As I read through the posts here in the community I have realized actually that most of the topics here are from sports fans and sports watchers, the articles are great and I also love that it's a platform where personal opinions are always dealt with in a light hearted and kind way. The comments are always constructive and rarely critical. My articles of my recent ride from South Thailand to Bangkok over 11 days were also greeted with 100% positive commentary which I appreciated. Now it's my turn to write a personal opinion piece. Please give me your thoughts.
Although I introduced myself to the community as primarily a bike rider and my first articles were all about biking, of course I have other interests and actually before biking I have to admit that surfing for me is always first. I surf religiously whenever there is the slightest swell here at my home breaks. I go on surf trips to Indonesia, The Maldives, Sri Lanka and of course when I visit family in Australia I also get a surf in time and swell permitting. I'm not the greatest surfer but not the worst. Here I am on a decent wave somewhere in Indo....
This leads me to the title of the post - My Sporting Hero. I'm not sure how many of you follow surfing as it's still kind of a niche sport and not really a mainstream event as far as televised sport goes. Over 30 years ago the surfing world was introduced to an unassuming blonde kid from Florida (where the surf is basically shit). His name was Kelly Slater. Last week Kelly achieved another two milestones in his career. He again won the Billabong Pro Pipeline in Hawaii - kind of the holy grail of surf comps, and..... wait for it..... he bloody turned 50! Think about this for a minute. How does a 50 year old athlete compete against people less than half his age and own them??
So let's just consider this for a moment - first of all surfing is a physically demanding sport - its not like snooker or darts where decades of experience and skill will always trump fitness. The fitness levels of a professional surfer are arguably comparable to that of a footballer, tennis player, cyclist or any other athlete whose chosen sport demands endurance, strength and skill. Here is the wave that clinched Kelly's win. I cant begin to explain to a non surfer just how dam challenging it is to surf that wave. The size, speed and power of a barreling wave at Pipe is beyond comprehension. The beach actually shakes when the waves break. To take that late drop, find your balance, pump high under the lip then allow the wave to envelop you in to a barrel the size of a bus takes an incredible amount of skill and courage. AND TO DO IT AT 50 YEARS OLD!!!???
OK so does Kelly's inhuman skills and endurance as a professional surfer qualify him as a sports hero? Not at all. What qualifies him as a sports hero is the following.
His humility - never will you see an interview where Kelly doesn't praise the other competitors and try to steer the interview away from himself. He even runs away mid interview to hug another competitor who just exited the water. He is notoriously hard to interview for exactly this reason.
His generosity - Kelly supports all kind of foundations and charities. A quick search on Google reveals just how many he is actively involved with.
His ethics - Kelly is an outspoken conservationist and has had sharp words over the years with corporate sponsors that he believes don't behave ethically or responsibly with regards to the environment and the support of fellow competitors.
Last year when the world was mostly shut from Covid restrictions Kelly suddenly appeared in the local line up of Bali's favourite wave - Padang Padang. Locals reported him as being polite, respectful and courteous at all times. He never took more waves than his turn and always gave way to the locals.
He is an absolute gent both on and off "the field". To me Kelly Slater is a dam Sporting Hero in the true sense of the word. I take my hat off to him and congratulate him for winning his eight Pipe Master. In total he has won 11 world titles and 56 tour championships.
I'm Jo Biker and Kelly Slater is my sporting hero. Peace!
Thats quite an achievement for sure. I also surf and have to agree - Kelly Slater is a hell of a human!
Yeah I see on your profile pic that you looking pretty comfortable on the board.😆. Kelly Slater is super human!
a friend of mine was ecstatic about this the other day! I don't do much as far as ocean stuff is concerned but everyone knows the Kelly Slater name. Dude's a legend.
Yeah he may be the only household name in surfing these days. As you say - he's an absolute legend.
Dude, you are a quality surfer based on that pic. I love surfing, but it's been a few years. Seeing your photo makes me want to dust off thr board and hit the waves 👌
Oh thanks man! Get out in the water with that dusty board!! I'm just about to visit my family in Australia for the 1st time in 2 years (since they now are reopening), I can't wait to surf there again - my family live near some of the best waves in Australia but sadly this time of year is not the best for swell. I'm planning to stop in Bali on the way back to Thailand though!
So many things in sport can look so easy to do, until you try it and suddenly gain a respect for just how hard it is to achieve.
Kelly sounds like a rare gem and an amazing role model. I wish more athletes could have his humility.
It's funny watching people try to surf for the first time - it really is hard to learn and also hard to teach. There are so many things happening and it all happens fast and then add other surfers in to the mix and its near impossible to get a wave if u are a beginner.
I'd struggle to balance on a board on the sand, never mind in the water! 🤣
Oh you're a goofy.. nice photo of you in Indo!
Kelly Slater is a legend. I haven't met anyone who hasn't said good things about him. I met him years back through surfing circles where I live in Torquay, nice guy.
I'm 50 and still surfing . Definitely not on his level though 😂😂😂
No dude im regular - look again at the pic...:) Im 50 next birthday too - another reason that Kelly blows my mind - he surfs like a teenager. Great to connect with another surfer here! Thats amazing you met him - tell me how that happened?
Oh haha I just clocked the left wave and didn't look closely to see you were backhand.
Met him through crew I was working with in surf industry back in the day around Bells surf comp, I grew up a km from Bells and area was a bit of a small town then, everyone knew someone, and then there was the Bells parties too. Long time ago now!!!
I surfed Bells just before Covid kicked in - what an epic wave! So great you had that wave in your back yard! I was in the suburbs of Brisbane - far away from any good waves sadly.
I grew up a km from Bells, hearing the boom of the swells from my bedroom. I don't surf it though,maybe Rincon when it's small. Pretty busy there now post COVID, town has gone crazy.
Just saw your post now and somehow missed it. I met Kelly Slater years ago at the Gunston 500 which we sponsored. Long time ago but great to see him still winning lol.
Damm - another one who has met the great Kelly. I hope one day I see him appear in the lineup ..:)