Cloudbreak and Kelly Slater are a perfect couple. He’s won the event there four times, and thinks of the place as a kind of second home. He’s spent more time there than most of the other competitors, and his insights on the place are built from two decades of traveling there, winning contests and watching people like Andy Irons in some of the best waves in the world. “Cloubreak is a man’s wave, and Andy was a man-surfer,” he said.
The Champ has been struggling a bit this year. In fact, 2015 has been the worst start to a year of his career. But Slater’s no stranger to adversity. As a tour veteran, he’s dealt with the pressures of being a champion.
“It’s funny to be in that position,” he said in the webcast. “Obviously, I would call this a slump for me. This is the worst start I’ve ever had on tour–slowest start. Probably the least amount of confidence I’ve ever carried into it.”
Historically, though, Slater has needed a kick in the pants every now and then, and he’s the first to admit it. Back in ’02, when Kelly returned to the tour from his early retirement, it was partially because of someone telling him he hadn’t won in long time. “That was kind of what spurred me on,” he remembered. “It just kind of pissed me off so bad that I got it together and figured it out.”
