Stu Kennedy admits he was a lot more relaxed coming back to the North Shore this winter than in previous years. At the end of the 2015 season he landed on Oahu needing a solid showing at Sunset to punch his ticket on the ‘CT. He did that, and rightfully so, it seems there was a little less tension when the 2016 season closed down.
Kennedy kicked off his rookie year on Tour by beating eventual World Champ John John Florence in a quarterfinal heat on the Gold Coast. He then narrowly missed the final of his first full-time ‘CT comp by three one hundredths of a point (behind Kolohe Andino). It wasn’t a horrible way to kick off a rookie year and one would imagine an experience like that set the man up with a lot of confidence. Here, Kennedy reflects on those early results, the jump from the ‘QS to the ‘CT and how it all smells and looks a little different at places like Sunset now that he’s wrapped up his rookie season.
Oh, and he’s aiming for a top-5 spot on the leaderboard when it’s all done after his sophomore campaign. Not bad.
