‘The King is Back’ says the surf media. Kelly has won the Billabong Tahiti 2016! Who would have thunk it, we had written him off, you had written him off. It would seem apparently that the only person with belief left was himself and that’s all it takes if your name is Robert Slater.
Firstly, a huge clappy hands moment for Kelly, we are huge fans, just not big enough to weather the 2 plus years he has gone without an even win. And I suppose that’s okay. The 44 year old looked to be in dire straits and rats like us jump when we notice something sinking.
I have been struggling recently with watching the WSL broadcast, nothing against the team or the set up, I just have lost interest. It seemed that there was no one left that was real. No one left that has something to say or act a little different from what the sponsors told them to say. In short, there was no drama.
Welcome back drama.
A 44 year old, 11 times world champ, makes a comeback and has the next best contender (John John) in a combination situation at the end. He racks up 4 perfect rides in the event, 2 of which came in the same heat, scoops up the Andy Irons award and does the whole thing with a Cheshire cat like grin. It’s like he knew it was going to happen all along and we had all fallen for a huge practical joke.
Laying on my couch at 1 o’clock in the morning and watching the final I noticed that Peter Mel, in the channel, was talking about a change in energy in the ocean. Something weird going on.
Martin Potter and Joe Turpel were talking about the next event and how, if Kelly wins that, he could be in the running for the world title. This about a man that 2 events ago was down in 31st position on the ratings. All the chatter was about how he should retire gracefully. And now he is in the world title talk. What about John John, why are they not talking about him. He is the new ratings reader.
Here are the highlights of the final in case you missed it.
I will tell you why. Because Kelly is like crack. When he is on form there is no one else that can touch him, for the surfing he does, for the emotions that he wears on his sleeve and for the energy that even I could feel laid on my couch on the other side of the world. We all want to believe deep down. We all want him to keep going and keep winning and that’s because he takes you along for the journey.
That’s what it is that makes the experience addictive, it’s the fact the he says what he wants and you see and feel the emotion when he wins and loses. Exciting.
It’s not that I can relate to him on any level apart from that we speak the same language and ride waves on a foam and fiberglass thing. What it does mean, for me and others is that it is not over for us old guys, not yet.
God save the King.