Surfing is coded into the DNA of a lot of kids in the Hot 100 this year, and Matt “Wilko” Wilkinson’s is no exception. “We moved to Copacabana when I was 7 and my dad taught me to surf straight away,” says Wilkinson. And to this day, after spending a good portion of his adolescent life on the road riding the best waves the planet has to offer, he reckons his favorite wave is still his local point. A classic Aussie jokester, belying Wilko’s good nature is his competitive mindset. An early starter, his career commenced with Gromfests at age 9, and by 10 he was surfing up an age group and winning events on the Central Coast. Skip ahead a couple of years to 2007 and Wilko graduated to the WQS. Despite a knee injury that sidelined him part way through the year, he still managed to finish in the top 100, albeit at 99th. Spending the down time instituting a training regiment that includes surfing and CHEK (Corrective Holistic Exercise Kinesiology), the explosive goofyfooter put his life’s philosophy into action: “Keep motivated, practice, train, and do all the work.”