Gerry Lopez kicked the tires of Kelly Slater Wave Co.’s first left. Those tires stand to get some lashings tomorrow. Photo: KS Wave Co
Rumors, rumors. Everyone likes to sink their teeth into a good rumor. And, how delicious it is when the rumors turn out to be true. We got confirmation on the phone earlier today that, indeed, the WSL is holding an event at Kelly’s Wavepool tomorrow in Lemoore, California. You are not invited. Not many people are.
The invite list, outside of the surfers participating, is white hot.
Rumor has it that Elon Musk might be in attendance. He’s pioneering a new way forward for the earth with regard to energy consumption. He could be into this. When asked whether Musk would attend, WSL officials neither confirmed nor denied. Instead, they responded: “The invite list is pretty high level.” If “pleased with themselves” were an intonation, it would be the sound of the voice on the other side of the phone. I tried to imagine how my voice would sound if someone asked me whether Elon Musk was attending a function I’m involved in.
They’re viewing tomorrow’s event as a “test.” Not like the SAT. More like a first kiss that might cause all involved to dive headfirst into a hot, messy years-long relationship. Its impact on all parties irreversible and complicated, for better or worse. There’s no going back. Said “test” feels like a gorgeous euphemism. A grand experiment. A glimpse into what professional surfing will be. Probably in a short period of time.
One thing is for certain. There will be surf magic tomorrow in Lemoore, California reserved for a slowly widening group of eyeballs. It’s “a test.” Chances are that there’s a price tag coming for that bottled magic.
Until then, we’ll keep you posted with details as we get them.
