The Flyer: A Win For The Ages
In 1994, Kelly Slater drew Gerry Lopez in his Round 1 heat of the Pipeline Masters.
Slater was 22-years old.
Lopez was 45.
Slater had won one World Title and a Pipe Masters trophy.
Lopez had two Pipe Masters trophies and universal respect at the break.
Despite this, no-one seriously expected Lopez to win. He’d last won the Pipe Masters 21 years earlier and his standing at Pipeline was more as a figurehead from another era than a challenger in the present. Indeed, he’d been parachuted into the draw by way of sponsoring the contest - the Chiemsee / Gerry Lopez Pipe Masters.
The records show that Slater easily accounted for Mr Pipeline and that within 24 hours Slater would claim his second World Title and second Pipe Masters trophy too.
I note this historical moment in an attempt to provide some context to Slater’s incredible evergreen win over Barron Mamiya this week. It was only a heat win, not a final, but the sheer improbability of it, a man many generations older than his young and fearless opponent, set against the backdrop of terrifying, edge-of-control Pipeline.
Mamiya was 22-years old.
Slater was 49 - even older than Lopez.
If you missed it on the webcast, I urge you to ignore the highlights reel and watch the complete heat replay. Feel the tension of a rising swell and the pressure of the clock, appreciate the backstory of Slater’s last tour before retiring and of his impending fiftieth birthday, of the significance of Pipeline and how many times it’s come down to this place, this scenario.
And in that heightened state, watch the next set approach the reef while observing the decision-making that follows.
“It's crazy thinking back on thirty years,” Slater said later on the beach, tears welling in his eyes, “and how many times that’s happened to me. I don’t know what to chalk it up to.”
“No-one can decipher greatness,” wrote Steve Shearer in his recap of the day, “All you can do is increase the chances of so many random elements coming together in beautiful, terrifying symmetry, as they did today, and sit back in awe of the results.”
And sit back in awe we did. Surfers young, old, and middle-aged. It really was a win for the ages.
- Stu
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See also:
Billabong Pro: Day 1
Billabong Pro: Day 2
Billabong Pro: Day 4
Photos: Pipe Day 3
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Comments
And this makes the political grandstanding to deny Australians the opportunity to witness Kelly doing his thing on our shores once more all the sadder.
Just out of interest Blowin, do you think they should let anybody who's unvaccinated into the country, or only unvaccinated celebrities?
Anybody.
Vaccination should be a personal choice and nothing to do with any government or airline. Test for the virus itself if they are worried about increasing pressure on our hospitals or introducing a new strain, though either can, and have been done by the vaccinated so it’s a moot point.
If it’s medical tourism you’re concerned about then that horse has well and truly bolted. Falling through the arrivals gate into Australia with pre-existing conditions requiring urgent attention in the free Australian health system is an old rort indeed.
Kelly is an unbelievable gift to a sports and ocean mad Australian public. To deny him a worthy send off is a slap in the face to him and us.
All good, I was just wanting to clarify weather or not you were suggesting Kelly Slater should get special treatment. Looks like you're not. I agree it's a shame that he probably won't be coming to Australia to compete.
"Vaccination should be a personal choice and nothing to do with any government or airline"
Wrong.
We have been over this before, but since some people STILL don't understand virus transmission or how vaccines work, being vaccinated or not vaccinated is not a matter of personal preference.
If my vaccine status matters to you, and your vaccine status matters to me, vaccination is in the domain of "public health" - not personal preference.
And as vaccines work based on a percentage of the population that is vaccinated, it is not a matter of personal preference.
Why are there not widespread outbreaks of polio, measles, mumps, rubella and other communicable diseases in Australia and other western countries? Because the vast majority of people, citizens or otherwise, with significant medical knowledge or none at all, have been vaccinated.
“We have been over this before, but since some people STILL don't understand virus transmission or how vaccines work,”
Yeah…and you’re one of them.
flop
It has less to do with Age , than technique learnt at a young age !!! .. That's why surfers today can ride an old board in a modern way .. Physical Condition relative age plays a part too .. Noting that Slater resembles a lot of Brazilians in build , expect some of them to have longevity too
I would say Kelly's longevity is nearly completely all down to his mentality.
He's a one off in that department.
He's always had the most determined mindset,intensely competitive drive,and intelligent surfing mind of any pro surfer ever.
Which is why he's 7 world titles clearer than his next closest rival in the world champ tally.
Age and the next generation catching up with him a few years back is the only reason he doesn't have even more.
Not sure of the competition. Late 70's Shane Horan pulled into a winner made him world champion. Nail biter.
Cheyne Horan never won a world title, runner up 4 times.
I loved how Kelly just as the wave breathed on him let his hands go of the rail and opened his arms wide knowing full well he'd just pulled off something truly incredible
Furthermore- "No-one can decipher greatness,” wrote Steve Shearer in his recap of the day, “All you can do is increase the chances of so many random elements coming together in beautiful, terrifying symmetry, as they did today, and sit back in awe of the results.”
That there is some mighty fine writing.
I know that was Kelly rising to the occasion and it was spontaneous and proper, but TBH I would've preferred a nose wipe claim.
Just a little one for old time's sake.
At least he didn't do the double hand ball grab.
That would have crueled the moment.
Double peace signs?
Ke12y is saving that claim for when he catches the winning wave with ten seconds left versus John John Florence in the Final -
Many generations older?
Is many years older more accurate perhaps?
How long is a generation anyway in surfing?
Maybe a decade or even a little less,such as the generation of Mick/Andy/Parko/Taj to Kelly?
Andy and Taj were both 6 years younger than Kelly but considered the next generation after him i guess so based on that logic,that's 4 and 2/3rds of generations between him and Barron Mamiya.
Yep that'll qualify then lol.
Slater could of retired from the tour back after he won his last Pipe title in 2013 but i think he'd still be at Pipe every year and still would have been one of the frontrunners up until now.
I reckon he'll keep competing there until he's 55,before either Father Time starts more doggedly bugging him in some way,or he finally wakes up one morning without that intense competitive drive anymore.
I would say a generation in surfing is roughly ten years. By my reckoning he's outlasted three generations. Quite a bit of overlapping though so it's hard to be precise. . 1/ Carroll, Derek Ho, Curren, Occy, etc 2/ Taylor Knox, Garcia, Machado etc, 3/ Andy Irons, Fanning, Parko, Taj, etc.
I would put Garcia in the generation before Knox and Machado.
They were Kelly's direct peers in his generation.
Garcia is only 2 years older than Kelly,but he joined the tour at 16 i believe and had a good 5 years of competing against all those 80's stalwarts before Kelly came along.
Once Kelly showed up and kicked the door down immediately,most of those guys were winding down and on their way out.
Garcia and Luke Egan were the only two from that time,being the the same age and youngest of that crop,that competed all through Slater's first dominant run in the 90's.
Also Andy's 3 year run.
After that their time was up too.
Anyone have a link to Kelly’s beach interview? Or maybe a timestamp on the webcast replay? I scrolled through all of the heats afterwards on the analyser but must have skipped past it
Found it:
Incredible stuff!!
Yeah how good is that. On ya Ke12y.
I believe that Kelly competed against Seth's father when he was a pro.