Kelly Slater to Axel Irons: “Hit me as hard as you can in the stomach!”

More highlights from NYC photograph Justin Jay's remarkable decade-in-the-making North Shore tome…

Losing ain’t easy, although I’m more practised than most. Family, money, reputation, home, a luxury water transport biz, oh, I’ve gambled it all and lost.

But I’ve had some laughs and woken to shrivelled balls and empty boxes of Ding-Dongs more than a man of my below-average construction should’ve. And that’s all that matters, yeah?

The world champion surfer Kelly Slater, conversely, rarely loses, in life or in competition. And, therefore, it made his defeat in the semi-finals of last year’s Pipeline Masters, a contest he seemed preordained to win, more painful than usual.

The New York photographer Justin Jay, who is crowdfunding his book Ten Years/1000 Moments on the North Shore, and which you should bounce over to, here, to throw a few shekels at, was there to capture this photo of Kelly and his former nemesis Andy Irons’ eight-year-old son Axel.

“His lingering foot injury was still an issue, he had stitches in his hand from a free surf the previous day at V-Land and his knee was freshly bandaged from an encounter with the reef in his previous heat,” says Jay. “Perhaps to assuage some frustration, Kelly lingered around the competitors’ area signing autographs and talking to fans. He was in an affable mood, but he was clearly agitated by the circumstances. He walked over to Axel Irons and gave him a playful ruffle of his hair which was followed by a proposition that sounded more like a dare.

Hit me as hard as you can in the stomach.

It didn’t happen

Despite goading from (RVCA founder and Lyndie Irons’ new bebe) Pat Tenore, Axel ultimately decided not to accept Kelly’s offer to punch him.

Now,

Can you imagine if Andy was still around?

HI 1K – TEN YEARS / 1000 MOMENTS ON HAWAII’S NORTH SHORE PROMO from Justin Jay on Vimeo.