Moodie aims for surf lifesaving series return

Five-time New Zealand ironman champion Daniel Moodie is hoping to get the perfect boost ahead of surf lifesaving's world championships next month.

The 22-year-old Hawke's Bay athlete will again try to qualify for the lucrative Kellogg's Nutrigrain series at Tugun on the Gold Coast this weekend, hunting one of eight spots in the male ranks still open.

Moodie became just the third New Zealand male - after Cory Hutchings and Glenn Anderson - to join the series last year, finishing 16th, and is confident a strong off-season has left him in ideal shape.

"It was great to be part of last year's series and I learned a lot racing under the kind of pressure you get put under," Moodie said. "Taking what I learned, along with a good winter of training, I'm feeling good about the trials."

Moodie will spearhead a 12-strong New Zealand team to Rescue 2010 in Egypt in a fortnight as they chase their first world title since 1998, with the white-hot trials the ideal hit-out.

His national teammate and New Zealand ironwoman champion Nikki Cox has opted to skip the trial, hoping to pick up a wildcard spot later in the season, but rising star Madison Boon will attempt to qualify after narrowly missing out last year..

The only other Kiwi woman to compete in the series previously was Muriwai's Lucy Pengelly.

Boon has moved back to New Zealand from the Gold Coast, joined the Mairangi Bay club and has made changes in her training to help her prepare.

"After the last trial I was upset - I gave it everything and only just missed out," Boon said. "But I'm determined to learn from it and I made a few changes to help keep me on track for this year."

Boon has decent recent form, finishing second in the ironwoman race at the Sanyo Bussan Lifesaving Challenge in Japan last week and helping New Zealand win gold in the women's surf relay.

“I feel like I'm in good shape and have a better mindset for the trial this year.”

Former champion Guy Leech has revamped this year’s series, with five events at some of Australia’s most famous beaches featuring more than A$300,000 ($390,000) worth of prize money.

A ‘Legends’ series will also feature former surf stars like Leech, Trevor Hendy, Grant Kenny, Darren Mercer, Guy Andrews and Clint Robinson, bringing them back to competition in a relay format.

“Everyone on the Gold Coast had been speculating about the new series before it was released, and to see what was launched was really exciting,” Moodie said.

“They’re trying to get it back to its heyday; I used to watch Cory Hutchings in the old series on TV and he was one of the legends I looked up to and wanted to be like. It’d be amazing to be a part of something that big again.”

The series will be broadcast live in Australia and will have rounds in Currumbin (November 21), Bondi (December 3), Coolum (December 19), Portsea (January 2) and Noosa (January 9).

The best 20 athletes from last year – including Australian team captain Shannon Eckstein, Zane Holmes, Ky Hurst and Alicia Marriott – have already pre-qualified for the event.