A lesson in mortality comes to me via the internet, a surfing contest in Portugal and Kelly Slater’s clash with a future world champion.

Saturday October 24, 9:43PM – I enjoyed Toy Story and was close to getting into Toy Story 2 when it dawned on me the Rip Curl Search event could be on, ‘what am I doing?’ After a few false starts firing up the black Mac and a quick dash to the kitchen to grab a slice of cheesecake the Search and I were together again. Aussie Drew Courtney was the first on my screen and snuck past Taylor Knox with a pair of right hand tubes that both score above seven. But that was pure entrée stuff.

World title contenders Joel Parkinson and Kelly Slater were soon to be slipping on the contest rashies, Joel against Bruno Santos and Kelly, wild card Owen Wright. Unfortunately, Joel’s heat was fairly lack laster affair action wise, but he got the job done and looked good. No obvious signs of the ankle injury hampering him at all. Not much of a test though with Bruno having a shocker. Parko’s ninth place (or better) forcing the world title race to bottleneck in a Pipe show down – oh, yeah!

Kelly’s revenge for the loss Owen handed him back in April at Bell’s is what’s driving him – in a good way. Surfing’s greatest loves to be challenged and any surfer that manages to make him feel like an under-dog can expect the nine-time world champ at his best. The heats a nail-biter and the lead swing’s, first in favour of the dark old guard, and then to the white knight of a new dawn.

I really like Owen he has the humble resolve of a man destined to be king. He’s the prince who deserves what’s coming to him. I am Australian, and I do look forward to his reign on the world tour, but not yet. I can’t help hoping for another miracle finish for Kelly. A: because he’s an old mate of mine (yeah, yeah, boo) and B: I want the gnarliest six horsed nose-to-nose soul searching battle royal for the title at Pipeline. Big old spitting pits at the best wave in the world in front of the largest TV audience in the world; even farmers from Ohio get Pipeline. My Scottish gun-loving uncle gets Pipeline.

But, the wind is taken from me as Owen (who I have money on to win world titles one day) gets a decent barrel in the dying minutes needing a low seven, he fist pumps the claim, throws himself of balance then fidgets his way back into position for a cutback and falls on a suss inside floater. He gets the score. With mere seconds left Kelly compacts for a backhand barrel to close out and races in. “Yes, he’s got it!” came my outburst. But it’s not to be the judges cruel him.

Maybe I’m a prick but the judge that gave Kelly a 6.5 while all the other judges scored above 7 is the bigger knob. I’m surprised by my frustration and honest lack of blind patriotism – actually not that surprised, I’ve never been a flag-waving citizen.

I watch the replays and realize my hasty text to Kelly telling him, I thought he was hard done by was, well, hasty. Hasty, and wrong, Owen clearly won. It was a win for a new generation. Not the one just behind Kelly, but nearly 20 years behind. Kelly turned 37 this year, and so did I. Perhaps his ability to stave off any signs of old age is what keeps me on team Slater.

He’s been waving a flag of youthful exuberance for generation x for so long now perhaps time has finally come to relinquish. Last year I remember waking sore from a two-hour surf session only to think Kelly had just won a ninth world title at the same age (in fact he’s a few months older). Smashing the Jordy Smiths and Dane Reynolds of a new generation. That gives a man hope, and for that I (and thousands of others) thank him.

Realizing my generation is over I sent him another text asking he ignore the first. It’s nearly two am when I crawl into bed. In the morning my phone beeps, it’s a text from Kelly. He thanks me and for the first time ever acknowledges his mortality, “I’m getting old… “ Yes, we are old mate, yes we are. And that ain’t bad.

– Col B