Slater Hacks into 2016 Surfing Era: WSL Rankings Tahiti Shake
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| Image World Surf League WSL. Slater doing what he does best: Getting barrelled. |
WSL Tahiti World Tour Stop looked good and felt just right...
On August 23 2016 Slater took Tahiti, strong. There is a feeling that comes when witness history in the making. That feeling was all over Tahiti.
Since late 2104 when the ASP kicked into high WSL gears the sport of professional surf has been evolving and growing...some might say it is growing out of control, with millions watching every feed broadcasted and Surf taking a place as a an Olympic Sport. But when Tahiti Grand Slams and gets pumping the song remains the same...it is all about legends and barrels.
There one truth becomes certain growth or no growth...get barreled or pack it up and go home. Rankings were shaken, Top 10s were remodeled and new Ranking Leaders emerged.
In just one day - August 23 the best elite WSL riders cooked, grilled and served it hot, on fire. Billabong Final Day saw Rounds 4 and 5, Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Finals move through in perfect barrel conditions.
It was not only was Slater who was on fire. Tahiti saw real match up contending. John John Florence, Wilson, Buchman Medina, Slater, Kerr flew through the final rounds and Heats. They progressed through the day dropping 9s and 10s.
This is what almost everyone has been dreaming and waiting for all year long. Good waves and perfect riders. Slater in a final -an appearance missed out throughout 2016 became thrilling to watch. The battle for the lead of the Ranking versus Medina and JJ was superheated and fast paced.
Slater -now beyond this World scored not one nor two nor three but four 10 point rides before reaching the Final in just one day. By time he touched Final waves he continued dropping wave after above the 9s keeping almost perfect scores against Florence. The legacy and Kingdom of the 11 Time World Champion -which had been questioned so much due to his late performance this year is on a real comeback.
Kelly Slater not only took Tahiti again! But hacked into the Top Ten, Again!! His win in Tahiti moved him radically up from 19th in the ranking to 8th of the World.
Florence after reaching the Final took the overall lead over while Wilkinson realm seemed to end dropping to Second of the World. Medina -who´s magic has been more than consistent in the past event is breathing down the necks of the leader. After losing the Semifinal against JJ Medina now Ranks 3rd. The air game of Medina in Tahiti and his technical tube riding are one of the books. The battle for the lead of the Jeep Ranking will continue throughout 2016 or what remains but the taste of Tahiti is still fresh and while celebrations continue and the world and surfing community amazes by the accomplishment of Slater the need to write it all down into the lines of history, remains.
Slater perfect riding was not on and off throughout the event but just on. WSL had warned that his stats at Tahiti were above the 90% but few had faith that he could still pull it off. However the magic was still there. Tahiti did its thing
In Heat 2 Round 5 Slater took down Asing with a perfect heat and 2 tens. In Quarter finals he took down Bruno Santos with 9.27 and a perfect 10 and in semi final he took down Buchman with 9.63 and 8.77. The 8.77 was just a back up score!
WSL calls this part of the World Tour the "Grand Slam" of the World Tour. It smiles on experienced riders like Kelly. Fiji, J-Bay, Tahiti, cloudbreak, barrel locations are where legends are expected to make their strong moves. Rookies and the World Tour Young Guns which made such noise during the first part of the year tend to surf better on performance waves, Australia, BRazil and the European Leg. Experience plays hard in Grand Slam Stops. But the stars make it look easy. It is not. Pipe Masters and the end homne of the tour is the final part of the Grand Slam Leg. Still much water remains to end of the year but Tahiti is more than halfway there.
John John clean surfing was nothing shorter to that of Kelly but was still not enough to take Tahiti. JJ´s road to the Final was a bumpy road. While dominant he faced major talents and challenges. JJ had to face the determined and outgoing Wilson in the last Quarter Final of the day. Wilson riding only two waves and playing the wait game almost stole the glory out of JJ in the last minute with an incredible ride. Wilson who took a reef beating, a cut to the chin, lost some arm skin and ended up bleeding after taking a fall in his first wave continued riding the heat in this conditions. Radical. In this state he waited out for the second bomb of the heat which arrived in the last minute. And he took it. Some say that wave which Wilsons rode out was the best of wave of the event. He went so deep that when he came out no one really knew how he pulled it off. Wilson took a perfect 10 for the suicidal ride but JJ had taken the wave that followed and his added points still made the cut to the Semis against Medina. It seemed liked JJ had this time covered all the corners learning his lessons from every heat he has surfed.
