Oh Kelly, if you leave us now...
In all the drama and emotion of the last day of the Pipe Masters, it was easy to overlook the fact that Robert Kelly Slater once again demonstrated, with an absolutely stupendous three-heat master class, that the day he leaves the tour will be sadder than anyone can imagine.
Paul Speaker and his honchos at ASP must have breathed a collective sigh of relief when Kelly answered the inevitable podium question with a throwaway line about how Mick winning the title pissed him off enough to make him go round again. Of course, regardless of the result, Kelly always fudges that question because, in my opinion, he doesn’t have a life plan beyond pro surfing. Or if he does, it’s still a work in progress.
Not to take anything away from Mick Fanning’s extraordinary and Houdini-like performance to take his third world title in not very controversial circumstances (despite what you might read in The Inertia), Slater lost the final day of the world title race through no fault of his own, and but for the appearance of two waves from God, he may well have won the even dozen and called it quits on the podium at Beach Park in a most appropriate fashion in front of family and friends, which would have been a heartbreaking loss for Fanning and for surfing.
Why? In my humble but by no means solitary opinion, the immediate future of pro surfing rests with its past. Next season is absolutely critical for the Zosea ASP business model and they need box office. The web and telecast numbers for finals day at Pipe were impressive indeed but the fact of the matter is that the world tour has to draw bigger numbers all the time if it is to secure the non-endemic dollar. The tour needs a bankable star and at the moment – still – that means Kelly Slater.
Of course there are precedents for major sport losing its drawcard and surviving. Consider the fall from grace of Tiger Woods and its impact on the PGA. But in many major global markets pro surfing is still an unknown, virtually untried commodity, and the only name that means anything to anyone in Hollywood and on Wall Street is Kelly Slater. Them’s the facts.
There are plenty of sidebars, to be sure. Mateship sees working class hero get over all the hurdles and become multiple world champion. Child prodigy nurtured by surf god is now barking at his heels. Santa Cruz grom steals elderly surf legend’s name to confuse judges. And Jordy and Joycey and Gabe and Miggy and all the rest. They’re all good stories but none of them matter a damn without Jimmy Slade.
At Pipe several of the commentators – even the ridiculously partisan Aussies – made mention of the fact that Kelly boning the new generation at 41 elevated the entire process of the pointy end of the tour. But it does even more than that. While Slater remains on tour, and remains capable of repeatedly performing beyond the best efforts of contenders half his age, he gives the tour a dramatic impetus and human story that it just doesn’t have without him.
He is the benchmark. He is the focal point for people who may not even really understand what they are watching. In fact, when I watched Kelly last weekend, I probably joined that club. The air-drop. He did what! He made that? The frightening self assurance, the arrogance of some of the claims, the eloquence on the podium, the raw emotion that’s never too far from the surface. Love him or hate him, stars like this are a rare gift in any sport.
You, me and every other bugger that just likes to slide a few might not give a damn, but right now pro surfing needs Kelly Slater to keep going until he can’t. And that’s going to be a while. //PHIL JARRATT
Comments
spot on.
Surely you'd rather listen to the 'ridiculously partisan Aussies' then Joe Turpel? Man that whiney accent makes deaf ears bleed.
Sean Doherty's commentary makes it feel like we all know the blokes surfing on a personal level. Occy's always good for a laugh. I reckon the only aussie lacking some character in the commentary box is Luke Egan
Few years back GT was doing the rounds at the Billabong J'Bay Pro. After his heat, GT asked Kelly what he'd been eating this morning. "Bit of humble pie," said Kelly, referring to the fact he'd been aced by local wildcard Sean Holmes. Of course he also added a quick list of acai, Brazil nuts, and other assorted super foods.
Few heats later and GT asked the same question to a young Australian who I won't name: "Not shit!" was the reply and the usually unflappable GT was flapped. "No my good man...I'd hope you weren't eating that."
Yep, he's a rare bird is Robert Kelly Slater: can surf, can set hearts a'flutter, can think for himself, and can speak with charm and wit.
Can't act but.
True 2013 World Champ???
Tellinit Howitis - that would require him getting enough points to take the lead at the end of the year, so no, not 2013 world champ. You probably even saw the headlines stating as much.
Nice article, I question the premise it is built on though. I care as much about pro surfing and Zosea making a successful launch as they care whether I can afford my grocery bills this week. Ergo: zilch.
Zosea Zucchinis - 99 cents each. Good buy.
The tour needs Kelly no doubt . The tour could do without : joel turdpel ( whiny, annoying, corporate suckhole) . GT (creepy, weirdo who tries to hog limelight with his shithouse post heat interviews that just weird people out and make us miss critical waves in the next heat) Occy (lay off the bongs, you can't even string a sentence together) .
The debate about Micks quarter final should be about how the judges underscored Yadins 3rd wave (backup score) so that mick wasn't comboed. Mick deserved a 9. something for his last minute wave , but it should have been irrelevant because he was in combo land because of Yadins solid surfing
Listening to Occy trying to commentate is like trying to communicate with someone in a language that they don't speak. Mostly just pointless and frustrating with little sense being made.
