HUMAN TOUCH: Kelly Slater

Who knew? Kelly Slater used to be a lawn care provider? He keeps his brain somewhere? He secretly covets free vitamin C and Glucosamine? We caught up with 7-time world champion (working on Kelly Slater recently to unearth some humanoid factoids in this installment of HUMAN TOUCH. – Scott Bass

Do you collect anything?

Kelly Slater: Shells from every place I go.

Do you speak another language?

Kelly Slater: I speak Spanish, though I’ve lost a lot of words, and understand quite a lot of French. I want to be fluent in Japanese and French before it’s all over.

Do you own a longboard? What size, dimensions, etc.

Kelly Slater:My brother, Stephen, gave me one of his 9’2″ Donald Takayama models.

Do you train or work out other than surfing.

Kelly Slater: I try to keep my brain in a good space aware of my surroundings. I don’t really have a physical routine other than stretching and working out from time to time but not on a scheduled thing.

What is your earliest surfing memory?

Kelly Slater: Riding Styrofoam boards from the thrift store.

What is your quirkiest pre or post surf habit?

Kelly Slater: I’m not sure. Maybe sticking to the same routine when I’m doing well in an event.

Do you have any pets?

Kelly Slater: Just my friends’ pets all over the world, none of my own right now.

If you could change one thing about yourself what would it
be?

Kelly Slater: Some of my choices.

What is the oddest job you’ve ever had?

Kelly Slater: Picking weeds.

If you could be sponsored by one non-surfing product, what would it be?

Kelly Slater: Maybe a supplement or health food company.

Have you done any significant environmental work recently?

Kelly Slater: Not enough. Just raising awareness of Reef Check and MiOcean, a group I work with in Southern CA. Jack’s kind of setting the pace for us with the Kokua Foundation.

What is the gnarliest injury you’ve sustained, surfing or otherwise?

Kelly Slater: Torn ligaments in the knee and ankle from a strapped in wipeout. Two months out of the water. Not too bad.

Do you believe in God?

Kelly Slater: I believe in a higher power and natural flow to all things. There is something bigger than us but I’m not sure it’s a physical being. We are in heaven as I see it and that choice is there all the time.