JJ Quarter Final against Medina was the battle of battles for the ranking lead of the 2016 leaderboard. With just 29 minutes on the clock JJ and Medina already had 2 best waves on the board.
It seemed as if the Ocean wanted them to surf out their rivalries it threw at them wave after wave, barrel after barrel and both surfers being who they are took every ride worth taking. The rhythm was intense, competition was crazy. Medina took a deep drop and disappeared for seconds inside a barrel only to be spat out and fly away. Florence took the next wave and with incredible speed flew out of a cavern. Blow after blow, they responded. Neither wanted to give an inch back. The score dropped for Medina and it was a perfect 10 and Florence was left chasing a 9.31 to take Final road...impossible? Think again.
The most intense surf develope. 9 minutes to go and Medina´s plan seem to be paying off. 7 minutes on the clock and now JJ waits for a bomb and holds priority.
Medina has a 10 and a 9.23 combined to shape a 19.23 Florence holds a 9.93 and a 9.27 the numbers are almost perfect. This is the level of surfing everyone expected to see all year long.
Florence takes a wave with 5 minutes on the clock and disappears deep into it. Florence technique goes well with the judges which give him a 9.73 and it is now Medina with 2.33 on the clock that needs a 9.66. But there is really not much room to go.
Medina´s final move is limited by the ocean that gives him nothing. the clock rolls and JJ takes the Final. The between Medina and Florence rivalry will live to see another day...they are now both ranked 1st and 3rd of the World. They will sure go at it all year long or what is left of the year at least.
While Medina and Florence surfed out the Semifinal Slater was awarded the “Most Committed AWard” of Tahiti. The Award draws back to the history of the event and has been given out in the past years for the surfers who show the most commitment in these dangerous waters. Slater´s road to the final was not less magical than that of Florence but his perfect 10 riding style showed to be un-contended by anyrider he faced.
With 44 years of age, over 20 years on tour, Slater´s crystal clear eyes revealed when he received the Most Committed Award in Tahiti that he was there not for that Award but to take the final and the Crown event. He was moving up the rankings, on a comeback and had a statement to make. His statement would be heard loud and clear and he would say what he came to say surfing.
Billabong Tahiti would be over in a flash...
Just a few minutes -”of rest” after the semifinal and after surfing all day long and it is time for the Final at Tahiti. An instant classic. The Final Slater versus JJ is just Crazy Stuff!
The 11 time World Champion with more than four decades on his belt but looking sharp carried the legacy of molding professional surfing and competes against JJ representative of the new Talents.
Slater wants a piece of the New Era and is out get it. It is an incredible comeback for Slater who said in the beginning events of the Year -at Australia ends that he was "farther as ever had been from winning a heat even more winning an event" now in the final and ranked again top 10 he assured to have “figured out how to win heats again!”
But JJ -known by the World as the Unofficial World's Best rider, is out to make it official and holding 1st ranking paddles out into the Tahiti final to ruin the Slater Dreamland
34 Minutes on the Clock...no priority... JJ takes a more deep position, Slater floats it away,...clear transpàrent turquoise water above the shallow reef bathed in sunlight afternoon...Tahiti....no rider takes the early ride...perfection is on their mind...a perfect finish off. Suddenly...
Kelly sees something in the back and instantly starts paddling out. Florence sees it too and because he is deeper takes the wave makes the drop and rides middle sized tube which spits him out intact. Not a bad first wave. Massive breakers follow. Whitewater invades the arena. Kelly just sits and takes none of those waves. He waits...but not for long.
The World is watching and Florence numbers for the his first wave drop. A solid 8 for a rail grabbing-ride gives Florence the intial lead.
28 minutes on the Clock still remain and now Slater holds priority and position. The channel gets crowded and fired up. Slater takes a bigger wave, drops down the face, corrects his position speeding out to the channel gets suck into oblivium. For more than just a moment he disappears completely in a perfect ride. Out of nowhere he speeds out standing. Perfect wave, Perfect surfing. JJ responds on a shorter and Whitewatered barrel right behind him.
