It’s all too often we get caught up in contest winners that we soon forget the other remarkable narratives that occur during competition. For many watching the 2016 Quik Pro Gold Coast, that narrative was Filipe Toledo’s groin injury possibly crushing his world title dreams, or Kolohe and Wilko’s fight to pocket their very first CT victory. For me, it was injury wildcard Stuart Kennedy, who came four hundredths of a point away from making the finals and likely winning the entire contest. With the way he was surfing, I would’ve bet lives on it.
Throughout competition, Stu Kennedy, who arrived on the world stage in fine form, was the subject of constant debate. After defeating the likes of Kelly Slater, Gabriel Medina, and John John Florence, commentators deliberated back and forth, attempting to wrap their fingers around what made Stu so great. Skills aside, there seemed to be an overwhelming sense of attention given to Stu’s equipment. What was he riding? Was it really the source of his success?
“It’s one of those Slater Designs,” Ross Williams anxiously said, as if he was unveiling the first flying car to the market. While Stu’s board doesn’t fly or surf itself, it is (of sorts) something of the future.
The Slater Designs board, the SCI-PHI TOMO model, was contrived by shaping wizard Daniel “Tomo” Thompson. The spacey design boasts a double bat tail and the quadruple concave, giving Stu an unrivaled speed and seamlessness. Whether it was him or his board, I’d say it was a bit of both. Either way, he looked sharp. Imagine if he had gone from injury replacement wildcard to winning the entire thing. Now that would’ve been something.
