May 19, 2010

Mr. Slater went to Washington. Or rather Washington came to Kelly Slater on Tuesday when the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution recognizing the nine-time world champion surfer from Cocoa Beach

House Resolution 792 was offered by Representatives Bill Posey (R-Fla.) and Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawaii) to recognize Slater for his numerous victories and contributions to the sport of surfing. Sixty House members cosponsored the Kelly Slater Resolution.  “Slater has worked hard to master a sport that so many have tried but so few have actually been able to conquer,” said Congressman Posey, who represents Cocoa Beach. “His world championship record is impressive and is certainly worthy of recognition.”

“Kelly Slater’s skill and achievements have earned him many fans in Hawaii, the birthplace of surfing,” said Congresswoman Mazie Hirono. “Two decades after winning his first professional surf contest, we in the islands are proud of our part-time resident as he continues to add to his string of successes out on the waves.”

In 1992, Slater was the youngest surfer to win the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship and, in 2008, he became the oldest to win that title. Slater also is the first surfer ever to be awarded two perfect scores under the ASP two-wave scoring system.

In 2007, Slater started the Kelly Slater Foundation to raise awareness and support for environmental and social issues.

Slater’s other accomplishments include:

Six-time winner of Billabong Pipeline Masters.
Five consecutive ASP world titles.
Two-time winner of the Triple Crown of Surfing.
42 World Championship Tour victories.
All-time leader in surfing event wins.
Inducted into Surfers Hall of Fame in 2002.

This article was reprinted from http://www.floridatoday.com