Kelly Slater Speaks » What it takes

By Ed Magicseaweed - Published on 4th October 2009 | Viewed 42383 times.

Related Content

O'Neill 60 Years On

YOUR warm flexible suit has been 60 years in the making and it all started with Mr Jack O'Neill and a PVC vest.

Eastern Winds

FOR one glorious day the drought broke, La Grav pumped as did every sand bank up and down the Frech coast.

Rio Final Day Highlights

JOHN John's road to victory at the Billabong Rio Pro, he defeated Joel Parkinson in a one sided final.

John John Florence Wins Rio Pro

JOHN John Florence wins Billabong Rio Pro whilst runner-up Joel Parkinson takes rating lead

View More Related Content

[PT-What it takes]

Last year you were dominant and this year first Parko and now Fanning have been. How does that type of roll come about - is it training, or a mental approach?

Well you can train all you want, but that won’t help you if you aren’t in the right frame of mind. I mean you can be in the right frame of mind and not even train and still win, so it just shows that the mind is more important than the physical side... well that’s my experience anyway. I know that year before when Mick won he trained super-hard and was really focused so you think so it was all down to the training. But there are guys that train really hard and maybe their surfing is not up to scratch. For me, personally, sometimes that training side of things can take away from just letting it happen naturally. I mean you have to healthy, and be able to paddle (laughs), but the mental side has for me personally a great deal more impact.

And what about the long term goals. There’s not really a model of retirement or career path for a 9 times world champion, so how do you think you’ll find life after competition?

Well in terms of a career path I really do see what I’m doing now as my career and then after that I’ll just be travelling and catching good waves. If that’s a career, well, so be it. You know a couple of my friends have got it wired. I mean Shane Dorian has got it wired, he spends two months in Tavarua, and spends a lot of time at home and does a few trips a year getting great waves, so for me there’s nothing better than catching great waves. A friend of mine sent me a photo from Central America a couple of days ago and I wanted to get on a plane and fly down there right away so that’s still the driver for me.

Do you think you look forward to a more settled life?

Well I am home right now. About five or six years ago I had a real problem with that, with travelling so much and not really having a home, or a base. But then I was told by someone close to me that home is where you 'are'. It’s where your heart is and it doesn't matter if you have a house around you or not. I always have plenty of friends around and am familiar with the places I’m in. Also love going to new places. You know my friends just like to go out and drink beer and don’t do a whole lot, so I know if I was living at home hanging with my friends I’d be thinking, jeez I want to be somewhere else surfing or travelling. So you know, there’s no complaints, I have a good life.

Interview conducted by Ben Mondy of ACM Writing on behalf of Magicseaweed.

This article has been given an average rating of 3.47 from 794 votes.

Comments

Archived Comments

	Tgray946 days ago	+3 Rating
	Kelly realy though is sick of it all as he has said many times. He's not stupid he knows he's a pawn in a larger game but doesn't car because of all the perks. Anyone would do the same , we just wouldent do it as well.

	zboy951 days ago	-2 Rating
	hey gustav whatever we all have opinions thats democracy freedom of speech so dont take it personal and to use language like that isnt great it makes you sound like an uneducated & illiterate person which im sure you are not??????? anyways come to ireland and call me that!!!!

	gustavlokotsch952 days ago	+1 Rating
	Fuck all of you that question his ability, Watch the man surf in real life and your questions will be answered... Sure there are underground rippers but how come we dont see them on the WCT fuck face??? As for charging, surfing big waves and contest surfing are 2 peas that come from different pods. The reason company's have given him money is because he fukin rips. 9 x world champion thats all im going to say....

	zboy952 days ago	+1 Rating
	ask any one who surfs i would say that they would say what do i give a sh@@e about him kelly slater some would say he is a right s@@@ehawk class word proper surfers would give more respect to local chargers ripping doing all da tings kelly can do but keeping under da radar or da local shaper whos out ripping these are the real heroes and this is not hate mail i dont know him to love or hate him its an opinion and to wind you sycophants up

	Gulf_Coast_Surfer953 days ago	-2 Rating
	He is THE MAN! Stop hateN and stfu! All pro athlete's get paid well. Why would you want to act like that about a man getting paid for surfing. Very few people are on the pro surf level. They should all get a raise. How about an episode of pros V's joes and see how many high school bad ass's hang with a pro surfer in his element!LMFAO Why are you not bitchN about all of the other over paid pros out there. So If you dont like Kelly then you really dont love surfing. If this is the case you should do us all a favor and kill your self you fckn idiot!!

