“I talked to my brother. He said to kick your ass.” – Rob Machado to Kelly Slater before their Semi-Final at the 1995 Pipe Masters
They were buds. They grew up competing against one another, and that heat, the one they nervously discussed beforehand, would determine the 1995 World Champion. They were accustomed to settling priority before heats via rock, paper, scissors. Someone had to start with priority, right? Seems like a reasonable way for two friends to commence competition.
“I thought that was the fairest thing for Rob to say that to me,” said Kelly Slater, twenty years after the fact. “I didn’t want to go out there wondering. I didn’t want to go out there expecting something. I gotta put my best on.”
For those unfamiliar, we were honored to bring Kelly Slater and Rob Machado together for the Hawaii premiere of our original film HI: 5: Rob Machado, Kelly Slater, and Surfing’s Greatest Heat. Kelly and Rob were kind enough to hang around after the film to share their experiences competing and growing up together, and what passed was a very special exchange between two modern icons. We couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate our fifth anniversary, and we have the utmost gratitude for these two for participating as well as everyone who came out to join the good energy.
Last week, we released their discussion around competitive drive and family, which you can view below, as well as the film its entirety. That way you understand exactly what they were responding to. Enjoy. Next Wednesday, watch Kelly do his best Occy impression. It’s pretty freakin’ spot on.
Rob and Kelly Discuss Competitive Drive and Family:
HI-5: Rob Machado, Kelly Slater, and Surfing’s Greatest Heat:
