Of course, if and when any mention of his win makes the mainstream sporting press in the U.S. it’s likely to be shoehorned between coverage of the latest hot dog-eating contest and a brawl between college mascots.

Yet this win in particular should be acknowledged because it marks a milestone in sports that’s rarely — if ever — reached. I’m biased, of course, so I’ll ask you to shoot my theory down by answering the following question off the top of your head: Please name an athlete — any athlete — who’s been the dominant force in their respective sport for a span of two decades?

Mind you, I’m not talking about somebody who’s hung around the top level for 20 years with a single title or two to show for it. Sports history is rich and thick with lovable legends who’ve endured like Brett Favre, Nolan Ryan, Cal Ripken, even George Foreman. Yet there’s a large chasm between enduring and dominating — as in being the primary gravitational force that others must orbit around. Favre, Ryan, Ripken and Foreman were all that force for a time, no doubt, but for 20 years? Nope.

Find me somebody who, let’s say, holds the record for being the youngest and oldest world champion. Whose career win percentage over two decades was near 80% and climbing. Who 20 years after his debut win as a pro, recaptured a lead in the race for yet another world title, maybe a 10th? Somebody who’s owned the top slot in their sport’s All-Star voting 15 times, and year-after-year humbles a fresh set of young rookies — even those less than half his age — who are allegedly coming to dethrone him. Yep, those are just a few of Slater’s stats.

I’ve been racking my brain to trying to come up with somebody else. I even asked my buddies deep inside Y!Sports and ESPN for help. Surely they’d know someone? “A bowler? poker player? billiard champion?” In their defense, they were buried in NFL and MLB drama and had little time for such silliness from an Action Sports guy. Nevertheless, they politely threw me some meat just to appease me, Jordan, Armstrong, Navratilova and Bonds. I didn’t want to rile them by telling them Slater’s stats trump all of the above.

I dug deeper, only to find that most athletes who rule for two full decades come from sedentary sports, like golfing, curling, angling or lawn darts. Or they spend their careers in idle positions that are highly specialized, like pitching, punting or goal keeper.

Arnold Palmer and the Golden Bear are good examples of golfers who enjoyed marathon careers. Jack won his first championship in his early 20s, and The Masters when he was 46. Yet, even according to Golf Magazine, the 70s was the only decade he owned, while Palmer ran the show in the 60s.

Tiger Woods is the obvious man-to-beat now. And though Woods (the first golfer to ever hit the gym?) is four years younger than Slater, and just 14 years into his pro career, his reign will undoubtedly surpass all comers. But that’s still TBD for now, especially since Woods is slumping after his recent foray into public relations hell.

Mariano Rivera is arguably right there with Tiger. He’s been baseball’s dominant closer for 15 solid years. And he stands a decent chance of going five more years since, well, he only throws a handful of pitches per week.

Admittedly, I’m operating under a completely deranged definition of an athlete, especially compared to the contemporary excuse for one. I weigh all of them against an ancient Roman scale that involves lions, tigers and The Colosseum — an imaginary venue where today’s sedentary athletes would become breakfast, brunch or lunch at best.

I know this sounds like an absurd notion. There’s simply no way a surfer can enter the conversation when we’re talking about the most dominant athletes ever, right? Can we even dare to measure Slater’s athletic feats against Wayne Gretzky and Jerry Rice? Those two really did dominate physically grueling sports for two decades. That’s why they’re considered the greatest. And maybe being blasted into the reef at Teahupoo isn’t as scary as being checked, or catching an ill-timed pass over the middle, but watch, then consider which fate you’d choose given the choice.

Whether surfing is a sport or not is an argument even surfers can’t agree on. In fact, anything with judges is suspect since it’s crossing into art. But there’s no denying that whether you’re paddling into 25-foot waves at Waimea Bay, or flying high at five-foot Bells Beach, the act demands endurance, timing, speed and flexibility, not to mention commitment, all which favor the young and athletically spry…or so we were told.