	Dropin73955 days ago	+3 Rating
	Is kelly one of the best surfers of all time? What makes him that? money earned competing? sponsor money? distance travelled? competitions entered? soul? It's not soul as we've all got that that's why we surf It's not distance travelled as we've all travelled and some just travel It's not competitions entered as there are other people who have entered more than him It's competitions won, it's because huge companies have paid for him to live the life we all wish we could. but mainly it's down to determination,

	Meunchkkleeerrr III959 days ago	+9 Rating
	I think we all have to face certian facts in life. As surfers we all want to be able to make a career our of it and 'live the dream' but sadly professional surfing in the world is such a high standard very few of us will make it. That makes some of us jealous and perhaps understandably so. On the other hand we get all excited about surfing, surf brands, new boards and 'what the next trick will be' or 'who will be the next BIG THING' and that feeds into the orgy of capitalism that seems to dominate pro-surfing. And some of us dont like it and many of us dont like that we are almost all part of that picture somewhere...do you buy boards?probably. Wetsuits? probably. Do you buy/read mags? maybe, do you buy hoodies from quicksilver/billbong etc? maybe: if so, then you are part of a system and you have to jsut deal wiht it. I agree there is also an argument to shun it all, surf your local break and hate on the crowds turning up every year in the Summer (but feel smug when you know you aint a fairweather) but seriously how many of us can hand on heart say we are either black or white? Surfers have to accept that as surfing becomes increasingly popular...we are all proof of that...it will become mainstream, run and become increasingly motivated by, money and companies. The key to all of this is as long as you are having fun, being the best surfer you can be and treating the planet with respect then surely thats the only thing that is important? Surfing is about freedom of expression, one-ness with the ocean and each other...some people get that by surfing one break and localising it, others get it from travel and Kelly slater gets it from being Kelly slater. Surfing is amazing becasue it reflects every nuance of individuality and as humans by now we should know that is sometimes good and sometimes bad. If we all just stopped worrying about everyone else, lived the dream we wanted to live and stoppped blaming other people and just surfed for surfings sake, i think we'd all be better people and probably better surfers.

	Didier959 days ago	+3 Rating
	Dude i think that is the single most literate and insightful statement you have ever written! And i couldn't agree with you more. There is not a single surfer out there who cannot say that hasn't contributed in some way to the comercial side of the surf industry. Like you say unless someone shapes their own boards or makes their own wetsuits then they have to become a part of that industry whether they like it or not. And to the guy who said it was by travelling that Slater became the great surfer he is... well if you've ever read his autobiography you will know that from being a grom Slater was always a cut above the rest, winning amature comps up and down the East coast, which then enabled him to join the National team to travel further afield. Undoubtedly that would help him grow into the man he became, but it goes to show that you can grow up in a place with few regular or decent waves, and still, if you have the natural ability, become the best in the world.

	mantis958 days ago	+2 Rating
	I would say something profound myself like dido (yeah, ok, Slim Pikins to Harvey Korman in Blazing Saddles). So teets, you're not just a pretty face and evil lawyer trying to take over the world after all? Here, this ones for you after your good passage. MIKI DORA RULES. There, I said it.

	Meunchkkleeerrr III958 days ago	+1 Rating
	mantreets that measna lot coming from you! And Didles thanks man. I jsut think people get so stressy about something that we choose to do to escape form the world and all the stress within it! Its irnoic, more also a little sad. None of us a are pure of this commercialism and cancer within the sport, and all of us at some stage are responsible. So...we all jsut have to man-up, go and enjoy oursleves and stop being such whiney little bitches.

	mantis957 days ago	Unrated
	mantreets lol. got me again

	Gutta951 days ago	+3 Rating
	That is probably the best surf comment(s) Ive read in ages - so true. We are all caught up in the mainstream whether we know it or not but the main thing is to keep having fun, respect the locals and live life to the full - cant think of any better way than charging large clean faces and sharing the good times with mates and family.

	Uncle Kev777 days ago	-2 Rating
	brilliant comments! Just live your life, enjoy your lifestyle, and when possible... admire, be in awe, and/or learn from the diveristy of others.

