From humble start young surfer on a roll

It's not often an "old dunga of a surf board" opens up a whole world of possibilities, but that's what happened for Tutukaka Coast local Manu Scott-Arietta.

Just around the corner from the 14-year-old's family house at Matapouri, is surf spot Sandy Bay. Since he was a wee fella, Scott-Arietta and his older brother Patxi, 17, would hit the waves on boogie boards for some fun in the sun.

As the boys grew older, they became more interested in surfing and when Manu was seven, he was given an old board to learn on. Patxi also had a board, and the brothers spent every waking moment at the beach and their competitive streak developed as they pushed each other on the waves.

When Patxi began competing and surfed in his first national contest at 12, Manu tagged along to watch.

"If it wasn't too big we would enter him in the contests as well," Manu and Patxi's dad Ricky Scott added. "He would always get through his first round - and he was always a crowd favourite."

Then one day at a contest, an older competitor gave Manu a DHD 4ft 10in surfboard he no longer used. It was an upgrade from Manu's old board, and the gift fuelled his desire further to battle it out on the waves.

"That really kick-started the competition side of things," Manu said, who is now at the top of his game for his age group in the country, after successfully defending the boys' under-14 national title last month at the New Zealand Surfing Championships at Piha.

In 2010, Manu claimed the under-12 title for the Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge and, in January of 2011, surfed to his first national title in Dunedin, contesting the tougher under-14 grade.

Last year Manu trained with Jason Ruddell - a Whangarei personal trainer who was recently named the NZ Junior Surfing team coach.

Putting in the hard yards at the gym and in the water, and working relentlessly on his style, saw Manu edge his closest rival, Mt Maunganui's Kehu Butler, by 0.03 points in the under-14s national final at Piha.

The Whangarei Boys' High Year 10 student's efforts saw him as a late inclusion in the NZ junior squad training under Ruddell, for the Da Kine International Surfing Association World Junior Championship being held in Panama during April.

The national squad has already met once this summer, with a further two-day camp taking place at Mount Maunganui this week following the weekend's round one of the 2012 Billabong Grom Series presented by Oceanbridge. Manu finished second in the under-14 division, behind Butler in a close final.

Due to his youth, Manu is only an outside chance to make the world champs team - due to be named after round two of the Grom Series. If he misses out this year, making the team will be at the top of his agenda in 2013. In the meantime, he wants to win the Grom Series, and maybe attend a competition or two in Australia, along with a high performance surf camp.

In the more distant future, Manu, whose idol is pro Josh Kerr, has big aspirations and he cuts to the chase: "I want to make the world tour."

There's something behind this little ripper's twinkling eyes which suggests there will be no stopping him from making it either - and all thanks to an old dunga of a board, which kick-started a promising career.

Patxi continues to impress on the national scene and will contest the Billabong Pro Series this weekend at Whangamata, in the under-20 division. Manu will also be surfing at the Coromandel break, in the second event of the Grom Series.