Will Kelly Slater Call It Quits? The LA Times Thinks So…
Justin Cote
- May 28 2009
- 1,068 views
- 25 comments
The bastion of surfing journalism that is the Los Angeles Times recently posted an article pretty much stating that Nine Time World Champion Kelly Slater is done with competitive surfing. But really, does anyone know for sure that Slater’s done? Does he know himself? Is he going to Brazil for the next World Tour event? Why does he wear a spring suit in Tahiti? Do you even care? Let us know your thoughts…
As reported on latimesblogs.latimes.com
What’s Kelly Slater’s next move?
The winner of nine world titles and undeniably the greatest competitive surfer of all time could not make it beyond the second round of an ASP World Tour contest for the third time in three competitions.
The latest person to send the legend packing, during the ongoing Billabong Pro Teahupoo in Tahiti, was Basque surfer Aritz Aranburu, who is ranked No. 39 in the world and had not even won a heat during the 2009 World Tour season.
Clearly, for Slater, the desire is gone. The flame has been extinguished. It’s as if the 37-year-old from Cocoa Beach, Fla., who clinched the title last year with two contests remaining, already has retired.
He said after the loss Monday afternoon (Tuesday in Tahiti): “That may have just given me an excuse for a big, long vacation.”
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May 28th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
Instead of relying on the LA Times, I’d think that surf journos would be trying to get the story first-hand. Is that too much to ask, JCote, or are you guys busy planning your next industry PR fluff piece? Can’t wait to catch installment 72 of Simply Simpo.
May 28th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Sorry Stu but he won’t tell me why he wears a spring suit in Tahiti, I tried asking already.
May 28th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
I like the reply jcote. Hilarious! Stu, try pulling the dick out of your ear and then maybe your eyes will uncross… idiot.
May 28th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
why does kelly never wear sunglasses?
May 28th, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Way to avoid the larger issue…
May 28th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
slater will return he thrives on this…he’ll probably smoke the next three contests.
May 28th, 2009 at 8:10 pm
I’m growing tired of Kelly Favre. He should stay home with the chicker and cash checks.
Spring suits help when coral fingers strike your beanbag. They serve no other purpose.
May 28th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
im with you… enough with the fluff and get on top of the biggest surf story of the year… the cotes are too busy taking turns hanging off the balls of overrated cali surfers. cali surfers trying to make the wct are like the mets trying to get into the playoffs… if they dont clinch before hawaii, then its choke time.
May 28th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
See JCote, even Akoni beat you to the story on the spring suit. Way to earn that paycheck.
May 28th, 2009 at 9:39 pm
BTW, this is the way real (apparently) surf writers get stories…they ask: http://stabmag.com/jed/kelly-slater-does-not-retire/
May 29th, 2009 at 7:48 am
stu your a fag. its obvi. half the tour wants to give you a solid ass-whooping. were you even at chopes or just sitting by your laptop with your hand in your useless balls? surfings about fun and the cotes def have a lot of fun. enough of trying to mind f__k kelly. hes a n alien and will ever straight shoot the issue of his pending career. Surf journos need to be at the comps like stabs crew tws crew etc. Opinions are like assholes, and everyone has one. If you just report what you see online you’re no more on the front lines then the idiots in washington…give it a rest. you’re extremely whack….watch you’re back the back 45 might just give you a piece of their mind.
May 29th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Stu,
Run! The top 45 might yell at you!
May 29th, 2009 at 10:29 am
That LA Times story is awesome. “Clearly…, the desire is gone”. Uhhh, I don’t know if anyone else saw that turn Kelly did vs. Aranburu but it was ridiculous. Loads of “desire”. And the Cote’s can write about whatever they want, shit is funny and interesting as hell. Slater, Hobgood final in Brazil.
May 29th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
stu, u are a fag.
May 29th, 2009 at 2:32 pm
wait, wait… so Stab gets an answer from Kelly by actually asking the question and TWS just posts an article from another publication and then 1/2 of the Top 45 wants to get me? I’m not following the story line there. Maybe JCote can ask the LA Times to investigate and then he can post a link to their article on the subject for all the TWS readers to spew over. Once we get through that we can switch to teaching haterade the difference between your and you’re.
May 29th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
I think you may have been confused with Lewis Samuels my friend. I would have clarified it but I was slurping—I mean surfing—with Matt Biolos at Lowers. Cue the barf in your mouth now…
May 29th, 2009 at 2:51 pm
well, if it makes anyone feel any better, Surflie has the same non-story link to the LA Times article. I guess somehow Stab has better connections to Slates than our home-grown team of “journalists”.
May 29th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
I hang of the balls of surfers from Hawaii thank you very much.
May 29th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
Honestly i don’t care if Slater retires or not. I hope he does, I hope huge makes rad surfboards and wavepools. Do you really care Stu? Stab is cool, but your mouth must hurt a little bit from strecthing your lips around their collective cocks.
May 29th, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Shit, i misspelled “stretching”
May 29th, 2009 at 5:23 pm
don’t hate the player, Cote, hate the game. Isn’t that what the kids say? At least I’m not putting up “gear guides” in my posts. Now that would be lame. But really, why can’t TWS get a story like this? Have you abandoned all journalistic efforts at this point?
May 29th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
and for what it’s worth, I find Stab’s mag to be really quite boring. They don’t use pretty colors on the cover like you guys do.
June 9th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
Slater wore a spring suit cause he saw Jordy get his asshole torn open w/ boardshorts on, he figured the extra neoprene would provide some extra clench to his ass
September 10th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
All to often skiers are pushed beyond their limits and end up losing confidence
September 24th, 2009 at 12:29 am
The guys at surf talk radio did a show on the breakaway tour - a very interesting twist for the future of professional surfing.
http://www.stompandflow.com/2009/07/13/down-the-l...