Kelly Slater Wins His 10th Association of Surfing Professionals World Title
What a week for professional surfing. Kelly Slater nails down an historic 10th ASP world title, Stephanie Gilmore stitches up her 4th title, and Andy Irons unexpectedly passed away.
This blog was prompted by an article in The Australian, a few passages of which reminded me of my two personal encounters with the surfing alien commonly known as Kelly Slater.
The article goes:
ON the Gold Coast in 1984, Australian surfing team coach Paul Neilsen got a call from Quiksilver founder Alan Green. It was after the Pacific Cup, an international teams event, and Green wanted to get the goss on some kid from Florida.
"What's this kid like?" Green asked.
"He's the best surfer I've ever seen," Neilsen replied.
------------------------------------------------------
First Encounter With the Prodigal Son
WRS: Fast forward three years to 1987. Some friends of mine were down surfing in mainland Mexico that summer and happened to meet up with a group of Floridian surfers tearing it to bits. Then about a month later, we were hanging out on the beach in front of the lighthouse in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina during the East Coast Championships when all of a sudden these same guys turn up, only they had another guy in their company: a 15 year-old Kelly Slater.
15 year-old Jedi
I'd seen his name in the surf mags a couple of times and heard he was a good surfer, so while my friends were talking with his friends, he and I exchanged a few words. Nothing too deep, more just about the swell, wind directions, etc. But there was one thing that is forever burned into my mind that I thought made the encounter unforgettable. Though he was quite friendly and happy to talk, his eyes were intensely focused on watching the surf, keenly studying the waves at the contest site, mentally preparing for his upcoming heat. It was as if he was doing some sort of Jedi mind exercises. It was all so adult-like, yet here was a kid without even so much as a whisker on his chin. I knew the kid was different but, at that moment, I don't think anyone knew just how "different" he really was.
I particularly liked that he was somewhat quiet and soft-spoken, not about spouting off to the world how great he was. Seeing just how far he's come, his contribution to the sport of surfing, his (perhaps unwilling) position as a living cultural icon.....well, his humility only makes the story all the more poignant.
Surfing Time Warp
During that same trip, I crossed paths with him again while surfing Frisco Pier. I was paddling over the back of a lefthander just as he was taking off. I looked down just as he was driving hard off the bottom and, just as he passed out of my view, I looked back and saw him launch a backside aerial, land it, and then proceed to do another one, and after that he systematically dismantled the wave to oblivion. Whoa, real deal! I was sold. Now, 23 years later, I can honestly say, his surfing on that day was radical even by today's standards. He was unquestionably the best I'd ever seen. I mean, yeah, Tom Curren, Tom Carroll, and Martin Potter were my heroes back in those days, and they clearly ripped, but this kid was my age, my generation, blazing a trail for a new generation of surfers. He raised the bar on what was believed possible on a wave, and most impressively, he did so in a controlled and functional manner. He wasn't just launching big airs and then flailing to recover in the whitewash. No, he was landing everything with convincing authority.
The Dynasty Begins
Once he got a taste for Hawaii and nailed down his rep in some serious shit, I can't say I was surprised he bagged a world title on his rookie year on the pro tour! One title turned into two, turned into three, turned into four. Only Mark Richards had nailed down four world titles and here Slater matched him. Then four turned into five, turned into six titles. The more he kept winning, the more I realized we had an extraterrestrial living amongst us.
After that, he seemed to change gears and backed off a bit, with other guys (including Andy Irons) winning the championship over a seven year period. But I think what really amazed me was that with all the new generation of surfers on the WCT, he was still able to come back and win it four more times, making him the youngest and oldest world champion surfer. God only knows how long it's going to take for another surfer to come along and win 10 titles.
The 2004 Encounter: Surfing's First Rock Star
I next crossed paths with Kelly Slater 17 years later in 2004 at a pro contest at Maroubra, Sydney, Australia. Of course, by that time, he both literally and figuratively walked on water and couldn't go anywhere without a mob of rabid fans following his every move. Here's a Youtube video of that very contest. Note how he barely exited the water and the crowd just descended on him, with security having to escort him back to the contest scaffolding. I was with some friends that afternoon at a local restaurant and was a bit distracted by a large group of people along the main drag. Then I noticed Kelly Slater buried in the middle of this moving scrum of humanity. Wow, things had certainly changed in his life since 1987.
Taking Down the Tiger
The article in the Australian states, "While Slater takes time to think about whether he wants to aim for an 11th surfing world title, the three-handicapper revealed he wouldn't mind giving professional golf a shot.
"I've been thinking about that, I'd love to win a pro golf tournament one day," Slater said.