Slater hacks a 9.77 for his first wave leaving Florence with his early solid 8 behind but numbers drop for Florence's second wave with a 7.23 totaling 15.23. Slater with just one wave on the board needs a 5.46 to take the lead back. For someone who had been hacking 10s and 9s all day long the game was easy.
The waves kept pumping their way. Tahiti green immaculate mountains in the background submerge into the mystical ocean which changes with greenish and blue tones.
WSL Commentators blast away Kelly Slater history, legacy and stats and with a good reason.
When Slater got his Title Surf was hardly televised at all -in fact respect for the sport was little. His major accomplishment saw little broadcasting time but now Slater seems to want a piece of the new times. He is an athlete which has prevailed, evolved and adapted and pushed the limits of sports, not an incredible athlete for surfing but an incredible athlete for any sport perspective. He not only sure helped form and mold surf but is a main column of the WSL. Today he still sets the bar high with 44 years and 11 World Titles. He sets the bar so high that even even the most talented young talents on the World Tour -the best of the best of the World who are in their energetic 20s and 30s can't find and break. It is an incredible thing to watch. His first World title was back in 1994.
21 minutes on the clicking Clock…Tahiti Final...
Slater again takes a steep deep barrel goes for a railwork showdown and falls of the end only to paddle out again. He is smiling as he pàddles out again. He knows he only needs a 5.46 to put on extra pressure on JJ and that wave did the trick. Slater takes home a 8.57 for that ride and takes the lead with 18.34 leaving Florence with his solid 8 and 7.23 comboed.
Slater´s dreams seems closer by the second and Florence mind set rambles across Tahiti´s ocean horizon overwhelmed maybe? Exhausted? Maybe. Only the number one of the World knows what he is thinking.
The clock eats away the length to the 18 final minutes and still there are lots of water to go through. With 13 on the clock JJ takes a wave but goes too deep and never comes out of it. Soon he finds himself paddling out fast again into the open ocean.
In the wave that comes straight behind him Kelly does the same but finds an exit. He goes out through the foam-ball and jumps out to paddle into position again. The channel screams out at his will power and commitment. Slater´s Drop off the Wall is radical.
By minute 11 it seems things are going Kelly's way. He takes a 9.17 for that radical off-the-wall drop and improves on his score. Now both of Slater rides are above the 9s while JJ best wave is still his first solid 8. Florence needs two waves above the 9s to take down the 11 time World Champ.
And then Slater does it again he drops another bomb with 4 minutes to go and takes a 9.9! The 9.9 replaces his 9.23 ride and does Kelly stop there? No he keeps surfing and seconds after reaching position he takes another barrel and flies out with a reverse air 360. The incredible and the impossible made real by the legend. For those who had never seen him in this type of action this is History in the Making in Tahiti.
After that Florence comboed seemed to accept the situation and just give in and give away the Tahiti final. Florence performance in Tahiti propelled him to Number one of the World Ranking. But things were not clicking for him in the final against Slater.
Less than a minute to go and more than defined situation gave us a Slater which still paddled until the end. And he just kept riding waves! 11 seconds to go and Slater goes inside the barrel, put the hands on the break, stands tall and raises both his arms to the air, just shouting out in celebration!
What a day! Incredible, inspiring. Perhaps the best riding of the WSL 2016 Tour followed closely by Fiji. Slater, Florence, Medina, Buchman, Wilson, Kerr and all riders made Tahiti History. But the channel exploded in cheers for Slater.
Incredible material, radical, critical, inspiring, the 11 Times World Champion takes the Tahiti Grand Slam Stop of WSL World Tour. Still looking very dangerous and as fit as ever. Truly words are not enough.
There is less and more water until Pipe Masters comes our way! Halfway there is done. The final race begins.
What is at stake? The fight for the 10 Top, the fight for the World Champion, the fight for requalifying for the World Tour.
and ..the song remains the same, no matter how big professional surfing gets it will always be about simple but complex things. Being barrelled for some...taking the wave for others...doing the search for the rest.
