Would you want to be Kelly Slater?

Reading some of the online comments about Kelly Slater you would either think he is the most awful person on the planet or there are many very jealous people out there!

As with other elite sportspeople like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, Slater is scrutinised to the nth degree and any human error they make is blown out to massive proportions.

In a moment’s time upon meeting said superstar a full character analysis is made as to whether he/she is a good person.

“But he did not sign my autograph book or take a photo,” meaning they are the most despicable person around.

The thought of being this picture perfect person 24 hours a day would be totally overbearing and mentally taxing.

“He was really rude when I went up to his table in a restaurant,” not quoted, but I’m sure it has happened.

When people have so much and lead supposedly perfect lives they will always attract the hate of others.

Fame, fortune, attractive women, beautiful homes and not having to worry about next month’s power bill are things out of reach of many and can lead to hateful envy amongst mere mortals.

Kelly Slater on the surface appears to have led a rather good life, pursuing what he loves and the accoutrements attached.

He did however come from a broken home and the influence of an alcoholic father, which has helped build the person he is today. Time in the water was time away from his father. Slater himself is the father of daughter Taylor from previous partner Tamara Michelle.

The present has now made up for the past when Slater was an absent father while away on surfing trips, with his partner being the sole parent. Is selfishness a prerequisite for being so successful?

The two now share a positive relationship and support each other’s lifestyles. Slater is now in a relationship with Kalani Miller after previously dating Pamela Anderson, Giselle Bundchen and Cameron Diaz.

The anonymity of a normal life is what most of us have but a person like Kelly Slater is recognised around the world. Surfing has brought him millions but has the price of fame also been high?

If someone could swap their life to his with the possibility of not returning to normality, could it be an attractive option? Anyway, I believe Mr Slater is quite happy where he is today!

Robert Kelly Slater was born 1972 in Cocoa Beach, Florida US and was brought up near the water and started surfing at age five. Winning age-group events followed from the age of ten.

To be the greatest at your chosen career – or did our career choose us – must be, and I will use a surfing term, quite insane.

Like many elite sportsmen his career did not start exactly as he wanted, his first two years were difficult. After this period he became the youngest surfer to win a world title at the age of 20 years.

He needed a break from surfing in 1998, but returned to competition in 2002. His break featured an acting role on Baywatch, starting his own band, playing the guitar and performing with Jack Johnson, Ben Harper and Pearl Jam.

Australian Mark Richards held the record for four world titles which Slater passed in 1997. He also passed childhood hero Tom Curren’s event wins in 2007. In Tahiti he became the first surfer to score two perfect scores which he did again singularly in 2013 in Fiji.

Some ask is surfing really a sport, believing it to be more of a recreational choice. Oxford Dictionary defines sport as “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or a team competes against another or others for entertainment”.

It is a sport judged in competition similar to diving, gymnastics and even boxing with judges opinions being open to criticism. Surfing will feature in the Paris Olympics in 2024, which Slater has said he will aim for at the age of 51!

On statistics alone Kelly Slater is recognized as the greatest professional surfer ever amongst others who were either great competitive surfers or had a major influence on the sport.

These people include Kathy “Gidget” Kohner Zuckerman, Mark Occhilupo, Gerry Lopez, Andy Irons, Mark Richards, Stephanie Gilmore, Tom Curren, Corky Carroll, Layne Beachley and Duke Kahanamoku.

I remember as a teenager thinking wouldn’t it be great to have the perfect wave inland where you knew there was nothing in the water that could potentially kill you!

Jaws the movie derailed my enjoyment of surfing. Well, Kelly Slater has done it with a wave pool creating perfect waves at Kelly Slater Surf Ranch in California, set on farmland 100 miles from the ocean.

World Surf League (WSL) have become a shareholder in the Kelly Slater Wave Co and a world series event has been held there. Just another box ticked in the life of Kelly Slater.

He is the youngest surfer to win a world title and the oldest (age 39 years), is the past, present and future of surfing and believes he will surf Pipeline when he is 90 years old.

Kelly Slater has been crowned World Tour Champion a record 11 times, including 5 consecutive titles from 1994–98, which makes him the greatest surfer ever.

But would you like to be him?