The Rebirth Of The Champion

By Todd Maguire on July 23, 2015 in Other

“Hey man, if these three old man Papas can surf so well, then why not me?” Dasar Kopella, the head of the village, declared as he drained the last of his thick sludge of a coffee.

It had been a 16-year hiatus for the former surfing champion. In his day, he won the local island championship and travelled to South America for moderate success in the amateur world surfing championship. Very impressive. But life had got in the way for the colourful character. Family, business success, laziness and a portly figure were all contributing to his time away from the surf.
His friendly guesthouse was one of the best losmens on the island. He loved the three Papas who were regular guests: Papa Stevos, Papa Marco and Papa Todos.

The three Papas brought a new level of fun and banter to the guesthouse and could certainly hold their own on the challenging waves. Their presence caused a rekindled flame in the heart of Dasar Kopella.

The head of the village waxed up his gifted mini mal surfboard, slapped on some sunscreen and packed his stout body into a pair of board shorts.

“I am ready!” Dasar Kopella declared.

In a state of excitement mixed with nervousness, the Dasar Kopella negotiated the razor sharp reef and launched into the ocean. With vocal encouragement from the three Papas, the surfer stroked for his first wave but was bowled down its face like a cork.

Regaining his breath and composure, he paddled again. He stroked ferociously and with perfect timing launched onto his feet. The man was surfing. The small crowd went wild. He was back to where he had left off 16 years ago.

A few waves later he was totally exhausted. In a better comeback than Mark Occhilupo, Kelly Slater or even the fifth return of John Farnham, the Dasar Kopella had made the village full of pride.

The three Papas were honoured that they had a hand in the return of the champion. When asked how he felt, the Dasar Kopella replied with a weary smile, “As I say before, if you three old man Papas can surf so well, then why not me?”

The three Papas were very proud of their friend. As they shared a beer that evening they pondered over whether they had created a monster. The Dasar Kopella was hooked. He gave up his clove cigarettes, enjoyed a cold beer and couldn’t wait to get back in the water the next day. He began complaining how he needed a high performance surfboard ASAP. Small steps, my friend. Small steps.

The head of the village, the Dasar Kopella, was last seen sluggishly ambling off to his room for a well-earned sleep.

“Me so tired from this surfing business,” he yawned and smiled. “But me far more tired from you three Papas who make me laugh way too much. Why you like this?”

A straight eight of sleep that night went down as a well-deserved treat for the reborn champion.