Watch: Kelly's Last Heat Interview
After years of speculation, punters had just about given up wondering when Kelly would call time on his pro career. As it happened, he didn't call it, the tour did. Today he offically failed the cut and is off tour.
Truth be told it's the second time he's failed the cut but a second season wildcard was too much of a stretch.
It's over. Much will be written, said, and edited about Kelly's protracted career. So omniscient has he been, that it will take a while without him to make sense of his service.
Till then, here's his sign off interview with Stace Galbraith after his Round of 32 loss, plus his visit to the booth for the WSL Post Show.
Comments
Oh for trucks sake - he put the loss down to a mistake ‘wave selection’. He’s always got a reason and it’s NEVER that the other guy actually surfed better.
Yeh, I hear ya, but its that kind of single minded attitude that is responsible for his career. Champions are usually not the softest or nicest of the characters, small number I have met. I never met Kelly, so I can't comment for sure.
I suspect you are right. It’s been an incredible career no doubt but the last few years have been a bit of a farce. Its all a bit sad really. Hope he finds meaning and fulfilment outside of competing. Babies have a way of helping.
as a guy who spends so much time belittling high achievers to make himself feel better about his own pathetic existence, I'll really miss Kelly
Seems to be more oxygen already
Bloody beautiful work Kelly; you give so much inspiration in a sport that is as subjective as ballet. If you want a winner without any controversy go a watch a skiing or swimming race. Love your work "Smelly Skater", loved the way as a grommet "Seppo" in the late. 1980's you paradoxically embraced being an Aussie larikkin; yet rose above the gross to become a fully fledged dynamic life long artist of the world.
Kelly is an exceptional human being in more ways than one. Been almost a constant in all my surfing years and will always be a champion in my eyes. I reckon he deserves a rest and hopefully maybe embrace fatherhood this time around and take those wildcards to the marquee events.
Hai Zen Again, lets keep the comments section to be celebrating Monsieur Slater, rather than deriding his last coupla comps, which have been held in dubious waves.
Shouldn't all events on the WSL be marquee events?
Should but aren't.
Maybe a longer waiting time so the contests can run with swell and the right direction of winds?
and so locals get even less time with their best spots at prime time of year?
The tour is not the best surfers in the best waves. It's some of the best surfers in whatever place makes the most financial sense. Just accept that as the state the sport is in and keep your fingers crossed they luck into some good waves at a couple of events each year.
True
They should halve the prize money to save a few bucks. Surfing for a living is maybe the best job in the world. Doesn't need to be paid well. People will still do it.
I mean today at Margies was pathetic, to keep running the comp in conditions after the onshore blew it out, that even no normal (not 8-12 Box though) surfer would surf in was stretching it. Imagine having the Grand Prix in the back roads of Melbourne.
No choice. Looks too small next coupla days, surfable maybe on Sat/Sun. We have had the strangest summer and autumn here in Margs. No rain for seven months now. Its mid April and still not a single solid autumn day of swell. Thirty degrees predicted for Thursday and sometime late April is when I light my first woodfire. Few oldies who were born and lived their entire life here do not remember such a long rainless summer season.
(today will fade in 3 seconds in terms of kelly..)
we should comment on kelly as we would the Star Wars franchise;
have opinions, there's a hoary journey there,
but the legacy will long outlast any two-bit shit we have to say.
What a great and honest interview from a beast of a competitor. He sounds like he's transcending just standing there talking. I'd be interested to hear if Smelly Gator felt expressly the body let him down on being able to put in the 100% effort or was it mental? Hows the joints? What else wears out after 30 odd years competing?
He looks fit as fuck to be honest.
‘yeah Kalani, I’ll just do snapper and Sydney since we’re here……oh and I reckon I could get Ballito in before bubs born’
Same age as KS , watched it all from the start . I have a stack of surfer and surfing magazines from high school era and young KS is the rising star (even with hair it was so long ago!). Nobody has been or will be more influential in surfing ever again.
Shit way to go out being mid year cut in b grade waves but retiring could have been earlier and with more glory if he wasn't such a stubborn completive machine.
Actually though Italo,s post heat speech was fantastic too, very humble for a Brazo and pretty much said what a lot were thinking. Italos credit has gone up with me after that ( no way gaybe or fillipe would have even considered the thought).
Looking forward to seeing him freesurfing in good waves (if being 53 year old new dad doesn't kill him first)
Aloha Kelly from all the 1973 models out there
Couldn't agree more! A lotta haters out there wishing he would retire. why. They all write about him every contest. what are you's gonna write about now, he can't crack sixs and 7s lol. Love the guy and he seems happy and still one of the very best surfers in the world in some of the best waves I've ever seen that I guarantee most on here wouldnt look at. Onya MH and onya KS what he's done will always be remembered/applauded and not one part of the last few years was a farce lol. Waves have been dogshit, roll it back to when it was pumping.
1972, phone finger fail
I'll miss him for sure. Still the WSLs biggest draw card. I would love them to grant exemptions as per golf for say an event winner has an automatic wild card for 10 years and a world champ has a 15 year wild card. How good would it be to see KS and Mick and Joel turning up to the events that suit them and giving the young guys a run? Tiger once again had the biggest galleries at the masters on the weekend. As much as lots of people want him to go he's still a huge name and wasn't uncompetitive today either. Golf nails it with the legends of the sport and surfing needs to embrace that. I still put KS in the top of the world at Pipe, Fiji and Chopes and the sport will be poorer for him not being there
Thanks for your contribution to surfing KS. It will never be matched.
