A Candid Kelly Slater On Olympic Surfing, Fatherhood, and the Future of the Sport

Illuminating stuff.

Here’s a great conversation between two of surfing’s best brains: ’88 Champ Barton Lynch and 11x World Champ, Kelly Slater.

A couple of highlights quotes below

• “My top four picks were obviously John John, Gabriel, Jack Robinson, and Kauli. Three out of four made the final. Not bad at all.”
• “I actually felt a sort of spiritual connection to him [Bryan Perez] there…and I wanted to pass on a little bit of knowledge to him.”
• “I’m not a coach, I’m a surfer, but I can share that knowledge. I’ve never gone and done a coaching role.”
• “Great moments come in the future because of things that didn’t happen for you now. You can’t have it all.”
• “I want to make the event about Fiji and about the people on Tavarua, and dedicate my last contest there to them.”