I just finished reading a book that Armstrong wrote about 3 years ago. It talks about him dealing with the cancer and how he came back to win with Postal.
He gives credit to his wife and his doctors but the interesting thing is he is humbled by the experience and from hence forth is humble in life. You see very few people these days that are great at what they do but are humble at the same time.
Just a thought.
Ty
I first saw Slater surf during the prelims of a Pipe Masters in the early 90’s and was wondering if he was all hype until I saw him catch a few waves. His timing was impeccable, and would pull of amazing off the lips where others would flick off the wave. With respect to all the other hot surfers on tour, I still think Slater is a cut above them all. Of what I’ve seen of him, he has been a good spokesman for our sport, can win like a champ and lose graciously. I hope he can keep the momentum up to take a 7th championship.
I’d love for him to win it.
I’d hate for people to start wearing wetsuits like his!
I used to think that Kelly Had to be all hype…till in the early 90s I saw him surf at Huntington beach and…it was indescribeable…the kid was a freak of nature…did some moves that left me thinking he cant do that…thats effing IMPOSSIBLE!!! Hanging floaters with tail first re-entry, straight up with a rock and roll at the top with hangtime, beyond vert moves, functional airs and 180 twisting airs, tailslide off the top into layback 180. And would casually pull every manuever. Left the beach that day thinking that I should just freaking quit surfing cause after watching that display everything else was crap.
Ive seen everyone else surf and still to this day Slater is in a class all by himself. Saw him surf Haleiwa recently and ripped an 8ft macker like a headhigh wave going straight up right off the takeoff and proceeded to get barrelled twice all the way through the toiletbowl.
Ive seen everyone else surf and still to this day Slater is in a class all by himself.
Thanks for that J. I’m not the ONLY onre who thinks that , then . For a while there I think Andy had a few people believing HIS hype “Slater’s days are over” , and all that other trash he talks. ben
IMO the stuff guys are doing today is all the stuff that Kelly innovated. Much easier doing something thats already been done than it is to create in uncharted territory.
Chip,
As an old-school guy I don’t much pay attention to the tour and who’s on top, etc., but an interesting thing happened last winter that made me a fan of Kelly. I was with my 25 year old son at the southern most tip of Costa Rica in a tiny village called Pavones. They just got electricity a couple of years ago and there’s only one phone in the town. The place claims to have the longest left on the planet. Very remote and beautiful.
We were sitting alone on the beach adjacent to a little river that empties into the ocean, and getting ready to watch the sunset while I observed a few guys out. I wasn’t paying much attention, as the sunset always gets top priority, but one guy in particular was getting some nice rides and seemed to stand out above the others with some trick moves on some head-high waves. A particularly nice set rolled in and that guy caught it alone off to my far left vantage point. My jaw dropped as I began to watch.
My son and I were dumbfounded as that guy worked that wave beyond anything I had ever seen in person in my entire long life. The ride went forever and he didn’t miss a single drop of the water on that wave as he worked his way across this long peeling glassy face from left to our right directly in front of the brilliant orange setting sun. By the time he kicked out way around the bend he had traveled for what seemed like a half mile. We had no idea who it was, but we were both astonished!
The sun set and it became dusk when a guy carrying his board and wearing wet board shorts and a big smile walked by and said, “I can’t wait to tell everyone back home that I was actually out in the water with Kelly”. My son said, “Yea right, but that guy was really good, who was that?” The guy stopped, showed a confused look, and said, “Man that was Slater, that was Thee man, you guys didn’t know?”
As it turns out he was there with a few other people including Jessica Alba and Cameron Diaz doing some documentary. They never showed up at the local tavern that night (a bummer for my son who wanted to meet a couple of Kelly’s friends) and we hitched a ride out of town at dawn the next morning. I’ll never forget seeing that ride. What a privelage that was!
Thats a sweet story. I really hope kelly wins this year, Not a big fan of AI and I like the fellow east coasters
I just finished reading a book that Armstrong wrote about 3 years ago. It talks about him dealing with the cancer and how he came back to win with Postal.
He gives credit to his wife and his doctors but the interesting thing is he is humbled by the experience and from hence forth is humble in life. You see very few people these days that are great at what they do but are humble at the same time.
Just a thought.
Ty
Yeah I read that interview. I did not feel he was that humble, giving thanks to human cures. Lance’s recovery shouldn’t be about him winning more races, but about how that recovery can inspire others to look inward and upward and find that same strength.
Big difference between Lance Armstrong and Kelly Slater: The contest Lance enteres are not subjective popularity contest as are surf contest. You start at point A and end at point Z and the person crossing the finish quickest gets the prize. No human interferance or favoritism.
Kelly is one of the best, but also one of the most popular. I would love to have seen him compete back on the early tour, when there was tons of hassling and tactics. He probably still would be great, but I would love to have seen that.