After winning five straight titles in the 90s (six total) Slater retired in 1999, which, when translated, means he went surfing more. He chased swells around the planet for three years, visiting friends at every stop, waiting for a new crop of talent to mature and actually threaten his legacy before coming back to competition in 2003. In his first year back, he fell short in the final heat of the season. But by 2005 he had his title back, repeating again in 2006, and nabbing another in 2008. Now he’s leading in 2010.

Like Favre, Slater threatens retirement at every turn. Unlike Favre, he tends to go the distance when he comes back. Today 38-year-old Slater is not only defying gravity with his results, but halting time with his surfing, which is still getting better. When asked how old he thinks he’d be if he didn’t know how old he was, he says 24. Take one look at his sculpted physique and you’d agree that’s his real age.

It doesn’t hurt that he’s having fun. “I’d let a hundred thousand people punch me in the face to surf these waves alone,” he said after collecting his check for $105,000. “I can’t believe you guys are paying me for this.”

His decades of dominance required serious sacrifice though. He attributes some of his longevity to never being married, which was supposedly rough. His years running around with the likes of Pamela, Gisele and Cameron earned him more mainstream press than any of his records, compounding the torture. Poor guy.

His travel schedule is grueling, too, but 12-hour flights or not, there’s little sympathy for anyone headed to Tahiti, Fiji or Australia for a match. Slater’s pro athlete friends are quick to remind him it beats Pittsburgh, Detroit or Cleveland.

If Kelly wins his 10th ASP world title this year he’ll be tempted to walk away for good…again. Yet after being to the moon and back several times now he’s surprised by where motivation continues to come from.

“Once you’ve done all you’ve set out to do it becomes about things much larger than yourself,” he says. He dedicated his landmark win Saturday to Daisy Merrick, granddaughter of his longtime shaper, friend, and mentor Al Merrick, who’s bravely battling a rare form of cancer.

In an era when our sports heroes continually disappoint, Slater, the human, is somebody parents needn’t fear their kids emulating. The former Straight-A student has maintained his über-cool (Jack Johnson’s singing career was spawned out of Slater-produced surf movies. Eddie Vedder invites Slater on stage for jam sessions at his concerts.) while neutralizing the old pejorative of being a surfer over the course of his reign.

On any coast, in any country, Kelly Slater has tens of thousands of loyal fans who adore him. Yet he can rest assured that his peaceful refuge is always five minutes away, roughly four miles inland. Because on Main Street U.S.A. Slater will always be able to walk down the sidewalk unnoticed, despite being one of the most dominant athletes ever.

(By Chris Mauro via GrindTV.com)

As I sit with my friend I am numb. She has just lost her Mother. An only child whose only parent is now gone. She is strong and beautiful despite the tears that fall behind her glasses. In her breath you can hear relief. For the last 2 days we watched her Mother die. Sleeping for more than 23 hours of the day the body was giving up its fight to keep living.  Unable to communicate, we knew not what to do, but stay by her side.

As I walked out of the room, I looked at her, lying peacefully on the bed. I saw the body that encompassed her soul. I knew it would be the last time I would see that shell, but the thoughts and memories of her warmth, kindness, laugh and spirit would live on.

As the family and friends came to say a final goodbye to the body I realized that in times of despair, it makes happiness seem easier to attain. And suddenly it didn’t seem so hard to be happy. Suddenly it seems that maybe the intense need to define what it means to be happy and live it out is not that important. And maybe being truly happy requires that we just be. And the peace will come.

BE PATIENT (oh so very patient!)

It takes a long time to learn to surf … and even longer to master it. Surfing is flat out hard and one should not expect to be ripping waves on their first day out. If you want a basic feeling about learning to surf, it is basically an exercise in patience. If you think you’ll be successful overnight, you will be sorely disappointed. Oh, and know that you will fall – a lot – while learning to surf … but the more you do it the better you will get, because the learning comes from the falling.

THINK FAST, BE ADAPTABLE

In the vast ocean, no two waves are exactly alike … ever. Every way breaks differently and when you’re riding a wave you always need to be making split second decisions. You can’t predict how a wave will break so be ready to make decisions and adapt on the fly.

