Rookie Crews Signs with Reef

Mitch Crews (AUS), a rookie on the 2014 Samsung Galaxy ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), has signed head-to-toe with Reef apparel and footwear, leaving the sizable surf team at Hurley where he was a member for several years.

Crews has already experienced great success on the Tour, taking down some big names en route to his current position at No. 20 on the ASP WCT rankings.

The young Australian was most recently in the South Pacific for the Fiji Pro where he was eliminated in Round 2 by Jeremy Flores (FRA).

Below is the official statement from Reef:

Reef, the global surf lifestyle leader, is proud to announce a head-toe-partnership with 24-year-old Mitch Crews as part of Reef's dynamic roster of Global Ambassadors.

The regular-foot from Currumbin, Australia, is one of the most exciting young surfers in the world. He made his mark in 2013 with a victory at the Quiksilver Japan Open 4-star, third place at the Prime-rated Mr. Price Pro and SATA Airlines Pro, with a string of super consistent finishes to qualify for the 2014 ASP World Tour.

“Joining Reef is a new exciting chapter in my surfing career. To be able to associate myself with a brand that has such a free spirit, relaxed, surf lifestyle is great to be a part of. Reef's direction and visions with their apparel is really cool. Being more fashion forward is something I'm really psyched on and to have the chance to grow with Reef as brand is an amazing opportunity. I'm really excited,” says Crews.

This season, Crews has already racked up some impressive heat wins, taking down giants such as Julian Wilson, John John Florence, and Kelly Slater. In his first stretch of events, he is already ranked equal No. 20 in the world.

“We welcome Mitch to the team with such enthusiasm,” says Reef Global Ambassador Manager, Shea Perkins. “Crewsy's likable and infectiously positive demeanor, along with his confident and powerful surfing approach are a perfect pair for the Reef Ambassador program. We look forward to riding alongside his success as one of surfing's elite for years to come."

And while surf fans are very aware of his air game and rail work, they aren't always aware of Crews' challenging past. Just four years ago, he was diagnosed with a rare form of chronic arthritis. One doctor went so far as to say his surfing days were over. Despite the set back, Crews underwent treatment with an experimental drug and worked to beat the disease, not only surfing again, but now joining and beating the sport's most elite competitors.

Going into the summer, Crews is enjoying every moment in the water and focusing on the upcoming ASP Tour events in Fiji and South Africa as well as the US Open in Huntington Beach, before the challenge at Teahupoo, Tahiti, later in the year.