It only takes a strong Will, a surfboard and the ocean waves. That's the beauty of it. Anyone can have a go! Anyone can connect!
On August 23 2016 Slater took Tahiti, strong. There is a feeling that comes when witness history in the making. That feeling was all over Tahiti.
Since late 2104 when the ASP kicked into high WSL gears the sport of professional surf has been evolving and growing...some might say it is growing out of control, with millions watching every feed broadcasted and Surf taking a place as a an Olympic Sport. But when Tahiti Grand Slams and gets pumping the song remains the same...it is all about legends and barrels.
There one truth becomes certain growth or no growth...get barreled or pack it up and go home. Rankings were shaken, Top 10s were remodeled and new Ranking Leaders emerged.
In just one day - August 23 the best elite WSL riders cooked, grilled and served it hot, on fire. Billabong Final Day saw Rounds 4 and 5, Quarterfinals, Semifinals and Finals move through in perfect barrel conditions.
It was not only was Slater who was on fire. Tahiti saw real match up contending. John John Florence, Wilson, Buchman Medina, Slater, Kerr flew through the final rounds and Heats. They progressed through the day dropping 9s and 10s.
This is what almost everyone has been dreaming and waiting for all year long. Good waves and perfect riders. Slater in a final -an appearance missed out throughout 2016 became thrilling to watch. The battle for the lead of the Ranking versus Medina and JJ was superheated and fast paced.
Slater -now beyond this World scored not one nor two nor three but four 10 point rides before reaching the Final in just one day. By time he touched Final waves he continued dropping wave after above the 9s keeping almost perfect scores against Florence. The legacy and Kingdom of the 11 Time World Champion -which had been questioned so much due to his late performance this year is on a real comeback.
Kelly Slater not only took Tahiti again! But hacked into the Top Ten, Again!! His win in Tahiti moved him radically up from 19th in the ranking to 8th of the World.
Florence after reaching the Final took the overall lead over while Wilkinson realm seemed to end dropping to Second of the World. Medina -who´s magic has been more than consistent in the past event is breathing down the necks of the leader. After losing the Semifinal against JJ Medina now Ranks 3rd. The air game of Medina in Tahiti and his technical tube riding are one of the books. The battle for the lead of the Jeep Ranking will continue throughout 2016 or what remains but the taste of Tahiti is still fresh and while celebrations continue and the world and surfing community amazes by the accomplishment of Slater the need to write it all down into the lines of history, remains.
Slater perfect riding was not on and off throughout the event but just on. WSL had warned that his stats at Tahiti were above the 90% but few had faith that he could still pull it off. However the magic was still there. Tahiti did its thing
In Heat 2 Round 5 Slater took down Asing with a perfect heat and 2 tens. In Quarter finals he took down Bruno Santos with 9.27 and a perfect 10 and in semi final he took down Buchman with 9.63 and 8.77. The 8.77 was just a back up score!
WSL calls this part of the World Tour the "Grand Slam" of the World Tour. It smiles on experienced riders like Kelly. Fiji, J-Bay, Tahiti, cloudbreak, barrel locations are where legends are expected to make their strong moves. Rookies and the World Tour Young Guns which made such noise during the first part of the year tend to surf better on performance waves, Australia, BRazil and the European Leg. Experience plays hard in Grand Slam Stops. But the stars make it look easy. It is not. Pipe Masters and the end homne of the tour is the final part of the Grand Slam Leg. Still much water remains to end of the year but Tahiti is more than halfway there.
John John clean surfing was nothing shorter to that of Kelly but was still not enough to take Tahiti. JJ´s road to the Final was a bumpy road. While dominant he faced major talents and challenges. JJ had to face the determined and outgoing Wilson in the last Quarter Final of the day. Wilson riding only two waves and playing the wait game almost stole the glory out of JJ in the last minute with an incredible ride. Wilson who took a reef beating, a cut to the chin, lost some arm skin and ended up bleeding after taking a fall in his first wave continued riding the heat in this conditions. Radical. In this state he waited out for the second bomb of the heat which arrived in the last minute. And he took it. Some say that wave which Wilsons rode out was the best of wave of the event. He went so deep that when he came out no one really knew how he pulled it off. Wilson took a perfect 10 for the suicidal ride but JJ had taken the wave that followed and his added points still made the cut to the Semis against Medina. It seemed liked JJ had this time covered all the corners learning his lessons from every heat he has surfed.
