A rookie on the 2010 ASP world tour Owen is the complete package. He has affinity with the barrel an aerial prowess that stupefies, and a contest game that hurts.

A rookie on the 2010 ASP world tour Owen is the complete package. He has an affinity with the barrel, an aerial prowess that stupefies, and a contest game that hurts… Just ask anyone who competed in a junior event last year. Owen did not lose a heat! And then there’s his stunning world tour appearances at both Bells for the Rippy Pro and the Search event in Portugal. Kelly Slater and Damien Hobgood just two of his scalps. The lanky 20-year-old from Culburra now living in Lennox is most certainly – tall and talented. Better still is his down to earth nature, mellow outlook on life and close family ties. Like I said, the complete package.

Fifth place finish on the ASP World Qualifying series last year, happy?

I’m happy with a fifth place, but I would have liked to have gone better. I injured myself there towards the end and I would have liked to contest those last three (high rated) events. It would have been nice to be in them.

Fight on for the top spot?

Sorry, Adam Melling is next to me telling me he’s going to take me down.

Melling. [Melling interrupts with stirring his mate and fellow newbie to the world tour] I would have liked to just go in those events and finish out the year trying for the title but I’m stoked Rossy [Dan Ross] the champion won. He’s a legend.

Speaking of Melling, how true was the rumour you were going to roll out for Lennox boardriders with him in the Jim Beam Surftag finals at Narrabeen?

I thought about it, but I’ve been heaps busy and just needed some time to cruise. I’ve been flat out, been in Sydney, Tahiti and now Angourie all this week.

How’s it been moving to Lennox, changing boardriders can be hard?

For me it’s not so bad. In Culburra there isn’t a boardriders. I don’t feel guilty at all in fact I’m kinda frothing to be part of the boardriders here.

The boardriders down in Culburra was just the Wright family?

Basically. The Wright family and the Watson family.

Back to last year, you missed the WQS top spot, consolation prize; you win the Australasian junior series without dropping a heat? Not bad?

Yeah, I’m pretty happy with that.

I should hope so that’s huge.

That’s what I mean. I wasn’t happy about being injured and that but winning the junior series was great.

Lets go back to your injury?

I hurt my knee and my shoulder on that wipeout in Portugal. [Owen was surfing against Damien Hobgood and got slammed nut remarkably still won the heat] and my eardrum. Everybody thought it was just my ears drum but I ended up messing my knee up pretty bad and it still feels weird. The shoulders sweet now. Unlike before where I couldn’t lift it above my head.

Did anyone have the balls to question the validity of the in injuries at the time after your withdrawal gave fellow Rip Curl rider Mick Fanning a walk though to the final?

A few people asked me that and said, “Well, what do you reckon? I haven’t surfed for two months!” I didn’t surf or compete in those three or four QS’s in that time.

What about right there on the beach that day? Conspiracy theorists would have been thinking, “Where’s Owen? Why isn’t he surfing? Is Mick really going straight to the final? They’re both Rip Curl surfers, is this to help Mick win a title?”

Yeah, I came down to the beach in the morning and I had my board and my wettie. I went into then get assessed by the event doctors and they then pulled the pin… they said my knee, and my neck, and my shoulders were not right. And with the neck injury alone he said, ”You shouldn’t go in it.” Any sort of duck dive of a strong wave could just pull my head off.

Is that another reason to be stoked you’re on the world tour? That extra specialist care you get from the doctors?

Yeah it was good. I got to work with Chris Cross for a lot to get back. He helped us out a lot. He’s was the event doctor over there and he was really good to work with he helped a lot.

What about growing, you were about 6’2 the last time I saw you are you done?

Well, I’ve actually grown another centimetre. Mum thought that I’d grown again, so and she was right. That was two days she measured me.

So what training do you focus on? Core strength? Muscle bulk?

Keeping fit, nothing huge, you don’t need to be huge for surfing I don’t think. I still need to be really limber. I think that if you get to bulky then your airs become stiff.

Really stiff. I like being flexible and fit.

What about equipment? Have yo done anything new? We’ve seen Dane [Reynolds] and Kelly [Slater] play around and go mental with new boards have you got experimental for your first year on the WT?

With my boards I’ve got what I know and I’ve got a few that are an inch shorter and a couple that are two inches shorter. I love round tailed boards they just seem to be a good all round boards or bucket tails as I call them. [A discussion ensues about the round tail Owen means is a hybrid between a square squash tail and a pintail]. Crew are like, “Oh they’re round?” But they’re also really round down the backend.

They roll of the backhand really easy!

The Quikky Pro! Banks looking good, there’s a great swell report, have you been keeping an eye on it?

I’ve certainly been keeping an eye on it, and I can tell you that I went left yesterday for the first time in, I don’t know how long? So yeah I’ve been practicing in right and I’m looking forward to it.

Throw in one left in case they take it to Duranbah?

Yeah, I went left finally yesterday and I was frothing. Didn’t make a turn or an air but it was sick to go left.

You know you get beat these guys; you beat Kelly twice last year (once at Bells, and the second time in Portugal), confident?

Fresh start this year, like it is with every event I suppose and I’m just looking forward to it. I’m pretty relaxed knowing that when I compete there’s going to be waves and I can’t wait just to loosen up.

And the rest of the Wright family enjoying the move from Culburra to Lennox?

Yeah, everyone’s having heaps of fun especially with this last swell we’ve all just been surfing all the time. Pretty buggered actually, I’m feeling surfed out.

Thanks Owen.

By Col B // Photos: Shorty