite being out of
action for two months with a knee injury.
He is training hard at the moment at St Kilda, St Clair and
other Dunedin beaches.
"There are so many good spots for surfing here," he said.
NZ team
For world champs
Open men: Ben Poulter (Raglan), JC Susan (Mount), Tane
Wallis (Piha). Zen Wallis (Piha).
Open women: Grace Spiers (Whangamata), Paige Hareb
(Taranaki).
Men's longboard: Phil Morris (Auckland), Matt Cockayne
(Auckland).
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