JJ Quarter Final against Medina was the battle of battles for the ranking lead of the 2016 leaderboard. With just 29 minutes on the clock JJ and Medina already had 2 best waves on the board.
It seemed as if the Ocean wanted them to surf out their rivalries it threw at them wave after wave, barrel after barrel and both surfers being who they are took every ride worth taking. The rhythm was intense, competition was crazy. Medina took a deep drop and disappeared for seconds inside a barrel only to be spat out and fly away. Florence took the next wave and with incredible speed flew out of a cavern. Blow after blow, they responded. Neither wanted to give an inch back. The score dropped for Medina and it was a perfect 10 and Florence was left chasing a 9.31 to take Final road...impossible? Think again.
The most intense surf develope. 9 minutes to go and Medina´s plan seem to be paying off. 7 minutes on the clock and now JJ waits for a bomb and holds priority.
Medina has a 10 and a 9.23 combined to shape a 19.23 Florence holds a 9.93 and a 9.27 the numbers are almost perfect. This is the level of surfing everyone expected to see all year long.
Florence takes a wave with 5 minutes on the clock and disappears deep into it. Florence technique goes well with the judges which give him a 9.73 and it is now Medina with 2.33 on the clock that needs a 9.66. But there is really not much room to go.
Medina´s final move is limited by the ocean that gives him nothing. the clock rolls and JJ takes the Final. The between Medina and Florence rivalry will live to see another day...they are now both ranked 1st and 3rd of the World. They will sure go at it all year long or what is left of the year at least.
While Medina and Florence surfed out the Semifinal Slater was awarded the “Most Committed AWard” of Tahiti. The Award draws back to the history of the event and has been given out in the past years for the surfers who show the most commitment in these dangerous waters. Slater´s road to the final was not less magical than that of Florence but his perfect 10 riding style showed to be un-contended by anyrider he faced.
With 44 years of age, over 20 years on tour, Slater´s crystal clear eyes revealed when he received the Most Committed Award in Tahiti that he was there not for that Award but to take the final and the Crown event. He was moving up the rankings, on a comeback and had a statement to make. His statement would be heard loud and clear and he would say what he came to say surfing.
Billabong Tahiti would be over in a flash...
Just a few minutes -”of rest” after the semifinal and after surfing all day long and it is time for the Final at Tahiti. An instant classic. The Final Slater versus JJ is just Crazy Stuff!
The 11 time World Champion with more than four decades on his belt but looking sharp carried the legacy of molding professional surfing and competes against JJ representative of the new Talents.
Slater wants a piece of the New Era and is out get it. It is an incredible comeback for Slater who said in the beginning events of the Year -at Australia ends that he was "farther as ever had been from winning a heat even more winning an event" now in the final and ranked again top 10 he assured to have “figured out how to win heats again!”
But JJ -known by the World as the Unofficial World's Best rider, is out to make it official and holding 1st ranking paddles out into the Tahiti final to ruin the Slater Dreamland
34 Minutes on the Clock...no priority... JJ takes a more deep position, Slater floats it away,...clear transpàrent turquoise water above the shallow reef bathed in sunlight afternoon...Tahiti....no rider takes the early ride...perfection is on their mind...a perfect finish off. Suddenly...
Kelly sees something in the back and instantly starts paddling out. Florence sees it too and because he is deeper takes the wave makes the drop and rides middle sized tube which spits him out intact. Not a bad first wave. Massive breakers follow. Whitewater invades the arena. Kelly just sits and takes none of those waves. He waits...but not for long.
The World is watching and Florence numbers for the his first wave drop. A solid 8 for a rail grabbing-ride gives Florence the intial lead.
28 minutes on the Clock still remain and now Slater holds priority and position. The channel gets crowded and fired up. Slater takes a bigger wave, drops down the face, corrects his position speeding out to the channel gets suck into oblivium. For more than just a moment he disappears completely in a perfect ride. Out of nowhere he speeds out standing. Perfect wave, Perfect surfing. JJ responds on a shorter and Whitewatered barrel right behind him.
