{"id":5334,"date":"2009-02-16T06:49:02","date_gmt":"2009-02-16T14:49:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/?p=5334"},"modified":"2009-02-16T13:15:54","modified_gmt":"2009-02-16T21:15:54","slug":"kelly-slater-going-for-the-perfect-10","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/?p=5334","title":{"rendered":"Kelly Slater Going For The Perfect 10?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Slater622Quik08Gcsr<\/a><\/p>\n

While the ASP World Cup Tour<\/a><\/strong> and the PR crew at Quiksilver<\/a><\/strong> would like to say that Kelly Slater<\/strong> is committing to another year on the ASP World Cup Tour<\/strong> and to winning his 10th world title, all he’ll say now is that he’ll be on the Goldie and that he will compete in the Quiksilver Pro<\/a><\/strong> at Snapper Rocks beginning February 28, 2009.<\/p>\n

\u201cI commit to where I am,\u201d Slater said. \u201cI\u2019ll be on the Gold Coast for sure. I\u2019m pretty excited about some new equipment and am ready to surf, I think. No. 10 is alluring and is there for the attempt, but I\u2019ll let everyone else worry about the pressure of it as well as I can.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If he does go after it, current world number two Bede Durbige<\/strong> is letting him know that he’s gunning to make sure it doesn’t happen, according to the Sydney Morning Herald<\/a><\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

I have had a good steady climb on the ratings so I guess there is only one more spot to go now,” said 25-year-old Durbidge, who has risen every year since arriving on the main tour in 2005. . . “To take Kelly out this year is a big ask, but it is achievable and I feel I’m up to the challenge.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

We’re going to go way out on a limb and predict that Kelly will keep surfing the tour as long as he is winning. For the rest of the official ASP release, follow the jump.
\nSlater Starts Campaign for ASP World Title No. 10 at Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast
\nCOOLANGATTA, Australia (Monday, February 16, 2009) \u2013 Reigning and nine-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), 37, will begin his campaign for an unprecedented 10th ASP World Title at the Quiksilver Pro presented by LG Mobile.<\/p>\n

Event No. 1 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Quiksilver Pro will be held at the Gold Coast\u2019s Snapper Rocks from February 28 through March 11, 2009. The Quiksilver Trials and Roxy Trials will take place on February 27, 2009.<\/p>\n

Slater, who in past seasons has been reluctant to commit to a full year of competition, has announced his intentions for the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast and has acknowledged the allure of a possible 10th ASP World Title.<\/p>\n

\u201cI commit to where I am,\u201d Slater said. \u201cI\u2019ll be on the Gold Coast for sure. I\u2019m pretty excited about some new equipment and am ready to surf, I think. No. 10 is alluring and is there for the attempt, but I\u2019ll let everyone else worry about the pressure of it as well as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the Floridian\u2019s dominance on last year\u2019s ASP Dream Tour, Slater admits that the acquisition of ASP World Title No. 10 will be no easy feat, especially considering the hunger and talent of returning ASP Top 45 rippers.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure whether Dane (Reynolds) and Jordy (Smith) will pull straight up to that level to start this year or not, but I know that Parko\u2019s always hungry and Mick (Fanning) goes without saying,\u201d Slater said. \u201cC.J. (Hobgood) got a taste of it last year again and will come out firing for sure. Taj (Burrow) will be hungry, but I wonder how his focus will be after a couple of really great seasons and not quite the results that his surfing shows all the time \u2013 he\u2019s always one of the best at Snapper. Bede (Durbidge) will quietly execute more people and Bobby (Martinez) is going to be the hungriest, starting the year without a main sponsor.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to the returning stars on this year\u2019s ASP World Tour, a new crop of fresh faces will be joining the best surfers on the planet as they traverse the globe tearing apart the best waves in the world.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think Kerr could show some big things, but he was never able to capitalize on a great start the other year and never really backed it up when the time came,\u201d Slater said. \u201cI don\u2019t expect him to make the same mistakes this time. Nathaniel Curran could quietly take a few people out. I\u2019m really interested to see Barca and what he will do. He\u2019s finally made the tour and I don\u2019t know if people outside of Hawaii know how good he is yet, especially guys on the World Tour. For all of them, it\u2019s a transition from four-man to two-man, and it\u2019s a different field with more experience. Rookies need a good start to get out of tough seeding position as well \u2013 the first three events are key to a guy requalifying.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mick Fanning (AUS), 27, former ASP World Champion (2007), jumped seven spots to ASP World No. 8 last season, but the ultra-fit natural-footer is recharged and ready for another assault at the ASP World Title.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year, I wasn\u2019t motivated at all really,\u201d Fanning said. \u201cIt was a huge learning curve for me with all the extra attention, but I had fun. I also had a hip problem throughout the year so I took a couple of events off to get on top of that. This year, I feel very focused and motivated for a big year. I am healthy and fit and everything else is going really well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fanning will draw on his hometown experience at the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, putting his years of experience at the iconic Snapper Rocks to good use.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is great to start the year off at my home break,\u201d Fanning said. \u201cI guess it is like when everyone has an event at their home break and you\u2019re comfortable. You know the waves by heart and you sleep in your own bed and drive your own car. There is nothing like it \u2013 it\u2019s great. Obviously the Top 5 will always be huge threats but I think Bede (Durbidge) and Joel (Parkinson) have something they really want this year and they are focused on getting it. I think Michel Bourez will be the biggest standout of the rookies.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bede Durbidge (AUS), 25, current ASP World No. 2, has improved his standing every year since his elite inception at 2005, and has his eyes set on the ASP World Title in 2009.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have had a good steady climb on the ratings so I guess there is only one more spot to go now,\u201d Durbidge said. \u201cIt\u2019s always been my goal to win the ASP World Title so I\u2019m in a great spot now to give it a good shot. My preparation has been going really well. It\u2019s so good to have all this time off and work on my fitness and my boards. It\u2019s the longest break we get all year so it\u2019s perfect to build a good fitness and set up for the year ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKelly (Slater) had nearly a perfect season last year,\u201d Durbidge said. \u201cHe was in such good form \u2013 he was just on at every event. To take Kelly out this year is a big ask, but it is achievable and I feel I\u2019m up to the challenge. I\u2019m just going to focus on all the things I can do to give myself the best chance and hopefully he doesn\u2019t have a season like last year.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2009 ASP Top 45 will kick off this season\u2019s Dream Tour at the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, which boasts a waiting period from February 28 \u2013 March 11, 2009.<\/p>\n

The Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast pres. by LG Mobile will be webcast LIVE via www.quiksilverpro.com.au<\/p>\n

The event will incorporate the Roxy Pro Gold Coast pres. by LG Mobile, the opening event of the 2009 ASP Women\u2019s World Tour.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While the ASP World Cup Tour and the PR crew at Quiksilver would like to say that Kelly Slater is committing to another year on the ASP World Cup Tour and to winning his 10th world title, all he’ll say now is that he’ll be on the Goldie and that he will compete in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5334"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5334"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5334\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5338,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5334\/revisions\/5338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.boardistan.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}