It was the score heard around the world. A 4.17 for Kelly Slater’s weird, wild and miraculous air at the Hurley Lowers Pro. Many thought the wave was severely underscored. Many thought a 4.17 was appropriate given Kelly technically fell and stood up again. Either way, Kelly lost the heat to Mick Fanning, sending his hopes for a win at Lowers down the drain.
But now we get to hear Kelly’s thoughts on the score. A new video from the WSL shows Slater sitting down with head judge Richie Porta and discussing the maneuver. And interestingly enough, Kelly seems to agree with the score.
“In small waves,” Kelly says, “it’s all about precision. It’s all about greasing things, making them as smooth as possible, flowing between things without a glitch. I’m the competitor, I’m the one that has to bear the brunt of that being a good or bad score. And I’m not too worried about it. I don’t know why so many people are.”
There you have it, folks. Slater’s not losing sleep over it.
