One thing we do really well in New Zealand is that we respect people's space. Take Ben Smith for example – one of the greatest rugby players ever, but he can stroll around the St Clair beach cafés without a whole lot of fuss. In fact, relative normality. That must feel so good – escaped from the pressure of competition – unwinding on the beach with family and friends.
I quite like that we have the current World Motocross Champion in our midsts, too. Courtney Duncan is originally from Palmerston, but has recently been living and training out of Dunedin. She's 24 years old and I first met and photographed her back in 2009. She was 13 at the time and had just won an Australian motocross title after competing against the boys (and often beating them) here in New Zealand.
In Dunedin, Courtney gets to hang at a café after a soft sand training run and apart from people like me, very few disturb her. I very much doubt that she'd be able to do that without getting swarmed by fans and followers in Europe where the World Motocross Championships are mostly held.
She is one of the most inspiring athletes I have ever met. Her road to her first World MX crown has been full of tribulations. She has been knocked down many times and always comes back fighting. Her resilience is second to none, her gold medal is proof of that. She's just incredible and she's one of the nicest people you could meet ... but you probably don't want to meet her on a motocross track ...
I've been lucky to have the chance to work with her to tell part of her story around her career so far and to share some of the insights she's learnt along the way. That's looming for an upcoming project I'm looking forward to sharing with you in time. But for now here's a few shots of one of New Zealand's greatest sportspeople enjoying her life in Dunedin. And some of the waves we managed to get amongst this past week.
More swell coming this week along with some nice wintry moments.
See you at the beach ... Derek
PS We just released a short 2-minute film over on NZ Surf Journal from one of New Zealand's newest wetsuit brands. We're loving the philosophy and heartland Kiwiness of these guys ... You can watch it right here.
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