“It’s not that I know what I want but if a wave comes through and offers me a type of canvas, I know exactly what to paint on that section,” indicates Owen.
Post heat at Bells Owen Wright was sounding like an artist explaining how he approaches his work. While the final brush strokes were well-defined and crisp his round three masterpiece against Kolohe Andino didn’t come easily.
“I was pissed off with myself at the thirteen minute mark and thought ‘c’mon mate what are you doing, you’ve got a three and a two’!” Mental fortitude is by definition elusive, vague and subjective, but Owen Wright is no stranger to it. He injected himself on tour as a young, wiry kid from Culburra who easily won rookie of the year honours with a seventh placed finish. The following year he placed third, then tenth before being halted by a season ending injury in 2013.
The Big O hasn’t had a lot to smile about the past couple of years having to rebuild his Avatar frame and rediscover the form that saw him play into the world title race against one Robert Kelly Slater in 2011. The last time Owen won an event was against Kelly in 2011, in front of tens of thousands in the Big Apple. When he finished second to Kelly at the following Trestles event it was their third consecutive final together (Teahupoo was the other). Although Kelly claimed the title in 2011 Owen seemed destined to lift a world crown above his 6’2” frame.
Where Owen stands now is equal parts familiar and foreign. On Saturday he told me this year was the first time he hadn’t watched vintage footage of Occy to psyche up for Bells. Instead he ditched his annual ritual and jumped aboard our Tracks Wanderlust trip with brother Mikey, enjoying the familiar south coast beachies and reefs that helped shape the surfer he is today.
Surfing has become fun again. Physically he is in the best shape of his life and there’s no niggling injuries stifling his approach. His equipment is dialled and the smile is ever present in our post heat interview. Although economical with his words he radiates positivity and confidence. Today his two highest scoring waves came within the ten-minutes-to-go mark against an in form Kolohe Andino.
“Typically out there that can happen very easily. I had priority so the next wave was mine and I thought this will be a 7, even though I boggled a little bit – it could have been higher.”
“Then on the next exchange the two waves that came through, both of them were scores. I just had one that had two bigger sections out the back.”
He admitted it could have gone either way. “It was a gamble though, it was lucky.”
Intimate knowledge of the wave factors in heavily for every surfer that has had a good result here at Bells. The shape-shifting canvas has many moods and the most experienced guys know how to look for familiar patterns.
“The last wave that came through that I got – that 8.93 – before I took off I knew I was going to do two snaps out the back and then it was going to go dead out into the channel. It was pretty much a splitting image of the 8.90 in my heat the other day.
Owen’s premeditated approach has a lot to do with his history at Bells. Every Australian surfer spent years competing here on the Junior Series, a fact often overlooked when they draw highly favoured Americans, Hawaiians and Brazilians.
“I’ve been surfing here since I was 12 years-old in competitions so it’s pretty much all developed from that. It looks like I know what I want but the wave still dictates what you can do out there. I just read it right.”
The real Owen Wright is at home here at Bells. He’s the lone Australian goofy-footer left in the draw and motoring through heats with trademark hooks that show encouraging signs. A result here and a couple more in the Pacific could be the start of something special. Could the kid from Culburra be back in the world title race? There are still plenty of blanks to fill in this year but certainly there are enough signs to suggest the Big O can still go all the way.
A huge thanks to Isuzu for providing the Tracks team with vehicles for the 2015 Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach.
