Surfing has always had it’s shares of characters: Dora, Potz, Andy, Gerr, and plenty of others who not only ripped, but brought a bit of flare and fun along with them. Heading the new crop of guys that have come to realize that surfing is a hell of a lot better when your having fun, is none other than Matt “Wilko” Wilkinson. Not one to stray from ridiculous clothes, and even more ridiculous wetsuits, Wilko backs up his antics by absolutely ripping in the water. Solidifying himself as one of the World Tour standouts his rookie year, Wilko just couldn’t seem to put it together in year two.
Midway through the season Wilko joined us aboard a Mentawai boat trip, and to say that his surfing was impressive wouldn’t even begin to do it justice. His lightning quick backhand that he is so well known for was absolutely tearing apart waves. Yet, what was even more impressive was what he through down over a few days at Macaronis. He threw down mind-blowing combos with enough consistency that he could have put together a full video part (actually he pretty much did just that on his website). The variation of turns he has on his forehand is astounding, I mean who the hell does double hand drag cutties? Needless to say he left everyone impressed, and a bit bummed at the thought that one of surfings most entertaining (in and out of the water) may be missing from the tour.
Thankfully for surf fans world wide, this last week at the Cold Water Classic Wilko put that backhand to use, dominating his way into the final and securing himself a spot on next years tour. His surfing was on point and gave us all a glimpse of what we are hopefully in for for the next year.
