Who is Kelly Slater (and why should you care)?
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He pals around with Michael Jordan and Peyton Manning, jams with Pearl Jam guitarist Eddie Vedder, and was voted one of People Magazine’s “50 Most Beautiful Peopleâ€. He is a sometimes actor with a string of TV and Movie credits including all three “Young Guns†movies and a regular gig on “Baywatchâ€. He has smooched up the likes of Pamela Anderson, Cameron Diaz, Kirsten Dunst and super model Gisele Bundchen, Playboy Playmate, Cara Michelle and Sports Illustrated swimsuit sensation, Bar Rafaeli. He even got a shout out from Queen Latifa at the “Teen Choice Awardsâ€. So who is this and why haven’t you heard of him?
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B D Fenton
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Chances are if you are a teenage girl or a surfer of any age you know who Kelly Slater is. But if you count yourself among those sports fans who think they know sports and athletes, you may have never heard of this remarkable sportsman. Although he has achieved an almost god-like status with fans across the globe, he remains largely unknown by mainstream sport fans. But if you don’t know who he is â€" you should.
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He is the current World Champion in one of the most popular extreme sports on the planet. He won his first World Championship at the tender age of twenty â€" making him the youngest ever to do so. Last year he won the 2008 World Championship at age 36 â€" making him the oldest world title holder in history. And along the way he has racked up an incredible world record of 41 career victories including his ninth World title â€" got that? Nine World Championships!
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Born Robert Kelly Slater, February 11, 1972 in Cocoa Beach, Florida, “Le Kelly†is widely regarded as the greatest competitive surfer of all time. He has been called the “Michael Jordan of Surfingâ€. He is a 6 time “Pipe Masters†winner at Hawaii’s legendary Banzai Pipeline. His amazing run of 9 (5 consecutive) World Titles is unmatched by any other athlete in any international sport. He is the first â€" and only - surfer to receive two perfect 20 point scores under the ASP two wave system, and he did it at mighty Teahupoo the meanest, most powerful wave on earth (a wave considered un-rideable until conquered four years ago by surfing legend Laird Hamilton). This is an athlete that laughs and plays in conditions that would terrify normal mortals.
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He’s no dummy, either. Even though he was voted “Cutest Boy†at Lower Cape Regional he managed to graduate with a 4.0 GPA. He has since authored two books on the sport of surfing â€" an autobiography titled, “Pipe Dreams: A Surfers Journey†and “Kelly Slater: For the Loveâ€, both instant cult classics - both currently available on Amazon.
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If that isn’t enough he has appeared as himself in “Tony Hawks Pro Skater III†and now has his own video game “Kelly Slaters Pro Surferâ€. He is a proponent of healthy living and is an avid conservationist involved actively involved with projects like “Reef Checkâ€, a California based organization dedicated to preserving tropical coral reefs and California rocky reef ecosystems. Did I mention his musical talent? Not only has he been featured on a couple of CDs â€" he was invited up on stage to play with Pearl Jam in San Diego and Harpers in Santa Barbara. The dude is surfing’s version of a renaissance man.
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He is smart, sexy, movie star handsome and super talented. So how is it sports fans, that this has been flying under the radar of most sports publications and talk shows? Perhaps the answer is best illustrated by his current website: www.kellyslater.com. Check it out â€" he’s been tearing up waves around the world and ing minds for eighteen years and it isn’t even finished yet. In typical laid back surfer fashion he promises to get around to it. In the meantime you can click on it now and sign up to receive notice when it is up and running….
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Kelly Slater has never courted fame or attention. That’s not what melts his snow. He is a true surfer and he’s too busy traveling around the world riding waves to promote himself. By all accounts he is a pretty nice, regular . He doesn’t boast about his accomplishments or talk smack about his rivals. Quite the opposite, he has somehow been able to maintain a quiet unassuming attitude. In spite of it all he is still that shy, humble kid from Cocoa Beach, Florida. Everybody likes this . - What’s not to like? And this year I’m betting he takes the World Championship Surfing title â€" for the tenth time. A record that will probably never be equaled and it couldn’t happen to a nicer .
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Oh yeah, heads up, Tiger, Kelly is getting into golf.
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Source : (http://www.articlesbase.com/extreme-sports-articles/who-is-kelly-slater-and-why-should-you-care-842511.html)
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