Coverage of the 2009 Nixon High Tide Hold'em from Tavarua

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By Jeff Mull

Take a gander at Owen Wright, the most competitively ruthless Australian surfer in the Hot 100. Since kicking off ’09, Mr. Wright’s been on a winning binge, getting messy with three consecutive Pro Junior victories over a very adept playing field. Just after winning his third Pro Junior, we got in touch with the lanky 6-footer to find out what country he thinks produces the best surfers and what, exactly, he would do with his last night on Earth. (Hint: It involves fast cars and supermodels.)

So you're just coming off of triple Pro Junior wins and it seems that the entire surf media is pretty fired up on you. Can you tell me about how it feels to be thrust into the spotlight?

Yeah, well, coming off those wins feels great. Especially with all of the best international guys competing over here. And as far as the media attention goes, I guess that by doing that [winning] the media comes with it, which is good…I like it. I’d much rather be doing interviews and answering questions about having good form than having bad form...we all got smashed at the world juniors.

You and Julian, along with a few other guys, have made a pretty solid statement about where Australian surfing is going. How would you compare the Aussie under-21 surf scene with that of American under-21 surf scene?

I’d say that both countries are comparable with their standout surfers, but being an Aussie, I think that we have more talented surfers. Well, it certainly feels that way doing the Aussie Pro Juniors.

It seems like right now we’re seeing a trend toward bigger surfers, moving away from the typical, small-stature Tom Carroll-type figures. How does it help you're surfing being a bit taller?

I think being taller is good if you use it right on the wave. It can definitely be done wrong. But if you’re taller, you’re able to get more extension and much more leverage, which equals getting more out of a turn.

When can we expect to see you make a full run on the ’QS?

Well, I tried a couple of ’QS events last year and it was a great learning curve. I’m definitely going to tackle a few more this year with a different game plan, though. I’m really looking forward to it actually.

Hypothetically, let’s say it’s your last night on Earth. What do you do that night? 

I’d probably drive a Ferarri as fast as it can go and then take her out on a racetrack. Then I reckon I’d spend the rest of the night with Miranda Kerr!/span>

The Year of Living Dangerously
A Q&A With Hot 100 Mover Nat Young
By Jeff Mull

Nat Young had a serious year in 2008. From the start, Nat was ablaze, creating a fiery mess of contest victories and plaques bearing his name. 2008 NSSA Open Men’s champ? You can go ahead and place a check next to that one. Pro Junior victory? You can cross that one off, too. Coldwater Classic win? Just another notch in his belt. At a mere 17 years of age, the young alabaster-toned Santa Cruz prince has officially stamped his seal on the surf world.

So, not too bad of a run last year. I want to get your perspective though. Can you run me through ’08 as you remember it?
Yeah, ’08 was a pretty darn good year for me. Everything just seemed to fall in place. As far as contests go, I won the Open Men’s Division in the NSSA Nationals and then I won the El Ponto Loco Pro Junior, and after that, I won the Coldwater Classic here in Santa Cruz. I don’t know what I was doing right really. I was just surfing I guess and things worked out for me.

Did you feel like this was your year? You just seemed to really find a rhythm.
Yeah, for sure. I was just doing my best and surfing as much as I can. I don’t really know how to describe it. 2008 just seemed to be really smooth to me. I’d surf, win a contest, go on a killer photo trip, and then just repeat that cycle.

Of all of the ups you had last year, was there one that stood out to you the most?
That’s kind of a tough one, so many things ya know? I’d have to either go with the Nationals win or the Coldwater Classic win. I mean winning Open Men’s in Nationals is pretty cool…so many amazing surfers have come out of that. But then winning the Coldwater Classic was pretty cool too. That win was a lot tougher for me for sure, but I’d have to say that they’re pretty much up and up.

Going back to your win at the Coldwater Classic for a moment, it seemed like half of Santa Cruz was on the cliff cheering for you during the final.
Yeah, it seemed like that to me too. It was a little tough for me to stay focused when I would look up on the cliff and hear people screaming my name as loud as they can. There were people up there screaming my name and cheering for me that I swear I’d never even seen before. It was a little unnerving, but really cool at the same time. Somehow I was able to focus the nerves and get the job done.

With last year behind you, what’s in store for ’09?
Hopefully I can continue my stride in ’09. I’m just gonna keep surfin’ ya know? Just doing my absolute best. As far as contests go, I’m just gonna do some Pro Juniors and a few ’QS events here and there.

So no NSSA next year?
No, I don’t think so. I don’t think I can do much better than winning Open Men’s. So no…no NSSA for me. I’d hate to go back out there and not win again. I think I may have peaked on that one.

Are you doing the whole home school thing?
I actually graduated two years early. I did regular high school for two years and then did an accelerated home school program and then graduated. So I’m all done with school.

You once mentioned to me that if the whole surf thing didn’t pan out, you wanted to become a chef. Can you remember the last thing you ate?
I think a bowl of cereal.

You getting all Kelly Slater in Black and White on us?
Nah. Wait, it wasn’t cereal. It was a Tiger’s Milk Bar. Yeah, that was the last thing I ate.

How about training. Are you jumping on that bandwagon with everyone else?
Yeah, I just started training with a few of my friends at a place called Studio 831. I’m already ridiculously sore. We work a bit with some weights, but mostly it’s a program using your own body weight—like doing pull-ups and leg bends, working on our cores, and some other stuff. There’s this set of leg exercises that’s just ridiculous. I forget what those leg things are called, but they’re nuts.

What’s getting the most play on your iPod right now?
Right now, mostly rap and some techno. Like Lil Wayne, stuff like that.

Can you remember the last movie you saw?
Step Brothers. I watched that a few times when I was in Australia. The song they sing in the end is classic.

Who’s your number one pick for the Hot 100 this year?
Hmmm. Probably Jordy…is Jordy still in the Hot 100? If not Jordy than Dusty for sure.

Videos of the 2009 Nixon High Tide Hold'em from Tavarua

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Gabe Kling talks about his world tour comeback, beating Kelly Slater, and working on his weaknesses.

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Groundhog Day 2009 announced six more weeks of winter. Does that mean six more weeks of swell for surfers?

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