Not a dry eye in the house!
Surfing’s grand Olympic debut is now very much in the rearview, the thrill being replaced by various mundanities of regular life. New masking guidelines, bipartisan infrastructure deals, Bennifer, etc.
For a handful of days, though, everyone was captivated, interested, needing to know various and sundry details about Igarashi Kanoa, Carissa Marks and the rest of our bold history makers.
Everyone but the world’s greatest surfer Kelly Slater.
The 11x champion had kept up a distinct and notable silence about the Olympics, and her surfers, until just moments ago when the floodgates of his heart appeared to open and there gushed forth a series of personal and warm congratulations to each of the six medal winners.
Carissa Moore, he wrote, was “destined for greatness.” Italo Ferreira’s performance “no surprise” as the Brazilian “has got the mojo.” Kanoa Igarashi was Slater’s “dark horse pick to win” and he doubts the Japanese-by-way-of-Huntington-Beach boy will ever have to pay for steak or sushi again. He was “so happy” for Bianca Buitendag, could “feel” Owen Wright’s bronze and called Amuro Tsuzuki the “under the radar surf story of the year.”
Beautiful and poetic, only pausing to share a picture of “the world’s darkest and lightest men.”
Do you think true?
Like, officially the darkest and lightest as designated by an independent review board using the very latest in dark/light observing technologies?
Poignant, in any case.
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I’m interviewing Fernando about all of it and am going to suggest that each national team gets a wildcard/emeritus pick for each team for PAris 2024 = Teahupoo.
So Kelly Slater for USA
Mick Fanning for Australia?
Teahupoo could be way good and surfing will become one of the most dangerous Olympic events, right up there with downhill skiing, BMX and boxing.
Real drama and danger and consequence and skill: That’s what the Olympics are all about.
The surfing equivalent of this:
https://www.youtube.com/wat…
P.S At risk of being sexist, is it possible Simone Biles pulled out because it was that time of the month?
Anyone? Anyone?
I loved playing pinball and pool but never got hooked on the video games . Space invaders left me cold …..
Just a few points Steve.
The winner of the 100m Olympic gold is simply the gold medallist. Break the world record in some lower profile meet and you are the fastest man in the world regardless of who won the Olympics.
The thing with the 100m (and many other events) is the course is static. 100m in a straight line and if there’s too much wind, the records wont count. In other events it’s quite different.
Take Marathon running. 42.195Km but the course is always different. Yeah the Boston Marathon is the most famous of all the annual Marathons, but there are 5 other ‘majors’ that you want to win (some a bit faster than others). A bit like golf. But the guy who breaks 2 hours will be a legend of the sport whether he does it at the Olympics or Berlin. Funnily enough if someone broke 2 hours at Boston it would not be an official world record due to the course being “illegal”.
I tend to think that pro surfing is going to die out (probably very soon) and the ISA will crown world champions and once that happens the olympic gold will take much higher significance.
They’re all pink inside.
I reckon the Curlers always clean up …. seeing as they always have a scrubbing brush at hand
Robotic auto-congratulations is as funny as ignoring it in the first place. But whatever. Obviously he’s bummed he didn’t compete in Tokyo. Now he will have to be content to be the 11x world champion, GOAT, Purps marketer, Viscount of Lemoore, #1 Surgo Fidei Defensor Maxima Omnia Tempus, etc etc
Shades of green
11 titles and an Eddie there is no stain on slaters career.
I hope what’s happening in the first pic is consensual
Kelly had every chance to qualify but he choked multiple times in key heats.
2 dudes, one dark and one light, both wonder: what the fuck is this deeply tanned bald man even getting at?
modern existentialist performance art? or just two dudes saying what the fuck is kelly even trying to get at?
I find it somewhat amusing (sad?), that thanks to the Olympics, that surfing is now grouped along with Curling, Track and Field, and Basketball, etc.
Surfing is so rebellious now (Not).
I thing youth are gonna start looking for something a little more edgy, than sharing the line up with Sprinter man, Vals, and surf class graduates, and their moms and dads.
Maybe Fernando and the Wsl, by appealing to the masses, squares-ville, has inadvertently turned off a whole new young generation to surfing..
They’ll all be drafted soon.
Did you think that surfing was still edgy before the olympics? Have you been in a coma for the last 30 years?
Ha, kinda good point, surfing did have its moments though.
But with the advent of Sprinter man, surf school graduates, Vals, moms and dads and seniors in the line-up in the last few years or so, I think surfing is looking less and less appealing to youth.
I still think they may be looking for another outlet than sharing the lineup with the above mentioned.
I see very few youth at the beach these days, but a lot of the above mentioned.
Groms grow up to be good surfers that compete with you for waves. I welcome any decline in participation. These other pricks that you speak of aren’t getting any waves off me, and are more likely to drown. Hazzah!
Which sport has more ICE ?
Curling or Surfing ….
The best thing about being an ice addict…there’s only three sleeps till Christmas!
have to!
Here’s one for Dusty. RIP
https://youtu.be/Gs43HOWBWsg
zz top is rad. my dad is into ’em, i am well-versed in ’em but never fullbore, then i saw their documentary!
the man could shuffle.
Cheap Sunglasses= every surfer’s dream.
blah, BLAH, blah, q, cult, politics, science, blah, blah, blah (ain’t)
Spare me, hick.
The bigger issue to come out of this: which secret poster on here is actually Kelly? Obvs reads the Grit….
Dane used to read BG.
I once offended him and he responded.
Which is ironic because I’m a huge fan.
Like when Kelly lashes out at someone on IG.
“Holy shit, Kelly himself commented on my post! Oh shit, he’s not happy and he’s giving me a public dressing down. Not how I hoped my first interaction with my idol would go.”
Pretty much, yeah…but BG is MUCH cooler than IG, obvs.
King Kelly’s profundity knows no bounds!
Who reads it to you, inbreed?
Fresh off the press!!!
The GOAT will compete in the Paralympic Games, starting on August 25th.
Stay tuned for more updates!
Well that foot has been a distinct disability!
Luckily his wonderful private health insurance policy provided him with a rehabilitation pool to treat his debilitating disability …..old age .