In 1992, a 20 year old from Florida made surfing history. Kelly Slater qualified for the quarter finals of the Alternativa Surf International in Rio to claim the World Title.
The American media had high hopes, looking to him to be the next Tom Curren and when asked about reaching the same kind of highs as his surfing idol’s career, Slater, slightly camera shy and still unassuming about his future replied, “I don’t know, I’m not really thinking about that right now, I’m just thinking about having won the World Title, and hopefully winning another one someday”.
Nineteen years and 10 World Titles later… Kid Kelly is now King Kelly.
From the youngest ever World Champion, Slater is now the oldest - a surfing champion and undoubtedly a sporting legend.
An embarrassing ASP calculation glitch saw Slater crowned twice in San Francisco, once last week on the one-year anniversary of the death of his long time rival, friend and three-time World Champion Andy Irons, and again yesterday morning. The fans didn’t mind. Who wouldn’t want to relive it all again? Slater himself brought the issue to the ASP’s attention. Not fazed by the error, he just got on with business and made it official.
On Ocean Beach on that first historic day, Kelly’s partner Kalani Miller wore a T-Shirt which read “Jordan + Kobe = Slater”. His achievement ranks as high as the accomplishments of his country’s two greatest basketballers, and some may argue sportsmen, combined. Kobe Bryant is a five-time NBA Champion, Michael Jordan has six titles. In an American sporting context, that’s huge.
In an international context that T-Shirt could read “Schumacher + Federer = Slater”. Schumacher, a 7-time World Formula One Champion, and Federer was World Number One for more than four consecutive years.
Slater has done something no one, not even he himself, ever thought possible. He has single-handedly put surfing on the map and inspired generations of grommets and (just three months off his 40th birthday) middle-aged men across the world.
There are few 39 year olds continuing to compete at such an elite level and continuing to dominate the sport in the same way. Schumacher is 43 in January but his run behind the wheel of Mercedes in Grand Prix hasn’t seen him grace the podium once since his comeback.
Slater is as competitively fierce as he is chilled and free. The guys he continues to beat on the Tour are the ones he inspired to start surfing in the first place and in an ironic twist, it is these young surfers he credits for his continued competitive drive.
There are some who have difficulty rating Slater’s success - those who argue surfing is not a sport, just a pastime. It’s as much a hobby as kicking a ball around the park is to football, or shooting some hoops with friends at the courts is to basketball. That argument just doesn’t stack up, but it’s the predictable criticism when Slater makes world domination look so easy.
It’s also somewhat expected when the typical image of a surfer is the laid back, chilled out character. Slater defies yet at the same time defines that stereotype.
There’s a fierce competitive vein that pulsates on the World Tour and it beats hard in Slater’s blood. It’s that froth for victory and firing sensation that comes from riding the winning waves that have spurred Slater on for decades.
In 1998 he said to the media “You only have a short career as a surfer. It’s not like you have 20 years”. Not knowing when his barrel of success would end, Slater has made the most of his years on tour and his time at the top. He set his own benchmarks, pushed boundaries and teased expectations. He gave surfing its story, history…its fokelore.
It has come with its rewards too, over 3 million dollars in prize money plus copious millions more in sponsorships, appearances and publicity. His net worth is an estimated $30 million.
Put it this way - there’s little Kelly has to pay for on a weekly basis. Boards, fins, wetties, travel, accommodation, dinners, all the sunglasses, hats, thongs, clothes on his back and in his wardrobe are all paid for. He’s a walking billboard and his every step chimes ka-ching for sponsors. Quiksilver has arguably become the multi-million dollar company it is today because of Slater’s success.
To any footballer such money, fame, success and the speed to which he came into all three would be a recipe for scandalous disaster, back page news quickly becoming front page controversy. Yet Slater has kept a clean skin throughout it all, the closest he’s come to drama is his role as “Jimmy Slade” on Baywatch – a regrettable move, but hey why not?
Slater has been fiercely loyal to his long time sponsor Quiksilver, who he signed with in 1990 age 18. There are not too many high-profile athletes who can boast the same loyalty. He keeps his feet firmly planted on a board and when travelling isn’t too big to join the locals unannounced for a surf in which ever break he happens to find himself near.
He doesn’t ask for special privileges, nor priority for waves, just chats to the others in the water as he would any surfer. It’s that chilled surfing mentality that makes him the perfect athlete, role model and icon for generations to come.
From 10 in 2010 to 11 in 2011, I hope it’s 12 in 2012 and many more years on the Tour to come, After all, what’s he going to do if he retires? Fly around the world surfing? He might as well keep doing it competitively.
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