Dane Reynolds nearly reached his full ASP potential today. The 24-year-old Californian made his first Final ever at the Hurley Pro, where he was quickly disposed of by Australian Mick Fanning. Reynolds in now rated 11th in the world, a nice place to be for somebody who likes to play the accidental star role. Dane's made a career being indifferent toward competition because, apparently, he struggles with the notion of his "art form" being packaged and sold into a digestible criteria for the great unwashed masses.

Surfing, after all, isn't a stick and ball sport with hard fast ground rules. Like gymnastics, figure skating or American Idol it's subjective. Yeah sure surfers are athletes (and rapidly becoming acrobats) but the debate over whether or not surfing is a sport will never be settled.

Therein lies the gist of Dane's identity crisis.

Kelly Slater and Mick Fanning, on the other hand, aren't burdened by this problem. Reynolds' crisis, you see, is unique to California's surf culture. Only in California is it "totally uncool" to look like you care. That's far too competitive.



Dane was on fire early thanks to his full-figured 5'7".

Here in the Golden State, any and all extra effort, preparation, or excitable behavior is a flagrant violation of an unwritten coolness code. Some say this code dates as far back as the Chumash, but of course, we've been comically bastardizing it for decades, never more than in the 70s, when our character as a surfing community was being permanently molded. The violence that was pervading California lineups back then was rooted in a brand of localism where strangers came to blows over who was mellower than whom. That was especially the case in Dane's hometown of Ventura, a bastion of militant mellow cats.

Ultimately this why California's brightest stars, from Tom Curren and Rob Machado to the surging Dane Reynolds can't ever be seen surrendering to their primal beast, because the thing we Californians try hardest to do is make it look like we're not trying. Success here has to be incidental--even accidental, because it's allegedly way cooler that way.

Meanwhile, Mick and Kelly were raised without those cultural shackles. Both are ridiculously competitive freaks due to their surroundings. Young Aussies are groomed into the competitive scene at an early age as their surf clubs ready them to do battle against others. Floridian surfers like Kelly and the Hobgoods were raised on a starvation diet of waves and relevance, scraping for every sliver of respect.

Mick Fanning putting the extra-effort in on his way to claiming $105,000

Today, Mick and Kelly make no bones about being professional athletes. They work out, eat right, stretch before heats and even check the waves. Dane, frankly, is still figuring out what the hell he is. But we all know he's one hell of a surfer who likes to dare a lot more than care.

Fortunately for Dane, his equipment risk appetite led to success at Trestles. Like Kelly, he decided to ride boards that were actually suited for this fat, feathery wave. His wide 5' 7" and Kelly's dwarfy 5' 8" are boards neither would have been caught dead on a couple years ago. But had they ridden their "traditional" boards neither would have done as well. Yet even their equipment couldn't help them against Mick, a guy who cared more.

For Fanning, this win was as well deserved as they come. Mick was never pushed. He was polished though. Then again he has been all year, but this is the first time it's paid dividends. Luckily his moment came just in time to collect the record $105,000 prize, the biggest ever in pro surfing.

Sometimes it pays to just care.