Kelly SlaterBorn: February 11, 1972
Born Where: Cocoa Beach, Florida
Born Where: Cocoa Beach, Florida
Current Residence: Hawaii
Height: 5-9
Weight: 161 pounds
Stance: Regular
Accomplishments: 8 World Titles. 33 WCT Victories, 5 Pipe Masters Wins, 1 Quiksilver Big Wave invitational Win. Highest 2 Wave Heat Score. 12 Surfer Poll Award Wins. Member of Surfing Hall of Fame. Widely acknowledged as the greatest surfer in history.
Accomplishments: 8 World Titles. 33 WCT Victories, 5 Pipe Masters Wins, 1 Quiksilver Big Wave invitational Win. Highest 2 Wave Heat Score. 12 Surfer Poll Award Wins. Member of Surfing Hall of Fame. Widely acknowledged as the greatest surfer in history.
Kelly Slater was born to surf. He's the epitome of a natural - a guy who was winning surf contests while standing up on a bodyboard at age 6. He can literally ride waves on your front door. He's been famous since he was 12, has been sponsored by Quiksilver since he was 18, is both the oldest world champ ever and the youngest, and wears the crown as the greatest surfer in history.
His accomplishments are the stuff of legend: A record 8 World Titles, 5 Pipe Masters wins, Eddie Aikau win, major label album, best selling autobiography and video game and surf accessory company, host of Sirius Radio show and celebrity surf event in Fiji.
He's achieved this success despite coming from a poor background and a broken home. Oh yeah and hailing from Cocoa Beach, Florida didn't exactly prepare him for Pipe or Teahupo'o. How'd he get so good in both big and small waves then? Dedication. This is a guy who grew up surfing eight hours a day. Every day.
Throughout his career he hasn't alienated his fans, fallen into bad habits or suffered a personal breakdown. He gives off the aura of a humble, low key, ultra-nice guy. People freak out and say silly things they see him all the time, but in spite of that he's talkative and easy to hangout with. Young pros are constantly amazed at how well he "handles" his celebrity.
But he's got a fun, playful side. He likes to make new and bizarre outgoing messages for his cell phone. He plays the guitar and the ukulele constantly and he'll even throw down a few freestyle ymes if he's feelin' it. He likes to sing too and has a pretty good voice. Everybody knows about his roller coaster romance with Pamela Anderson. But here's something most people don't: he once dressed up as Tommy Lee for Halloween. That's the jokester in him. When he gets the call that he's on the list for a party at the Playboy Mansion he tells his buddies, who aren't invited, how to sneak in.
He's definitely not a "me guy" and he shies away from self-promotion. He usually doesn't like talking about surfing that much. On land, he's not at all flamboyant. In the water, though, he's a full on showman. He's one of the rare people that can surf better in contests than freesurfs. Like all the greats - Ali, Jordan, Ruth, Woods, he thrives on crowds, pressure and expectations. It's no wonder that while his personal appearance may be simple and no frills - the airbrushes on his board are often filled with drawings of hot girls, weird shapes and bright colors.
While he can seem guarded, he does like to try and figure himself out. He's one of the rare surfers on tour who are not afraid to be deeply introspective. He's even been known to pour his heart out to total strangers. He's also good at playing amateur psychologist for other people. He can use his insights to be a good friend or he can use them shrewdly is his career by finding and exploiting opponents' mental weaknesses. In short, he loves to psych guys out.
He's incredibly competitive. Once his surf career is over, he wants to be a pro golfer and poker player. When he plays both, he loves to bet and talk trash and hates to lose. He's a big sports fan and loves to watch golf, tennis and basketball on TV. His favorite show is probably Sportscenter, but also loves cheesy stuff like "American Idol." He likes to follow world politics and listen to talk radio.
He lives a rootless life that's a throwback to the nomadic surfers of the 60's and 70's. He travels constantly and doesn't really have a fixed address. If he went on MTV "Cribs" the only thing he'd have to show would be his quiver and travel bag. But here, again, appearances can be deceiving. He drives a fly car (Mercedes SUV) and likes the perks of stardom - courtside Lakers seats, comped suites in Vegas, golf at Riviera, backstage passes, beauty pageant and food judging gigs. He's also ridiculously well connected. He's friends with the likes of Cameron Diaz, Eddie Vedder and Jack Johnson.
Kelly's creativity, his fluidity, is probably the most overlooked aspect of his surfing and his life. In his sport, he's redefined and revolutionized performance in all conditions. Tailslides, carving 360's, air reverses, Rodeo Clowns - he either invented or reinvented them all. Today, the best surfers of the world have almost universally adopted his "New School" maneuvers. Because equipment hasn't changed much, if he had never started surfing it's likely that the sport would be stagnant today and everyone would still be riding they way they were in 1989. And all one has to do is watch any new video or pick up a magazine to see that right now he's surfing better than ever. He's still coming up with the most new maneuvers and the most innovative approach to wave riding.
In the mid '90's, guys on tour who were tired of losing to him started calling him, "The Freak." It was meant as a compliment, but it somehow created the impression that there was something lien about him. It wasn't a fair nickname, because, above all else, Kelly Slater is just a person. In the water, he's mental, but when he gets out he's just like us.
Q & A - Kelly Slater
Q: Fantasy Spots:
A: I'm not telling you
Q: Local Spots:
A: Sebastian Inlet - basically lots of spots around the world cause I travel a lot.
Q: Nicknames:
A: Kfin, Agent 39, Yunomi, Hell, Slates, Hellraiser
Q: Street Names:
A: Lil' Kelly, Hondo Aucila
Q: Pets:
A: none
Q: Tunes:
A: Stevie Wonder, Jack, Ben, Eddie, Outkast
Q: Trips:
A: The list of places I haven't been would be shorter.
Q: Books:
A: In the Heart of the Sea, The Prophet, 5 Lessons
Q: Movies:
A: "Fast Times," "Cable Guy," "Office Space, ""Amelie," "Happy Gilmore"
Q: Surf Vids:
A: "Beyond Blazing Boards," "The Surfers," "Thicker Than Water, " "Fair Bits" - Heli section
Q: Cheesy Reality or Regular TV Shows:
A: "The Apprentice," "Ultimate Fighter"
Q: Video Games:
A: Asteroids, Ms Pac Man
Q: Complaints:
A: I'm too scattered and busy
Q: Food:
A: Sushi, Smoothies, Fresh Juice
Q: Bros:
A: Sean and Skippy, Pat O., Ross Williams
Q: Honeys:
A: None
Q: Cars:
A: Old ML320 Mercedes
Q: Toys:
A: Phone, G4 Mac. Minidisc recorder, Video Camera
Q: Boards:
A: A bunch of Merricks
Q: Hobbies:
A: Golf, Guitar and Ukulele
Q: Bad Habits or Guilty Pleasures:
A: 80's tunes, biting my nails
Q: Shout Outs:
A: Yeeaeeaaaaahhhhh Boooooyyyyyy!
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