It’s a combination of things that has seen Wilko relinquish his dominant lead, and there’s probably not much that can be done about it. From an outside and uneducated view it seems that he is just blowing it, but that’s not fair and not a realistic take anyway. While we have no idea how to fix the situation because none of us have ever been in a world title race of any sorts, here’s our honest opinion on what might be going wrong.
1. Nerves
The first two events were a blur and no one ever took stock of what was going on. Wilko was on a roll, and it was such an early roll that we didn't think too much about it. Two events back to back are great, but they are not title winners in the beginning of the year they are just an awesome way to bank points. The only time we stopped to think was when the roll stopped, and everyone slowly looked at Wilko with that wild-eyed look of expectation. As more and more sets of eyes sharked onto the young goofy-footer, because that’s what he is, so it’s possible that a slight case of the jitters might have kicked in. On land he seems relaxed and confidently discusses his losses, but underneath it all there might be a slight tremor going on, there might be a slightly raised heart-rate, and the nerves might be playing a part. No solution to nerves except maybe smoking a quick durrie before a heat, but that’s probably why we’ve never been in a title race.
2. Over-thinking
This could be as a result of nerves. Case in point, when Wilko was in JBay he was looking solid. Not the best ever as he was a little nervous (see above) but he was holding enough confidence and enough knowledge at Supers to be able to get through a number of heats. Then in round three he came up against Brazilian Alejo Muniz. Wilko only needed a small score, but halfway through a gifted wave at the end of the heat he decided that he needed to push a basic backhand turn a bit harder to get a bit more critical. It was an out of place move when all he needed to do was ride the wave through and his over-thinking while riding that wave cost him the heat.
3. Expectations
The world media went into a frenzy, his coach Micro went under the spotlight, and his sponsors all started looking at him with a vision of a possible world title, which is natural. That is a lot to put on the plate of a tour jester who just happened to find his rhythm for two waves in a row. With expectation comes a lot of pressure, and much of it unnecessary, as expectation is from within, and a surfer who is more experienced in a world title race might have been able to deal with the specter of expectation a bit differently. With the ‘world title’ tag being used in conjunction with his name in all media, that expectation might have become a burden for a surfer who prides himself on having fun.
4. Over kill.
The frustration is understandable and almost tangible for a surfer like Wilko in his position when he feels wronged by the judges, but a snarling face, strong gesticulations and Instagram posts are not going to change the scores. It might be that his reaction at Trestles might have been a bit too much. Those five wise men casting numbers and making or breaking careers with such, are not immune to emotional outbursts from surfers, whether warranted or not. There is never a chink in Kelly Slater’s armour when the judging doesn't go his way, and there is usually a smile from John John whatever the result. Jordy rarely slips either. The tour jester would do well to maintain his composure.
We can say all this with ease because, as previously mentioned, none of us have ever been in a world title race of any sort. But I guess in the absence of surfing talent we still have the privilege of opinion …