After seeing the look in his eyes that September day on the beach in Cape Hatteras, something tells me he just might give Tiger Woods a run for his money!!
This blog was prompted by an article in The Australian, a few passages of which reminded me of my two personal encounters with the surfing alien commonly known as Kelly Slater.
The article goes:
ON the Gold Coast in 1984, Australian surfing team coach Paul Neilsen got a call from Quiksilver founder Alan Green. It was after the Pacific Cup, an international teams event, and Green wanted to get the goss on some kid from Florida.
"What's this kid like?" Green asked.
"He's the best surfer I've ever seen," Neilsen replied.
------------------------------------------------------
First Encounter With the Prodigal Son
WRS: Fast forward three years to 1987. Some friends of mine were down surfing in mainland Mexico that summer and happened to meet up with a group of Floridian surfers tearing it to bits. Then about a month later, we were hanging out on the beach in front of the lighthouse in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina during the East Coast Championships when all of a sudden these same guys turn up, only they had another guy in their company: a 15 year-old Kelly Slater.
15 year-old Jedi
I'd seen his name in the surf mags a couple of times and heard he was a good surfer, so while my friends were talking with his friends, he and I exchanged a few words. Nothing too deep, more just about the swell, wind directions, etc. But there was one thing that is forever burned into my mind that I thought made the encounter unforgettable. Though he was quite friendly and happy to talk, his eyes were intensely focused on watching the surf, keenly studying the waves at the contest site, mentally preparing for his upcoming heat. It was as if he was doing some sort of Jedi mind exercises. It was all so adult-like, yet here was a kid without even so much as a whisker on his chin. I knew the kid was different but, at that moment, I don't think anyone knew just how "different" he really was.
I particularly liked that he was somewhat quiet and soft-spoken, not about spouting off to the world how great he was. Seeing just how far he's come, his contribution to the sport of surfing, his (perhaps unwilling) position as a living cultural icon.....well, his humility only makes the story all the more poignant.
Surfing Time Warp
During that same trip, I crossed paths with him again while surfing Frisco Pier. I was paddling over the back of a lefthander just as he was taking off. I looked down just as he was driving hard off the bottom and, just as he passed out of my view, I looked back and saw him launch a backside aerial, land it, and then proceed to do another one, and after that he systematically dismantled the wave to oblivion. Whoa, real deal! I was sold. Now, 23 years later, I can honestly say, his surfing on that day was radical even by today's standards. He was unquestionably the best I'd ever seen. I mean, yeah, Tom Curren, Tom Carroll, and Martin Potter were my heroes back in those days, and they clearly ripped, but this kid was my age, my generation, blazing a trail for a new generation of surfers. He raised the bar on what was believed possible on a wave, and most impressively, he did so in a controlled and functional manner. He wasn't just launching big airs and then flailing to recover in the whitewash. No, he was landing everything with convincing authority.
The Dynasty Begins
Once he got a taste for Hawaii and nailed down his rep in some serious shit, I can't say I was surprised he bagged a world title on his rookie year on the pro tour! One title turned into two, turned into three, turned into four. Only Mark Richards had nailed down four world titles and here Slater matched him. Then four turned into five, turned into six titles. The more he kept winning, the more I realized we had an extraterrestrial living amongst us.
After that, he seemed to change gears and backed off a bit, with other guys (including Andy Irons) winning the championship over a seven year period. But I think what really amazed me was that with all the new generation of surfers on the WCT, he was still able to come back and win it four more times, making him the youngest and oldest world champion surfer. God only knows how long it's going to take for another surfer to come along and win 10 titles.
The 2004 Encounter: Surfing's First Rock Star
I next crossed paths with Kelly Slater 17 years later in 2004 at a pro contest at Maroubra, Sydney, Australia. Of course, by that time, he both literally and figuratively walked on water and couldn't go anywhere without a mob of rabid fans following his every move. Here's a Youtube video of that very contest. Note how he barely exited the water and the crowd just descended on him, with security having to escort him back to the contest scaffolding. I was with some friends that afternoon at a local restaurant and was a bit distracted by a large group of people along the main drag. Then I noticed Kelly Slater buried in the middle of this moving scrum of humanity. Wow, things had certainly changed in his life since 1987.
Taking Down the Tiger
The article in the Australian states, "While Slater takes time to think about whether he wants to aim for an 11th surfing world title, the three-handicapper revealed he wouldn't mind giving professional golf a shot.
"I've been thinking about that, I'd love to win a pro golf tournament one day," Slater said.
After seeing the look in his eyes that September day on the beach in Cape Hatteras, something tells me he just might give Tiger Woods a run for his money!!
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