With 56 wins under his belt by the tender age of 44, it’s impossible to not expend some concentration energy on Kelly Slater at a Championship Tour event. He just might, at any stage of a contest, do something wild, weird and game changing that you just don’t want to miss. It might be a massive 720 into the wind; it might be a below-sea level closeout tube that transforms into a 10-point ride. It might be a horrific take-off into black water that he recovers and rides the tube of the event at Chopes, it might be a post heat comment that is so insightful, so off-the-wall that it needs to be remembered, or it might be something more. When he paddled out for his first round heat in Portugal yesterday, with that ‘beard and a four-fin’ approach to Portugal that he had been talking about, the surfing world stood to attention.
It was the sort of conditions that could give you tens or give you toffees. There were loads of poor waves and some excellent ones. After a few closeouts on the shallow bank Kelly moved to the south of the beach where he had spotted some rights. Kelly’s first score was a fast right-hander that allowed him to hook into a big forehand air reverse into the flats for a nine pointer and a roar from the spectators on the beach, mere meters from the man flying through the air.
“I just got as much speed as I could,” said Kelly. “I hit it as late as I could, and sometimes they stick, so, that one stuck.”
It was clear to all competitors that the judges were scoring on airs and tubes, and with one big air in the bank, Kelly went hunting the barrels, as the consummate professional that he is. He found what he was looking for – a long, mid-size backhand tube that he emerged from, to score a solid 6.83 points for the heat win.
“You’ve got to see where surfing is going, and it’s going there from the guys who are coming up you know,” said Kelly on the beach after his heat. “The guys that are at the top are established, and have been there for a long time, and they’ve had their time to create and to start something new, and it needs fresh eyes, and that's what these youngers have.”
It must be noted that Kelly is still in with a mathematical chance of winning a world title. With John John and Gabriel Medina still in and Wilko out, it’s not without merit that Kelly could do something large in this event, and head for Pipe with a head full of positive thinking and some very powerful world title Pipeline memories.
At the top level of the Championship Tour, the one thing that makes marked contrasts in individual surfing performances is imagination, and Kelly’s imagination seems limitless.
—
Meo Rip Curl Pro Portugal Round 2 Results:
Heat 1: John John Florence (HAW) 10.54 def. Miguel Blanco (PRT) 8.60
Heat 2: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 9.84 def. Ryan Callinan (AUS) 9.43
Heat 3: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 17.00 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 10.00
Heat 4: Julian Wilson (AUS) 8.33 def. Alex Ribeiro (BRA) 6.73
Heat 5: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 15.17 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 4.90
Upcoming Meo Rip Curl Pro Portugal Round 2 Match-Ups:
Heat 6: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Matt Banting (AUS)
Heat 7: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) vs. Alejo Muniz (BRA)
Heat 8: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Jack Freestone (AUS)
Heat 9: Caio Ibelli (BRA) vs. Davey Cathels (AUS)
Heat 10: Stuart Kennedy (AUS) vs. Dusty Payne (HAW)
Heat 11: Nat Young (USA) vs. Conner Coffin (USA)
Heat 12: Keanu Asing (HAW) vs. Kanoa Igarashi (USA)
