Your kid is not the next Kelly Slater

Surfing is very fun, always has been, always will be. That's the draw and always will be. There it is, a uniquely fun activity that draws millions to the shore on a daily basis. Some where along the line somebody thought a surf contest might a good idea,  and you know what? for some, they're pretty damn fun. Me included, I've competed at various levels for over 35 years.

I was fortunate enough to have a son who bought into my passion for surfing and have been cramming technical critiques, competitive insights and heat tactical scenarios into him since he was 3 1/2, he first stood on a board on a wave at 18 months. Despite my obnoxious rants and all to his credit,  he has held on to one pure belief, riding waves in its simplest form is really fun.

I was an exceptionally talented, yet ill supported surfer growing up. No "soccer dads" back then, different times. Me, being the father of an aspiring surfing ICON,  was going to give my son every opportunity that I perceived missing out on. Little league dad on steroids, that's what I was. In a justifiable tirade my wife exclaimed "your son is not the next Kelly Slater." This stung at first, and continued for a couple of years, but in a recent Revelation I came to terms with the fact that she was right. In fact, I concluded he might not even be "the next David Eggers".

Here's the deal, EVERYONE on earth knew what Kelly Slater was going to be when he was 12. Tom Curren was the same and was beating the worlds best in his early teens. I was an NSSA judge during Rob Machados amateur days and it was remarkably clear that he was destined for greatness.

You may think, or maybe its a far fetched wish, that your kid is the next big thing, but my wife said it best, "your kid is not the next Kelly Slater." Be prudent in your life changing pursuits to enable the feeble pipe dream. Try not to compromise your friendships and ties to try to better your child's fleeting shot. Competition is fun, surfing is fun, try to keep it that way. The next Kelly Slater didn't finish in the bottom half of the last NSSA final, top half either. If he did, we'd already know who it was. Just like Kelly.