If he had retired when he won the pipemasters a couple of years ago, there would NOT be a single bad word written about him......but he got greedy and wanted more, more, more.
What a way to tarnish your own legacy. He could have received the golden handshake retirement, but was instead unceremoniously shown the door.
I agree SR; nature of the competitive beast I reckon to believe that he still had a genuine chance. On reflection though, I think the scales are in his favour in terms of giving more to surfing over the years than he has taken. He has left an indelible imprint on the surfing world, one that probably won't be equalled.
Wishing he and Kalani all the best on their pending arrival.
I can't understand some peoples need to bag Kelly out ?
as Kahamal once said " why are people so unkind ? "
Hes been at such a high level for so long and even at this stage , an inspiration to ANYONE over 40 to maintain a level of fitness , health and vitality and surf .
The new addition ( rugrat ) will def bring a balance to life and yea throw him the odd wildcard , he will hold his own at the premier waves on tour , unlike our most recent World Champ ..........
It's insane to think when he first started it was Curren, Carroll, Kong era then there has been so may eras since and top surfers come and go, and just eras in everything black & white was on video cassette for gods sake the internet wasn't even a thing.
It's hard to see anyone ever having the impact on surfing Kelly has i just dont think its possible anymore, and even if it somehow is we would have to wait at least another 30 years to see it happen.
Id love to see the records he holds and what ones he doesn't hold if any?
BTW. I dont think surfing on past his pipe win was a mistake, if he had retired then I dont think he would never have been comfortable or satisfied, he would have always been thinking what if id kept going, he had to always be forced out and it not be his choice, i dont think it affects his legacy at all, even yesterday he set a number of new records.
"BTW. I dont think surfing on past his pipe win was a mistake, if he had retired then I dont think he would never have been comfortable or satisfied, he would have always been thinking what if id kept going, he had to always be forced out and it not be his choice, i dont think it affects his legacy at all, even yesterday he set a number of new records."
This is the correct answer, Indo.
IMO, excluding John John, he still surfs better than the rest of the "by the numbers" competition machines on tour, they seriously all look the same to me. He works with the wave rather than against it and it will always set him apart with the other greats that do this (Curren, Kerr, Rastovich, Lynch etc.).
Yeah 100% agree on JJF for me i see Curren, Kelly & JJF as the best all round surfers for each generation and i guess MP before that from what they a say.
Its a little sad really I dont think JJF has achieved what he really could have if he had been able to stay injury free.
Amazing how after his last proper heat the man could still talk specifics about the heat ins / outs - waves, if this had’ve happened, etc.
Stace trying to get personal, he wells up a little than goes back into the pro surfing diatribe.
There’s nothing like him. Kind of reminds me of last year when all that chatter was happening (getting cut) and he knew he had the wildcard all along.
Quick note to all the absolute wankers on here who feel the need to de value what Kelly slater has done. His stance on saying no to drugs and being the best person you can be has been unwavering since the beginning, he has been an open book from the start showing future champions and the bloke up the road that surfs the way through sharing his knowledge and experience and for some of the people in this chat to dissect his last interview and draw negatives shows the type of people we all need to be aware of. The last time I bothered reading this chat was a long time ago and it’s not changed why don’t the fucking Wanker keyboard legends just fuck off and let the decent people chat you fucking whinging cunts
haha, you obviously came here with some jerky to grind @dingaling, I had a scroll thru the comments above, and reckon there's a fair bit of love and respect. Mostly people ragging on raggers that aren't there. In my experience, SN is the place for irreverence, no sycophancy or bullshit, but mate, I reckon the whinging grinders fade fast from here and find more crowded line-ups. If those line-ups even have the comments turned on, that is.
unless.. kelly.. that you? is @Fudrongo turpel? you finally joined the swellnetters? when are you heading to the Ments to join riss, steph, fil for Crosby's disney reality thing? Is it true Ivan has been roped in as MC.. so they can have the theme song 'Ivan's Surf-ivor' to 'I'm a Survivor'?
bit of a mean slap to the wsl, from the disney ments crew, if it's true..
Now that you're outta my life, I'm so much better
You thought that I'd be weak without ya, but I'm stronger
You thought that I'd be broke without ya, but I'm richer
You thought that I'd be sad without ya, I love harder
You thought I wouldn't grow without ya, now I'm wiser!
You thought that I'd be helpless without ya but I'm smarter
You thought that I'd be stressed without ya, but I'm chillin'
Hahaha you feel the need too bro…sorry I was just venting life is fucked up sometimes something about some of the the comments triggered me I’ll admit that I’m the same age as Kelly slater he’s always been an inspiration to me it was just my own thoughts I’m not stupid I know right from wrong im not always right but who gives a fuck MR destiny’s child
made us all feel sentimental, seeing the goat all teary.
we are always running for the thrill of it, always pushing up the hill,
searching for the thrill of it. kelly has found it for 40 years.
plenny of juice in us old fellers yet, @ding - on and on and on..
kelly has bought me so much joy over the years- i feel privileged to have been around during his era- i can only say THANK YOU
(oh, and fuck off all you haters)