Slater hacks a 9.77 for his first wave leaving Florence with his early solid 8 behind but numbers drop for Florence's second wave with a 7.23 totaling 15.23. Slater with just one wave on the board needs a 5.46 to take the lead back. For someone who had been hacking 10s and 9s all day long the game was easy.
The waves kept pumping their way. Tahiti green immaculate mountains in the background submerge into the mystical ocean which changes with greenish and blue tones.
WSL Commentators blast away Kelly Slater history, legacy and stats and with a good reason.
When Slater got his Title Surf was hardly televised at all -in fact respect for the sport was little. His major accomplishment saw little broadcasting time but now Slater seems to want a piece of the new times. He is an athlete which has prevailed, evolved and adapted and pushed the limits of sports, not an incredible athlete for surfing but an incredible athlete for any sport perspective. He not only sure helped form and mold surf but is a main column of the WSL. Today he still sets the bar high with 44 years and 11 World Titles. He sets the bar so high that even even the most talented young talents on the World Tour -the best of the best of the World who are in their energetic 20s and 30s can't find and break. It is an incredible thing to watch. His first World title was back in 1994.
21 minutes on the clicking Clock…Tahiti Final...
Slater again takes a steep deep barrel goes for a railwork showdown and falls of the end only to paddle out again. He is smiling as he pàddles out again. He knows he only needs a 5.46 to put on extra pressure on JJ and that wave did the trick. Slater takes home a 8.57 for that ride and takes the lead with 18.34 leaving Florence with his solid 8 and 7.23 comboed.
Slater´s dreams seems closer by the second and Florence mind set rambles across Tahiti´s ocean horizon overwhelmed maybe? Exhausted? Maybe. Only the number one of the World knows what he is thinking.
The clock eats away the length to the 18 final minutes and still there are lots of water to go through. With 13 on the clock JJ takes a wave but goes too deep and never comes out of it. Soon he finds himself paddling out fast again into the open ocean.
In the wave that comes straight behind him Kelly does the same but finds an exit. He goes out through the foam-ball and jumps out to paddle into position again. The channel screams out at his will power and commitment. Slater´s Drop off the Wall is radical.
By minute 11 it seems things are going Kelly's way. He takes a 9.17 for that radical off-the-wall drop and improves on his score. Now both of Slater rides are above the 9s while JJ best wave is still his first solid 8. Florence needs two waves above the 9s to take down the 11 time World Champ.
And then Slater does it again he drops another bomb with 4 minutes to go and takes a 9.9! The 9.9 replaces his 9.23 ride and does Kelly stop there? No he keeps surfing and seconds after reaching position he takes another barrel and flies out with a reverse air 360. The incredible and the impossible made real by the legend. For those who had never seen him in this type of action this is History in the Making in Tahiti.
After that Florence comboed seemed to accept the situation and just give in and give away the Tahiti final. Florence performance in Tahiti propelled him to Number one of the World Ranking. But things were not clicking for him in the final against Slater.
Less than a minute to go and more than defined situation gave us a Slater which still paddled until the end. And he just kept riding waves! 11 seconds to go and Slater goes inside the barrel, put the hands on the break, stands tall and raises both his arms to the air, just shouting out in celebration!
What a day! Incredible, inspiring. Perhaps the best riding of the WSL 2016 Tour followed closely by Fiji. Slater, Florence, Medina, Buchman, Wilson, Kerr and all riders made Tahiti History. But the channel exploded in cheers for Slater.
Incredible material, radical, critical, inspiring, the 11 Times World Champion takes the Tahiti Grand Slam Stop of WSL World Tour. Still looking very dangerous and as fit as ever. Truly words are not enough.
There is less and more water until Pipe Masters comes our way! Halfway there is done. The final race begins.
What is at stake? The fight for the 10 Top, the fight for the World Champion, the fight for requalifying for the World Tour.
and ..the song remains the same, no matter how big professional surfing gets it will always be about simple but complex things. Being barrelled for some...taking the wave for others...doing the search for the rest.
It only takes a strong Will, a surfboard and the ocean waves. That's the beauty of it. Anyone can have a go! Anyone can connect!