	SurfPunkJim960 days ago	Unrated
	I think somewhere there is a little idea in his head to get hat 10th world title in 20"10"

	Grandma Lips958 days ago	Unrated
	running out of time.....his golf game looks good though not that he cares anymore

	Klaatii960 days ago	+2 Rating
	His surfing is outstanding. And i think he deserves it to receive that money. He is down to earth and just professionell. He takes care of his body, had a nice family and he is still rippin the young guns. Remember his age and his history and you will understand his act. What would you do, if you get money by surfing?

	damzu961 days ago	+2 Rating
	i totally agree with zboy : his innovative surfing is amazing but his business behaviour is nothing to do with the "only a surfer knows the feeling" should be

	damzu961 days ago	+1 Rating
	and not sure all these surfing travellers will still have the chance in ten years to take any plane they want : unless they have their own plane and their own stock of oil ...

	boombox960 days ago	+3 Rating
	Your crazy, Kelly is as much as a surfer as anybody, if not THE surfer. If he went around saying he didnt care about anything or brands etc. then he probably wouldnt have any sponsors and therefore not as much travel oppurtunity, therefore not as good. He is this good because of the travel, coming from florida but can dominate in hawaii...i wonder how he does that...? QUIKSILVER. Open your eyes, if you can surf you may as well take as much as you can to feed your family and support your love of surfing for a job, pffffttt, grow up haters, hopefully you will someday.

	zboy961 days ago	Unrated
	hes not what you call a soul surfer is he its all about the money and promoting a brand and lifestyle what aload of shite im not saying he is not good he is but it is the org he is involved in its all about money big buisness set me straight what does has it have to do with surfing?

	Grandma Lips960 days ago	Unrated
	i agree complely

	sickboy2274960 days ago	+1 Rating
	What's wrong with Kelly making money winning world championships? The man makes millions surfing are you kidding me. He's the greatest surfer ever and your dogging him for trying to make money for his family? Jealous

	40960 days ago	+1 Rating
	what's the story with all the slater haters? without him we wouldn't see stuff pulled off like we do today, without him it would still be stupid 3 to the beach in crap conditions. maybe he didn't personally get surfing where it is today, but his influence in everything is too much to ignore. close minded retards in logoless boards and pitch black wetsuits who think that benefitting from surfing is wrong and that exposure only brings crowds might have a slight point in there but wtf is wrong if someone's making living from surfing? people make living from having sex as well, and most of the crew don't see anything wrong with that.

	Modjo Brother958 days ago	-1 Rating
	..words of wisdom. finally...

	Grandma Lips958 days ago	-1 Rating
	I passionatly dislike slater's ass, true ill agree most influential surfer probably ever but the bottem line is hes an asshole. STOP PLAYING GOLF and surf show some fucking heart, he is inspirational to the guys like jordy who are pulling crazy

	Nobby D956 days ago	+2 Rating
	Mate if you could actually write a coherent sentence it would be a start.... go back to school and pass your basic English exams and then maybe you could comment on people who are far greater than yourself.

	bullethead961 days ago	+2 Rating
	dont write Kelly off yet.I see a cinderela story in the making. When he gets to hawaii look out,which is saying alot of a surfer from florida.His success in Hawaii is unparalled by a surfer from the east coast.Shure there have been guys,Jeff Crawford,Rick Raz,couple of twins from s.fla etc.,etc but not with the contest success which I attribute to confidence in ability,especially at Pipe.I'd like to see Kelly pull a come back

	thogg962 days ago	+1 Rating
	The guy is a legend and speaks perfect sense..

	island_creature963 days ago	-1 Rating
	A living legend

	Nick Webb 963 days ago	+1 Rating
	Kelly Slater really is a dude ..that guy sounds soooo relaxed even when he's not winning - which aint often! the bloke rocks!

	Pete Ash963 days ago	+1 Rating
	Kelly surf guru..

About MSW	Our Shop			Friends	Legal
Home Site Map Advertise Support	Surf Shop Surfboards Xcel Wetsuits Leashes Tailpads Go Pro Camera HD	Surf DVDs Boardbags Roofracks Surf Books Surfwax	Ding Repair FCS Fins Longboard Fins Posters and Prints Balance Boards	Mambo Clothing Learn to Surf	All content remains copyright of Metcentral Ltd unless stated otherwise, we'd kindly ask that you don't reproduce it in any form without our permission. Total Time 0.3171