As Greg said, this kid has not changed much. I ran into him at Campbell’s breakfast restaurant up in the country on Oahu and he was as friendly as speaking with an old bud. We need more like him.
Lance's recovery shouldn't be about him winning more races, but about how that recovery can inspire others to look inward and upward and find that same strength.
Nah, then he’d be just another one of those annoying, tactless cancer survivors, always wanting to tell you how they beat cancer. Gee, I’m happy for you, but will you stop rubbing it in? No class.
Lance’s conquest of the Tour de France is way more impressive and should be way more inspiring than his ‘battle’ with cancer.
Big difference between Lance Armstrong and Kelly Slater: The contest Lance enteres are not subjective popularity contest as are surf contest. You start at point A and end at point Z and the person crossing the finish quickest gets the prize. No human interferance or favoritism.
Oh there is plenty of human interferance and favoritism on the tour, and winning the tour is about support teams. I’ve read serveral articles about lance, us postal (old sponsor), and the tour. Lance is better equiped than anyone.
That said, he managed to return after cancer as the hated cocky American and dominate his sport.
You guys should read his book “Its not about the bike”. Great read (audio book)!
Unfortunatly he decided to leave his wife after he had creditted her as being the reason he survived and got back to cycling and dominating.
Both Kelly and Lance are great athletes and spokesmen for there sports. I do get the impression thought that Kelly is a more down to earth guy and less arrogant.
I do cheer for both of them though I don’t follow either till couriosity at the end.
Quote:Lance’s recovery shouldn’t be about him winning more races, but about how that recovery can inspire others to look inward and upward and find that same strength.
Nah, then he’d be just another one of those annoying, tactless cancer survivors, always wanting to tell you how they beat cancer. Gee, I’m happy for you, but will you stop rubbing it in? No class.
Lance’s conquest of the Tour de France is way more impressive and should be way more inspiring than his ‘battle’ with cancer.
I hate that crap as well. Not what I was speaking of. Winning a contest is not everything and America is obsessed with this crap also. I am more interested in the change between the ears and the gut check.
Also: He comes off arrogant not humble to me. I admire what he has done, but I doubt I would want to spend much time with him.
Kelly on the other hand, acts like a nice person and has never IMO been arrogant.
In reply to RichardMc’s question “Who’s the best surfer that ever lived?” I have to say it’s a judgement call. Today it was me about 7:15 a.m. at the Cove after two perfectly executed straight up, straight down cutbacks on a lined up shoulder high right with the first board I ever made, a 9’6" whatever. You shoulda been there. I had to paddle in after that. I was so stoked, that one will carry me to next weekend.Ride on, Tom
In a recent interview with Lance about what he’s going to do after the tour, part of an answer was something like “surf more”
[not meaning to sound nasty , but I love watching him beat Andy Irons !]
I STRONGLY agree! but we need to see an AUSSIE win! I like kelly’s alternate wetties though, good to see!
I love the classic Kelly footage in ‘Wave Warriors 3’ especially when he’s on the yellow board in small, hollow rights and lefts. There’s a lot of Kelly footage but this along with the JJ movies is my favourite.
The Aussies are soooo stacked for the future. Have patience.
All i have to say is that Occy is by far the best I have ever seen for his time. To be surfing like that in the 80’s was … well insane. Nothing against Slater of course.
Anyway my opinion.
Ty
occy , slater and curren , 1990 …now THERE’S an interesting heat , yes ?
ben
Quote:Lance’s recovery shouldn’t be about him winning more races, but about how that recovery can inspire others to look inward and upward and find that same strength.
Nah, then he’d be just another one of those annoying, tactless cancer survivors, always wanting to tell you how they beat cancer. Gee, I’m happy for you, but will you stop rubbing it in? No class.
Lance’s conquest of the Tour de France is way more impressive and should be way more inspiring than his ‘battle’ with cancer.
Wow hadn’t knotice how annoying and tactless some cancer survivors can be,
Beating cancer and the crap that go with it is like winning the tour or winning a 100 million dollar lottery. you’d talk about it like crazy to.
I hope I have never come across as an annoying tacless 4 time cancer serviver. That’s my Tour De France win x 4.
Wow hadn't knotice how annoying and tactless some cancer survivors can be,
The reason they are tactless is that they do not consider the feelings of those whose loved ones did not survive (in my case, my mother at 49 and my father at 58: neither smoked or drank or were obese or anything). The “survivors” make it seem like they are alive because of something they did (thus the endless details of their treatment and diet and spiritual approach and whatever), the implication being that everyone else can survive too if they only do the right things. Having had to see it twice, I know it isn’t like that and its an insult to the dead to make it seem that they died because of something they personally did or didn’t do and that they’d be here today if only they’d followed the same actions as the survivor.
If you survived cancer, you were lucky. Most others were not that lucky. So stop rubbing it in.