I seem to recall something about Slater being tied into the Zosea deal? If he is their is no way he would quit is there?
It will be a sad day indeed when he is off the tour, moments like that freefall drop in the pipe final, freefall layback in Tahiti, giant oop at Bells etc. every year he keeps throwing something amazing and memorable and in competition.
Just wont be the same without him.
occy can be painful at times but cannot stand joe turpel. won't be a sad day when he decides to do something else!
Occy might not be the most articulate commentator but he has a huge amount of credibility and doesn't make the fatal mistake of taking himself seriously.
Occy's great I reckon. Sounds like a good bloke and he's remarkably sharp when commenting on the surfing. I also like this Joe Turpel character. He's actually a professional sounding commentator.
I get bored of the people who blow up with hyperbole like the other American bloke who wears glasses. Don't know his name but every wave is just about the most amazing thing he's ever seen.
As for this article, it's always great to watch Kelly surf and great to hear someone speak what's on their mind not boring sports psychobabble or anything else. Hopefully he can find something to do when he does retire.
Great article although if the industry lives or dies on the back of one elderly gent then it is truly in trouble. No doubt Slater was amazing in big , left hand barrels however doesn't anybody remember the airs of John x2 and Jules, or the sublime lines Parko laid in Bali? It should be the sum of the whole not the measure of one. Look at AFL, Gazza goes to the Goldy (the best player in the comp) and Geelong still win another Grand Final without him. The show needs to be the thing not one person. And to be honest, surfing is never going to be much bigger than it currently is. It isn't ubiquitous enough like footy or cricket which is fine by me. Mick's world title made a small byword in the Age sport which at the moment is dominated by cricket. And the same would go for all the southern states in OZ which is more than half the population of Australia - and we are a surfing nation. It might have been big on the net but surfers are notorious tight arses so if they had to pay the numbers would be way down. The adage that you make no money out of surfers is true. Personally I think Slater should retire ASAP and bring on the brave new world and see how it can survive. Sink or swim so to speak.
I don't see Slater being important to the big picture. His presence may help maintain or increase pro surfing's current audience but the "non-endemic dollar" is dependent on a non-endemic audience which remains just as unlikely now as it was in the 1970s when all this kicked off.
Awareness of pro surfing amongst non-surfers is minimal to non-existent. At best they recognise a few names in the same way I might recognise the names of some AFL players without knowing who they play for or anything else about them. I think it was Terry Fitzgerald who remarked way back then that (rugby league player) Artie Beetson had it all over them in terms of publicity.
When Kelly retires it would be great to see him do the commenting, he is pretty switched on and knows it all better than anyone, him and Occy that would be gold.
I totally agree, when Kelly's making comments on surfing/boards or anything else surf related he's all over it and gives a great insight.
Some of the most interesting and unexpected observations come from Kelly.
He watches it and analyses it more then anyone, I agree it is always interesting listening to him as you know that he has made a career and legend of himself by understanding better then anyone else the sport and all of the factors associated with winning a heat and getting the best waves at a certain spot.
I often wonder if Kelly will end up passing on all his knowledge that he has gained or keep it to himself, from the exercise and diet he maintains through to conscious positioning on a wave and the years of observations and analysis of certain surf spots and swell events.
You make him sound like a Jedi knight.
he is
He is the Jedi Master of surfing, maybe the Darth Vader of surfing if you come up against him.
I honestly think first place in a comp deserves a lot more points than 2nd:
1 guy wins 3 comps (perfect 6 foot kirra, perfect 8-10 foot cloud break and perfect 10 foot pipe) and the other guy wins 1 comp (2-3 foot mushy french beaches) Who wins the world title?
Winning almost a third of the comps deserves to be champion. I think the same thing happened last year with Kelly and Parko. The points for 2nd and 3rd are too high IMO.
At least for pipe, a win at pipe should be double points.
And while we are at it make sunset a ASP comp a part of the World Championship tour, would be good to have a bit more focus on Hawaii, and Sunset is a unique wave, good to mix it up, totally different kind of surfing, more about power.
eel u have hit the nail completely on the head i allways thought the same thing! how can u win 3 comps and lose to a guy who wins one comp? it seriously does not make sense! its all bloody rigged anyway its convenient that theres allways the top three or four surf brands up the top of the ladder, kelly quiksilver , joel billabong, mick rip curl, we have to sell those boardshorts and over priced t shirts dont we
Kelly being on the tour giving everybody a run for his money being a world title contender.
Last year with Parko And Kelly and this year with Mick.
I believe Mick when he is saying he wasn't too stressed days before the finals however the amount of relief when he clinched it says it all! Knowing only Kelly could win at a day like yesterday, poo was in his pants before that last wave came, combed by Yadin.
And look whet kind of drama Kelly brought into play, really only he can do it, if it was Parko instead of Kelly, for starters he couldn't even make half of the waves Kelly made, and I'm not trying to be disrespectful to Parko, he is a great surfer, but the guy got smoked!