LEARN WHERE TO “BE”

In the sport of surfing, you are relying on so many elements to come together just to make a “surfable” wave. It may seem like luck at times, but good surfers know it is all about reading the ocean waves and then placing yourself just before where it will break into a powerful wave. It is not pure luck … it takes a lot of skill (and patience) to be positioned correctly to catch that good wave. Although lots of waves will come your way, it is up to you to READ the oncoming lines and be positioned as well as ready to ride.

CHOOSE WISELY

Being in the right position to catch a wave is one thing. Catching the right wave is another thing. As a surfer, you learn to read the shape of the waves as they’re coming in. If you pick the wrong wave it may close out on you and there will be no where to go except right over the falls. Do not just paddle for every wave … this is a recipe for quick exhaustion and possibly a punch in the face from other surfers. Learn to CHOOSE the good waves to ride. Learn to recognize and pick the right waves that you can ride successfully. Get on the wrong wave and you will get pounded by a force more powerful than you!

BE THE WAVE, WANT THE WAVE!

There are a lot of surfers out in the water, and they all want that same GOOD wave as you! If you don’t get focused with the first four surfing essentials mentioned above, there are a hundred other surfers in the lineup who will paddle right around you and happily catch the waves. Don’t be overly greedy or aggressive out in the line up … but remember that to get the wave, you also have to put it all together and WANT that wave … it will not always come to you.

…

Those thoughts ran through my head as the events of my life unfolded in front of me. Negativity and sadness begot more negativity and sadness. Then a friend said, “Look at it this way, expectations are good because they can propel people (including you) into being someone or something they never thought they could be and reach heights they never thought they could.”

Fast forward 6 months and I believe him. Expectations are good things to have. They may not only push people around you to succeed but they can push you to succeed.

I looked up the definition of the word expectation.  I saw each definition as positive, such as  “the act or state of looking forward or anticipating.” In my mind I imagine a child sitting on an airplane waiting to land and get to the hotel. The hotel that has a huge pool with multiple water slides. A landscape the child has imagined in their mind. Upon arrival, the child sees the grounds and a look of wonder appears in their eyes, as if, what they are seeing has exceeded any expectation they had.

As we see more and learn more I think we lose that wonder. We come to expect beautiful things, places, great service, but when we get it, instead of allowing it to wow us, we just brush it off because it is what we expected. It is what should have happened. We have lost the excitement of when what we expect comes to fruition.

Buddha taught, “All that we are is the result of what we have thought.” If I keep my thoughts positive and full of love, I will be those thoughts. I will be positive and full of love. I expect greatness from myself and others around me. I expect to catch every wave and when I do I smile with appreciation. I expect to get an interview for that job, or reaching higher, I expect to get that job. I expect to surf daily.  And when I do, I will relish in the love that ensues. While it may not happen immediately or even as fast as you want it to, if it’s in your mind, it will come to fruition.

A simple change in thoughts will lead to a change in action. A simple change in attitude will lead to change in response. I am working hard, each day, to monitor my thoughts, attitude and expectations. While it’s not easy, the results will exceed my expectations.

I understand almost exactly where they were coming from. I can see the entire experience in a different light and I can see what I want and need in other relationships. The experience was a learning one, as it should have been.

Now I feel I am being tested again. I am in a job where multiple people have already told is not right for me. “You are too smart for this place.” “This job is killing you.” Yes, I agree the job is killing me at times. Too smart for the place… not so much. My confidence is so drained I don’t feel this too be true, however ask me a few years ago and I probably would have agreed.

I sit and think about the life I would like to live. The horizon is bright and my opportunities have no end. But I can’t move. I am stuck. Analysis paralysis has me crippled. I think about it and think about it, and nothing.  I could just apply for another job. I could exit gracefully to go  somewhere else. But maybe I want a career change.

There is a person in my life whom I have always respected. He was in a similar career to me and in the matter of a few years excelled through the ranks and ended up in some very esteemed positions.

Then he gave it all up.

He quit.

A few bad experiences taught him he wanted something different.

