“And It Just Killed My Confidence”: Kelly Slater Smiled Through Pain of Bad Practice While Clicking Pictures With Fans Before 2019 World Surf League

Published 11/14/2022, 4:00 PM EST

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When it comes to surfing, Kelly Slater needs no introduction. The professional American surfer is best known for being crowned World Surf League champion a record 11 times. This makes Slater one of the greatest surfers of all time. Given surfing takes a lot of courage, surfers also have their ups and downs.

In the first episode of Kelly Slater: Lost Tapes, the 11-time world champ discussed one of the bad experiences he had while surfing. Although it was a practice session, it was enough to ruin the mood of the legendary surfer. His fans surrounded him after a bad surf to photograph him, but they had no idea about Slater’s bad mood.

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Kelly Slater on his poor experience after a terrible surf

While practicing for the 2019 World Surf League, Kelly Slater’s luck wasn’t in his favor. One can also say Mother Nature wasn’t in favor of the legendary surfer.

via Getty

“I only warmed up at Diva one time and I had a terrible surf and it just like literally two days before the contest went out there and surfed,” Slater said and continued, “And it just like killed my confidence and I was like I didn’t know which board to ride.” 

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While posing for a fan for a picture. Slater said that he didn’t get a good dive. Of course, it wasn’t the first time that the surfer experienced such kind of problem. But, as it was around a lot of fans and just before the big stage, it was enough to ruin his mood.

“F**k, sometimes I just don’t have…” Slater added. “I just don’t have the patience, if I’m in a bad mood.” 

All his plans were also ruined because of the terrible experience he had while surfing. It wasn’t his fault, and we can see that.

Slater has been the G.O.A.T. for a reason

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Kelly Slater is a name that’s still big in surfing despite being 50 years old. And thanks to his legendary career, Slater is the most decorated surfer of all time.

One can also call him “Mr. Worldwide,” as he has won championship titles all over the world. His dominance over surfing is just significant.

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What do you think of Kelly Slater’s legendary surfing career? Let us know in the comment section.

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Written by:

Rahul Goutam Hoom

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Rahul Goutam Hoom is a US Sports writer for EssentiallySports. He is currently pursuing his Master's in Mass Communication and Journalism from Birla Global University. Rahul does photography and gaming during his leisure hours and likes to watch anime.
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Edited by:

Abhishek Kumar