I’ve been lucky to live in Hawaii for 30 years and have watched many Triple Crown of Surfing events. I’ve been there when the beach came alive as Kelly stepped on to the sand, seen him come out of an awesome Pipeline barrel standing up with a huge grin on his face and watched him encourage the younger surfers all around him. John John is an amazing, humble athlete with so much talent and an amazing future ahead of him. I love to watch them and the other surfers who come to our beautiful Oahu island every year. I wish the best to all of them as the WSL starts the holding period for the Pipe Masters. Also aren’t all of females athletes awesome including Carissa Moore who is Olympic bound?
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Surf whenever you can
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Kelly is the GOAT!!!
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I am a 75 year old surfer from SoCal who is endorsing Kelly Slater for the Olympics. I started surfing in 1959 and you never lose the "stoke" of it. I may have moved into SW Colorado but the magnetic pull of the ocean and the waves that arrive on the coast will be with me forever.
Kelly Slater surfs like a guy half his age. He has dodged aging like a champion.
For instance, several years ago, when Andre Agassi's strength coach, Gil Reyes — while watching Andre in a match — was asked if Andre was going to retire after that US Open tournament, Reyes replied, "I told Andre, 'I don't care when you retire, but you better be leaning into the tape when you do.'"
And there is a great reason for Kelly Slater to be in the Olympics.
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GO KELLY SLATER. How many other athletes on this planet have been able to compete at this level at this age? This takes mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual strength at the highest levels. GO KELLY SLATER
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Go Kelly..it would be excellent for Slater to be selected and win..as he represents a generational athlete that few can compare to....
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I'm not even a sports fan, but this story is poetically written.
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What a great story.
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Great article! Years ago I saw a one-hour documentary called “Surfers for Life.” It is an inspiring portrait of surfers in their 70’s, 80’s and 90’s who are examples that aging does not have to be a deterrent to pursuing one’s passion. Go to: http://www.surfingforlife.com
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Why is this sport segregated? To me, men and women should be treated equally. Separate but equal is immoral.
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@Shamrock Women's BB league, Women's Tennis, Women's Soccer should also de-segregate. Oh, I can just see the "equality" folks spinning this one.
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@Shamrock huh?
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Good luck to both of you! Although I'm pulling for the 'old man'!
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This is why I read The NY Times. Thank you for the article - Steve
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The travails of the rich and privileged are definitely entertaining.
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@AutumnLeaf what about the travails of world class athletes?
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It's middle aged athletes like Slater that motivate me, a former athlete now middle aged and in the glorious physical condition that traditionally defines middle age, to get into shape again... almost. I envy the 40+ year old athletes, elite and otherwise, who continue to compete.
Anyway, wishing Slater the best of luck. Earn that spot for your middle aged peers!
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John John isn’t the most decorated surfer in terms of world titles, Kelly obviously is.
However John John is the best surfer to ever live in terms of his mastery of maneuvers unseen before, especially in big surf, like Margaret River in southwestern Oz.
His performance at the Margaret River Pro in 2016 was jaw dropping to surfing cognoscenti young and old, including sage former world champions from Oz.
He did things never seen before, only imagined.
He is fearless and masterful on any size wave.
You’d never know it from his demeanour however; he is humble, self effacing, even shy. I’ve never heard him say anything negative about his fellow competitors or the conditions he’s been forced to surf in by the World Surf League powers that be.
He doesn’t feel sorry for himself because of his knee problems which I hope are behind him.
I’ve been a surfer my whole life. I started at 11 in ‘61. I’ve told my wife of 40 years on many occasions, I am blessed to have lived long enough to see the likes of John John and his absolutely Zen relationship with Mother Ocean.
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Surfing combines elements of so many other olympic sports, plus the challenge of nature that the ocean throws into the mix. I think that many first-time viewers will also be surprised by the strategic elements of competitive surfing. People will find themselves wondering why it took so long to include this amazing sport in the Olympics.
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@Paul Yep, just a shame it's in Tokyo as the waves may be really tiny that time of year. I'm all for smaller surf, as the pros really show their capabilities on it, but for the debut Olympics it could be rough. 2024 France could be epic though, especially if they host the surfing in French Polynesia somehow.
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The fact that KS legitimately competes in such a tough sport at his age is unbelievable. That said, JJF would contend for gold where as Kelly will just be there to bookend his legacy. Hopefully JJF can score enough points at Pipeline to ensure that the best athletes will represent USA and the sport of surfing.
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@Ben
There's a reason competitions are actually held. These kinds of prognostications hold about as much water as a leaky rowboat.
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Two great athletes. Impressive that Kelly is still hanging with the young bucks as he nears 50. Florence will have his day no doubt, I just hope he's not forcing the timeline on ACL reconstruction. Best of luck to both of these guys living the dream.
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Surfing is like skating, with fates hanging on judges imbued with the same biases that shape skating, diving, swimming, and ski jumping competitions, but surfing is a bit more complicated than the rest (save ski jumping partly) in that the waves pose their own contingencies. A surfer can spend all day working the curls but for whatever reason miss the one or two that make or break a competition. It is as likely as not that another competitor will take the spot at Pipeline, but as usual Branch has angled for the personal narrative rather than the field. This is how "up close and personal" dumbed down sports.
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@JET III This article isn't about who will win at Pipe, though. That isn't the story that Branch set out to tell, and it's not the reason thousands of viewers will tune into the WSL next week. The big stories for Pipeline this year aren't who wins Pipe specifically, it's whether Kelly or JJF go to the Olympics, and who wins the World Title this year.
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@JET III I thought it was rather good...
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