I need that courage. I know I have it. I use it every time I paddle out. I use it every time I go to work. I just need to use it right now to propel me into something else. Let’s help each other out. Share your stories or courage or major changes in your life.

“OK” I reply

They leaned their head to mine and whispered to me what no one else is to know.

In my head, I thought, Thanks. For a lack of any other emotion or thought.

I sit in my boss’s office every week for our regular meeting. I await his encouragement and words of wisdom. Instead I am left in awe when he informs that he thinks I am overpaid, don’t work hard and garner no respect from co-workers.

In my head, I thought, Really? Seriously? For lack of any other emotion or thought.

Talking with a friend who says, “you know you need to be careful because you could end up just like that. You should do this and watch out for that.”

In my head, I thought, OK, as the energy drained from me and I planned my escape.

It seems like lately I am inundated with people telling me things I can’t repeat, things that I am doing wrong, things that I have to do or telling me the kind of person I am going to become and none of it is pleasant for me. At the moment. I store inside only to pull it out later and speak my response to the wall.

I still believe people mean well… for the most part. And that many times an error in communication on either or both sides is to blame. I also know I take things personally, they get stored inside my heart forever. I know people are looking out for my well being, but sometimes I don’t want to hear it.

Sometimes all I want is a friend and not a teacher.

I wondered around aimlessly and without purpose. I went to work and made through the day, all the while having no identity. My only goal was to make it through the day. Limit my time in the real world and hurry home to my solitude.  For months I didn’t see anyone when I looked in the mirror.

I remembered who I was. I remember being in High School and knowing I didn’t belong there. I am supposed to be who I was. I am supposed to where I am. I think of where I have come from and what my life would have been like if my Mom had never moved to the United States. I realized I have to find the person that I was. Reintroduce myself and take the things I have learned from the last 7 years and make her better.

It’s happening slowly. I walk down the road with more confidence. I paddle out knowing I should be there. I look in the mirror and see the beauty I haven’t seen in years. I can look at my friends and appreciate them. I can look at them and know why they are in my life. I can look at them and want to be better.

Time still goes by slow sometimes, but I can finally say that I am seeing progress. Slowly, with one foot in front of the other, I am walking with the world again.

Vertra Sun Resistant Foundation

This sunblock comes in a foundation stick that is easily applied to the skin. Colours include Kona Gold, Tinted and Translucent; I prefer the Translucent. Simply remove the cover, slide across the skin and then rub to blend in. It goes on white but blends into your skin when rubbed in. When I get in the water it does not bleed into my eyes or mouth like some other sunblocks do. In fact, I can still feel it on my skin when I get out of the water. It is very water resistant and requires soap to remove it completely. If I leave it on my skin all day without washing it off with soap I will break out slightly.

I put it to the test one day. I usually surf in the early morning hours to avoid crowds, the sun, and to start my day off right. One day, we decided to surf out in Ewa Beach at Haubush at 2pm. The hot afternoon sun beat down on me from above and reflected off of the blue ocean and my white board straight up to my face. Prior to paddling out I put the Vertra Sun Resistant Foundation on my face. Admittedly I put more on than I normally do for a morning session. After 2 hours in the water, I paddled in. I was not burnt, not even red or pink from the sun. I washed off the sunblock with soap and my face was the same colour it was before I paddled out. From that point on I was a believer in Vertra!

Vertra Elemental Resistance was created in 2004 and their primary goal is to raise awareness about skincare by creating a product that possessed quality, innovation and style. To aide in accomplishing this goal Vertra turned to the Skincare Foundation who has the highest criteria for sun and skincare products. Vertra also has the endorsement of the Skincare Foundation and the Hawaiian Lifeguard Association.

If you would like to try Vertra it can be purchased online through their website or at many local surf shops throughout the Hawaiian Islands. Vertra is not cheap like some of the other brands available at your local Longs, however if you are seriously concerned about your skin, it is worth every penny! As someone who has not always taken care of their skin, I can only say, I wish I had found this earlier! If any of you use this product let us know what you think too!