Brothers chase their dreams

Northland brothers Joe and Paul Moretti will get their chance to prove themselves against the country's best during the next few months as they try and cement a spot in the New Zealand team to contest the 2011 Quiksilver ISA World Junior Surfing Championships in Peru.
The brothers live at Mimiwhangata - an hour north-east of Whangarei - which is a long way from most surf competitions, but Joe, 17, and Paul, 15, have attended as many as possible and performed impressively throughout the year. Their consistent results saw them placed in the top six of their respective under-18 and under-16 divisions at the end of the year and both were included in the 21-strong training squad to prepare for the nine-day Junior Worlds contest, beginning May 21, for their efforts.
"We head into a camp together on January 25 at Mount Maunganui, where selectors will put us in situations that relate to what we would find at the worlds. It's a chance for them to see what we are made of, how we surf and train, and how we approach things," Joe Moretti said.
The camp complements multiple national events taking place every month from January through until April, where surfers will press for selection, including the Hyundai National Championships in Dunedin on January 13, the Billabong Pro in Whangamata on January 29 and the Power Balance Pro at Mount Maunganui on February 12-13.
The squad then meet for another selection camp before the travelling team of 12 is named on March 1 and further preparations take place.
Joe knows what to expect after going through the selection process to contest the 2009 World Juniors in Equador.
Joe and Paul are planning on competing at the national series events over summer, trying to get as much surfing in as possible as they are up against tough local competition in the squad.
"There is a lot of competition in New Zealand - the eight surfers in our respective divisions are all vying for a spot and we all surf at a similar level - it will be a hard choice on who gets picked for the team but it all depends on how we surf on the day," Joe said.
A lot of time and hard work has already been invested in their 2011 campaign - surfing, running, swim and circuit training.
While the boys do gratefully receive some sponsorship which goes towards their competition travel expenses, they have been fundraising furiously, doing sausage sizzles and selling raffle tickets over the summer to raise money for the trip to Peru.
"Hopefully we will be going but, if not, we will put the money towards getting to the national series events and camps, and possibly some events in Australia - such as the Rusty Grom Fest and Occy Grom Fest for Paul, and I would look at doing some of the Pro Junior events," Joe said.
The challenge of making the Kiwi team is just one of many the brothers will face head-on in 2011.
Joe is moving to Mount Maunganui in February where he will start a course in marine studies at the Bay of Plenty Polytech, while Paul is off to the Raglan Surf Academy for the start of the school term to complete his secondary school education.
"The move will be a big change from living out here in the wops, but it will be great for both of us being closer to the surf mecca," Joe said.