With a scything backside snap, the support of a diminutive coach and a transformation of attitude, Matt Wilkinson has claimed his first ever tour victory and pulled off one of modern surfing’s most dramatic reinventions.
The more earnest approach to competition didn’t stop Wilko from starting a beer fight with the other finalists on stage, and with Tyler Wright winning in the women’s event, there was a distinctly Australian flavour to the festivities. Meanwhile Kolohe Andino looked intent on casting himself as surfing’s new, Great American Hero, arriving on the podium draped in a star spangled banner, sporting a Colonel Sanders mo’ and bouncing rays off his throwback Oakley Blades. He looked like famed US stuntman, Evel Knievel, greeting the crowd after he’d just jumped fifty cars.
By nailing an 8.6 in slow conditions in the opening minutes of the final Wilko had made it a game of catch up for Kolohe. Despite employing marginally more variety in his surfing Kolohe wasn’t able to commit to sections with the same velocity and grunt as Wilko. Kolohe’s last, reverse-capped ride, when chasing a 7.38, gave the judges plenty to contemplate but ultimately it was a victory for classic, raw power over a more clinical and crisp brand of surfing.
If you had suggested to someone at the beginning of the event that Matt Wilkinson would backside whip his way to a win, they might have looked at you like you had just waxed up the bottom of your board and put your fins on the wrong way. Even Wilko stated on stage, while saturated in beer and glory. “I wasn’t expecting it but I was hoping for it.”
Despite the underdog status, from the moment he breezed past Slater in round one everyone was talking about Wilko. Matt didn’t lose a heat the entire event and along the way claimed the prized scalps of Taj, world champion Adriano De Souza (twice) and last year’s event winner Felipe Toledo. In an era where aerial surfing often defines the cutting edge of the sport, almost all the damage was done with a swooping, drawn out bottom turn and a snap that put Wilko’s pink-tinged DHD in line with the Surfers Paradise skyscrapers in the distance. Just line up the lip and swing at it like you are trying to hit a home run. The vertical approach was a welcome change from the more lateral backside surfing Wilko’s been doing in recent years. While many competitors are dropping length in their equipment, Wilko has gone longer, which means the judges can clearly see his pink board project well beyond the fluffy Snapper lips, which have a tendency to swallow good turns.
So what has changed about Wilko, who was better known for his bohemian tendencies, love of red wine and a good time for several years on tour? During the event Fox Sports filled in down time with a two-year old documentary segment on Wilko that features him sweating bullets through a Bondi, Pilates workout with a heavy-duty hangover, alongside his famously distracting entourage. As pro surfing swallowed a big dose of straight-laced vanilla he’d cast himself as the rock-star rebel; the guy who was doing just enough to stay in touch with the tour but partying hard and give a certain fan base someone to live vicariously through.
Wilko indicated that the turning point really came last year, “I went from just rocking up at heats and doing what I wanted to, to putting in an effort… and I started to figure out what worked and what didn’t.”
Earlier in the week, Wilko also acknowledged the role Glenn Micro Hall has played in his transformation as a competitor. “Micro’s been great. We’ve pretty much been non-stop discussing everything for two months. He tells me what my boards look like and where all the waves are breaking. We agree on some shit and disagree on other stuff but we seem to be finding a pretty good balance in between.”
When asked what he told Wilko before the final, Micro preached a coaching philosophy that combines an understanding of personal and surfing issues.
“I just fill them with confidence. My job’s to keep an eye on the conditions and tell them any of the little things I see… to back them on what they want to do and if it’s on track I’ll support it and if it’s not I’ll throw my two-bobs in.”
“It’s also about being a mate and talking on what’s going on their life so that you show that you care and not just talking about surfing. You hang out and have beers and talk shit and when you go to work you switch on.”
According to Matt, Micro will travel with him for most of the year, except maybe at Fiji and Teahupoo. “Over there it’s just take off and stand in the tube and he can text me, ‘Take off and stand in the tube’ quipped Wilko, demonstrating he’d lost none of his sense of humour.”
Post-heat, Matt also talked about finding his ‘on switch’ at contests – perhaps buried beneath his mane of blonde hair. The challenge now will be to make sure he can continue to keep the electricity flowing. He came in to the event as an underdog and now he is wearing the coveted yellow jersey.
Being the one hunted rather than the hunter changes the psychological dynamic for Matt going into Bells, but he seems confident he can handle the pressure of being a front runner. “Last night I was joking with a friend over text ‘I eat yellow jerseys for breakfast’ then I beat Adriano this morning so it felt like it … I’m so stoked to be wearing it… when it gets to Bells and I put it on it will be a pretty weird feeling but hopefully I can keep getting through heats and keep my surfing really solid and keep that thing on for a while.”
Matt also paid tribute to his good mate, Owen Wright, who is still recovering from a head injury incurred at Pipeline late last year.
“I saw Owen last night. He’s one of my best mates and I absolutely love the guy. He’s been really strong and doing really well, which is awesome and for Tyler it’s been such a crazy few months and she’s played an incredible kind of mum role to Owen. She’s been putting so much effort in, so massive congrats to her and Owen will be back in no time killing it.”
Nobody expected a final between Kolohe Andino and Matt Wilkinson in the first event of 2016, and no one saw Stuart Kennedy’s wrecking ball run coming either.
The result throws the tour wide open and puts more favoured competitors on notice. Hopefully the likes of Jordy and Julian will introduce themselves to the mix at Bells and make this year’s title race the kind of helter skelter battle that forces everyone to be at their best.
A huge thanks to Isuzu for providing the Tracks team with vehicles for the 2016 Quiksiliver Pro Gold Coast.