And then people say well JJF and Wilson air performance stood out this year, and Kelly has no hand in this, wel true to an extend, but remember NY 2011 Kelly's rotator, in another one at Bells 2012...He set the limit, for the next years time and time again, he makes guys like JJF and Wilson do higher airs...He was the one they looked up to when they grew up, and today they competing against him, and still a force to be reckon with..
HE pushes the new generation, he makes sure winning a world title is a hard thing to achieve as long as he is in the game.
And we the spectators only benefit from it.
I found Luke Egan a little too colored in his commentating, especially last year with Parko and this year again with Mick, I know it's Aussie's all but dude you're commentating for the world, Shane Dorian gives a much better and more critical view even to his old pal Kelly and to Parko and Joe Turpel same thing, a neutral commentator...
I think the worst would be Chris Cote by far
If Yadin had dropped in on mick on that last wave (he could have as he was right next to mick when he took off) Yadin would have won the heat. It would have been interesting for Mick's reaction as he did the same to John John to avoid him in the quarters
Why the Occy baggin? Commentates like most of my friends do while at the lookout of any local spot! Knows his stuf, and HAS been there done that! Love the insights, and the shear stoke
Indo, If surfers were Jedi...Kelly would be Yoda!
From Kelly on Instagram (next to a pic of him barrelled at Pipe):
"Yesterday I narrowly missed out on a world title. It might've cost me a bit of $ (not winning the title) but 2nd ain't half bad for an old, bald guy. There's been a lot of talk about scoring and what could have been. Let's be done with that. What I do know is @mfannowon the world title and shredded all year. A huge congratulations to you, my friend! I surfed like absolute #*&@ thru Europe this year and lost ground. But I was fortunate enough to get it together and win the PipeMasters yesterday and have one of the best days of my life in the process! I got to surf these with nobody out! So...did you enjoy that contest yesterday? The waves were ridiculous! There are so many should-haves and could-haves in life. Be happy with the #WhatIs and do better next time you have the chance. I'm stoked everyone enjoyed the event. I wouldn't change a thing."
Well spoken and a great role model for those future surfers that choose to go down the competition path.
In 2013 Mick won 38 heats. Kelly won 33. Not sure what all the fuss is about Mick won the year. One event, or three, does not make a world title.
Yep. Great words. The stonewalling regarding Kelly's performance on the part of many Australians is just tall poppy syndrome at it's worse (and I'm Aussie through and through).
I think a large part of the issue is that, irrespective of what Mick scored, the surfing community wanted to see Kelly get the send off he deserved. Fuck, 21 years on tour and still winning Pipe? The collective frustration is being channelled toward Mick, which isn't at all fair but kinda understandable when you realise the esteem Kelly is held and that we'll never see a surfer of his staure again.
Maybe so but I think it's a fair debate to have. I really have no idea what goes on in the surfing world, I don't read any mags nor websites aside from swellnet so I'm not sure what the vibe is and how people are having a go at Mick, but I've always thought the ASP scoring system under values wins compared to consistent good performance. This and last year are prime examples of it. CJ winning the tour in 2001 without winning a contest all year is another.
I guess the opposite approach is the country rankings in the olympics where golds matter and the rest just decide when there's a tie. That wouldn't keep the tour live for as long each year.
Yeah, yeah yeah, this is beginning to sound like the god like status Bradman is held in (which is incredibly painful to my ears as he was just a great cricketer, and an arsehole unlike Kelly). We all know Kelly is great and he won Pipe brilliantly. As shoredump said 38 to 33 and Kelly would agree as he loves and respects competition probably more than anyone on the tour. It isn't about who is the best surfer, rather who is the best competitive surfer over a whole year. Hell of a grind like any other top level sport which is all part of it. If it was just the best surfer you can watch the free surfing of Dane and some of his cohorts. No tall poppy just realism. Mick ground it out and good on him and who was next after Kelly? Daylight? Geez lets give him a pat on the back for taking it up to the king and nailing it not carrying on like pork chops about we was robbed.
So, with Kelly coming back next year can he continue to improve like he has every previous year?
That's the best thing about Kelly; every year we think he's almost done and every year he comes back and blows our minds. How long can he last? He might still be doing at 80 at this rate.
What's up with all these neg! Sick way to finish
Year full stop. Mick surfed epic all year, slater s a freak
Everyone else ripped the shit! loved every minute of it. Judging
always bin controversial since pro surfing began what's
Changed.
Champions come and go, legends are born,
Groms of the next era evolve just in enjoy the
surfing and characters that come with it.
To me the difference between Kelly and Mick was that Kelly was frothing to surf against the best guys and to surf against John John in the final he could hardly contain his excitement where as im not 100% sure if Mick was feeling the same thing.
Yeah BUT, Mick had the title to lose for the whole comp so the pressure was immense. Kelly was coming from behind with his '5%' chance and so he was able to take the pressure off and try to achieve the impossible.
Good point Simba, watching Kelly interviewed on stage before going out in the final, it was like he was off his tit's or something. He was like a little kid in a candy store he was so excited. I'd never witnessed any of the pro's like that before let alone a 40 yo bloke before his heat.