Newly crowned National Women's Surfing Champion Gabriella Sansom headlines an enormous field of surfers going into the first event of the 2015 Billabong Grom Series at Mount Maunganui this weekend.

Sansom, hailing from Auckland, stormed to victory in massive waves at Auckland's Piha Beach less than a week ago and will turn her attention to the three-event-series catering for three age groups for both boys and girls – Under 20, 17 and 14.

Newly crowned National Women's Surfing Champion Gabriella Sansom. Photo: PhotoCPL.

Along with her twin sister Bianca, the pair are two young female surfers within a swelling pool of talent that dominated the National Championships - an event she went into with a ‘nothing to lose' approach.

'At the Nationals it was the first time competing in only the Open Division, I didn't expect to win it” says Sansom.

'I will go into this weekend's event with a similar mind-set given that it worked last weekend.”

Having spent the week surfing at Raglan as well as fitting in a bit of work before heading south to Mount Maunganui, Sansom admits to keeping a watchful eye on the young surfers she will be up against.

'It is real cool to see so many of the young girls ripping, especially all the Mount girls,” she says. 'The playing field is levelling out but I am friends with them all and I wish them all well this weekend. It should be a fun event.”

And the Mount Maunganui surfers will be more than up to the challenge this weekend. Arataki's Kea Smith claimed a rare double title at the National Championships, winning the Under-18 and Under-16 Girls Divisions - a feat only achieved once before in the 53-year history of the event.

Smith, also a New Zealand representative, has had a great week since her Nationals achievements with stacks of well wishes from her family and friends.

'I have had heaps of hugs and kisses and everyone has been so proud of me. It has been cool,” says Smith of the last few days.

The boys' divisions feature an abundance of talent throughout all three age groups. They will be led by the likes of top seed Harrison Whiteside (Christchurch), Taylor Hutchison (Raglan), Dune Kennings (Whangamata), and the Mount's Mackenzie Christie and Jordan Griffin.

In the younger age group divisions, surfers will be vying for event honours as well as pressing for New Zealand Junior Surfing Team selection.

Junior surfers have already attended one selection camp and will continue to compete in national events this summer to gain top results and improve their chances of selection.

The Billabong Grom Series, presented by Oceanbridge, also acts as an entry point for many young surfers who make the step up from surfing at their home break and perhaps competing at a club level or at school.

These entrants make up the vast majority of surfers that contest each of the three events for fun.

The Billabong Grom Series will continue on from Mount Maunganui with the second event at Whangamata (February 7-8) and the third event at Auckland's Piha Beach (March 7-8), where the series winners will be announced.