Sideline Sid - Sports blogger Sideline Sid is a local sport fanatic. Not only is he a classic rugby bloke but he has views, opinions and knowledge on all sports played in the Bay of Plenty.

While winter approaches with all the associated cold and wet conditions, Sidline Sid turns his attention to the summer sport of surf lifesaving this week.

During the week, the New Zealand team for the World Lifesaving Championships was announced, which saw the inclusion of a Mount Maunganui surf athlete. At just 20 years of age Chelsea Maples will be competing at her second 'Worlds'.

While Chelsea is a relative youngster, she has been making waves since joining the Mount Maunganui Lifeguard Service as a nipper about 11 years ago years ago.

Mount Maunganui introduced the junior surf programme to the country, with the youngsters commonly known as 'nippers'. During September 1968 the Mount Maunganui Nippers Surf Club was formed after a public meeting.

The meeting was addressed by Bob Mitchell, who had seen the nippers clubs in operation in Australia prior to his immigration to New Zealand. At the meeting Bob explained his vision for boys (and later girls) between the ages of five and 12 years to be taught water safety and more importantly confidence in the surf. Such was his eloquence that not only was the nippers club formed, but Bob was subsequently elected the foundation president of the first nippers club in New Zealand.

From humble beginnings over 40 years ago, the nippers movement has gone on to become the launching pad for a number of Kiwi surf sport world champions. The best-known surf athlete in the country is without a doubt three times World Ironman champion Cory Hutchings.

Cory has gone from a relatively unknown surf athlete to one of the most recognisable sporting personalities in the country. On the way he has helped raise the profile of surf sport, to the extent that events such as the annual Surf League at the Mount attracts huge crowds.

Hutching became one of the first to cross the Tasman and compete with the best in Australia in the then Uncle Tobys Surf League. The professional series took surf sport to a new level in Australia where today it has huge participation numbers.

A couple of years ago Chelsea Maples joined a growing numbers of elite New Zealand surf athletes who live and train over the ditch. Most join Queensland clubs, which gives then a climate, where they can train in the water 12 months of the year.

Soon after joining the Mount Nippers, Chelsea was cleaning up at the BOP Junior Surf champs. Like many of the young surf stars of today, she won a sackful of medals at the Ocean Athletes NZ Junior Surf championships staged at the Mount Main Beach at the end of February each year.

Chelsea first came to national prominence around three years ago when she crossed the ditch with the Mount club. A medal in the women's beach sprint at the Aussie titles suggested that she had the determination and ability to become a World Champion one day.

If she wins gold at this year's 'Worlds' to be held in Egypt during October 2010, Chelsea would become just the second homegrown Western Bay surf athlete to win a world title. In 2006 Holly Moczydlowski won the women's beach sprint world crown at Geelong beach in Victoria, Australia.

Seeya at the Game.