“I started out this year not feeling real good about the year.” So says Kelly Slater on his rocky start to the season. But the thing about Kelly isn’t just his talent, it’s his determination. “I look back at every heat I ever lose, and I think I could have won that heat,” he continued. “I just don’t count myself out like that.”
He’s been here before. And if we’re lucky, we’ll see more years like this–not because we want to see him fail, but because we want to see him succeed in the face of adversity. He is the winningest athlete in the history of surfing, and any success doesn’t come with its share of failures. “I’ve already put my back up against a wall… so, you know, maybe that’s what I needed.”
