It's a family effort that makes Warilla-Barrack Point star Maddix Burke tick

Maddix's mum and dad Troy and Sharna, as well as his younger sister Fleur, are just as much invested in his passion for the sport as he is.

Countless hours are spent on family road trips or plane rides in order for Maddix to compete.

Recently, the Burke travel itinerary has included trips to the Gold Coast, Western Australia, Victoria and a more friendly distance of North Bondi. Maddix's dad Troy reckons they've clocked in 3 000 kilometres on the odometer in the past three weeks alone.

But from the Burke family's point of view, they wouldn't change a thing.

The 14-year-old surf life saving sensation Maddix aims to become the next Ali Day or Ben Carberry. The Warilla High School student recently took out the Ironman race at the Interstate Surf Life Saving Championships.

Coming up is a busy period with the state titles first up in Manly in mid-March before he will compete in the Australian Surf Life Saving championships in Maroochydore.

But in his journey for success, he will have his family right by his side.

"We've already done three trips to the Gold Coast. We drove up in October when he did the Coolangatta Golds," Troy Burke said.

"More recently we've been starting to fly. I usually like to drive in one hit but you're getting up at two in the morning to do so. But now we look for cheaper flights and get Maddix's stuff on a gear trailer. That's the only way to do it.

"But for us we live and breathe it. You give up your annual leave to do it for you kids. As soon as you have kids you want the best for them, but I enjoy it too. So it's not as if it's a chore, it's something you want to do for your kids."

Maddix's love for the water came early, with the sport ingrained in the Burke family.

"I've got two older brothers and my dad was club president way back in the day at Shellharbour," Troy said.

"I always had a passion for it and then it wasn't until we had kids and then I took Maddix along and I still remember he was only like six years old and I took up down to the lake with a little foam surfboard and straight away my brother and I thought how much natural talent he had.

"He just jumped on the board and took off like a rocket without any sort of encouragement or practice. And the rest is history.

"He's not the biggest kid. All these under 15 kids are like six-foot tall. They're massive boys. But he punches above his weight. His training and work ethic is what gets him by. He doesn't cut any corners. A lot of the kids might have his talent, but they're not willing to work as hard."

Maddix recently took out the last round of the Shannon Eckstein Classic at Northcliff Beach in Queensland in the U15 Ironman event.

The win placed in third overall in the series and first in NSW. Maddix also finished third overall in the surf race as part of the summer of surf.