Whether it’s on the rugby field, athletics track or the sand for surf life saving Corlette teen Grace Hewitt excels at the sport she sets her sights on.
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After achieving some top sporting results in 2018 – in and out of school, individually and in teams – the 15 year old whose passion is sprinting is now setting herself new goals for the year ahead.
Hewitt’s first goal is to post the times she wants at the NSW Country Championships, being held in Glendale later this month, to qualify for the Australian Athletics Championships.
Hewitt, who is registered with Athletics NSW, will contest the 200m and 100m sprint at the country championships.
“If I get a fast enough time, I’ll make Australian juniors,” she said.
Hewitt trains three times a week with a sprint coach in Newcastle. She hopes to bring her 200m time down to under 25 seconds and her 100m to 12 seconds before the Sydney national event.
Earlier in the year the Hunter Valley Grammar School student represented Combined Independent Schools at state for the 200m sprint, long jump and relay. She returned home with gold and silver.
She was unable to attend the Australian championships due to her commitments to rugby union.
Hewitt said rugby was a highlight of her year. Her first time playing, she joined the Gropers for the Sevens competition. Hewitt was then selected to play for the Hunter Wildfires.
In addition to dedicated sprint training, Hewitt, a member of Fingal Beach Surf Life Saving Club, competes in surf sport carnivals and championships.
Hewitt joined surf life saving as a nipper when she was 8. She has made the state level for surf sports for the past seven years. In December, Hewitt was selected for a second year to represent Hunter at the Interbranch Championships.
She won gold for the under-15 beach sprint, all ages relay, the Cameron relay and bronze for flags. She was part of Hunter’s third placing at the championship.
“We did a lot of training for the championship,” Hewitt said. “We placed third last year [2017] and really wanted another strong finish. I love surf life saving. It’s different to any other sport and it’s for a really good cause.”
Hewitt expects to represent Fingal in sprinting at the Australia Surf Life Saving Championships being held in Queensland in March and April.
