THE DAY KELLY SLATER CHANGED SURFING - 1990 BUD TOUR TRESTLES STORIES

September 9, 1990 - One of the most pivotal days in the history of surfing.
The video begins with the story of the random chance of unlikely events that allowed Kelly to compete in the PSAA Bud Tour 1990 Body Glove Surfabout at perfect, overhead Lower Trestles.
Actually signing his first pro contract with Quiksilver on the beach, the day of the event, put enormous pressure on Kelly. However, he was fresh off a 3rd place finish in the ASP (WSL) France, where he faced off with Tom Curren his biggest surfing inspiration, (who won the event and another 5 for his famous Trails To Title 1990 ASP World Title). Slater said his confidence was at an all-time high, and he wanted the opportunity to show everyone what he could do.
His performance was remarkable, taking his first pro win, 30,000 dollars, and got the surf world talking. How he rose to the occasion, using his confidence and that pressure to produce a high-risk, sure-footed, and beautiful performance, showed the level of skill and mental fortitude of this young prodigy.
When "Kelly Slater" in Black and White came out shortly thereafter, every young surfer in the world that wanted to rip saw how they wanted to surf, changing the trajectory of surfboards, and how they were ridden, making this video the most influential of the shortboard era in most surfers opinion.
Slater, who has gone on the become surfing's Greatest Of All Time, recalled this day:
"When I see that, I see myself unaffected by a history of things in my life. I am aware of the camera being on me only in the sense that I was a little bit sort of shy and nervous. I wasn’t trying to send a message. I wasn’t trying to promote something else. I wasn’t trying to sell a pair of trunks. There is an innocence about that time for me that felt really nice and refreshing and pure.
I mean, shit, I would love to go back and live that again right now. I would love to go back to that time and those moments and experience those again, completely."


video by @tonyrobertsphoto

Music: Chaser

#trproductions #realsurfstories #surfhistory

sources:
Body Glove
Quiksilver
Surfer Magazine
Surfing Magazine
Twenty Magazine
Water Magazine
ESM Magazine
The L.A. Times

[kylewattssurfing]

Superclassic classic, classic storytelling, channel!! Thanks for sharing these awesome and amazing stories about great surfers!!!!

HAPPY SURFING FROM VB/VIRGINIA

✌️ 😎 ✌️

[richnez]

Brings back a lot of memories. I surfed with Tom Curran, Dino Andino and other name shredders at trestles many times. I wasn’t in their league, but it was an honor to be out there with them. Slater rules!

[pandstar]

The guy was a freak.
And 33 years later, still is!

[ChickenJoe-tqxd]

A true Florida boy at heart ❤️ has done so much for surfing and even more so here near cocoa and Sebastian inlet

[craydman]

Holy crap! My 4 year old son and I were there that day. I was a Hospital Corpsman stationed at Camp Pendleton at the time. I took him with to surf the Trestles every chance I could.

I was unaware that there was going to be a tournament that day. It was truly a great day!

[MMLA]

AND A KING WAS BORN THE REST IS HISTORY….THE BEST SURFER OF ALL TIME….LONG LIVE THE KING…..KS.

[BootsEditor]

Very cool! As a child in the Bellflower area, we would walk down with the family and dig little neck clams from the cobbles that make the Trestles reef at low tide. This in the early 60's. We were wary of Marines who sometimes patrolled and kicked peeps off the beach. At the time, we saw guys hauling their huge Bing surfboards, with the monster single fins, down and catching waves amongst the tiny pack of surfers. I later surfed here occasionally, coming up from my then favorite spot, Swamis.

[Thurston.Howell.the.rd]

Kelly’s In Black and White video is still the most influential surf film of all time. He deserves a wildcard into any event he chooses for the rest of his life. Period

[williamhanley]

Finally, a narration well done. Thank you for keeping it real bro. Nice job. No billshit and stupid words.

[marceloliveira]

Amazing little documentary! I grew up to VHS tapes like the KS’s Black & White. 🤙🏼

[RamFlyA]

We are so lucky to be contemporaries in such incredible part of surf history, Pura Vida Mae🤙🏼🇨🇷 and thank you for always documenting the Real Surf Stories Legendary Master 🤙🏼😎 North Sentinel Board Riders for Life 🤙🏼

[Primal]

IMO, the best video came out around that time, maybe in 91. It had a whole bunch of mother love bone songs on it and him surfing at lowers plus other places. We would watch that over and over again to get pumped up for the next day to go surfing.

[scottmurray]

Awesome. You where meant to be bro. Even got the footage. I remember the Merricks.

[coldseamonster]

Wow this was quick but sick. A true turning point in surfing history. Kelly showed that a mix of airs and turns are key to winning contests in small to medium surf. No one did this before him.

[vickryan]

3:35 very well surfed wave. My memory of Slater at Trestles is about 2011, when he tore it up on that perfect wave. it's a great wave, we can all agree on that, I hope. His ripping blew my mind that day, and it's maybe 1 out of maybe 4 or 5 surf contests (only) that I've ever been to, and watched in person. (Normally I watch the contests on my computer at home.) So idk 1990 very well, but 2011 sure spoke to me! Thank you Slater. Giving thanks, happy Thanksgiving.

[karltaylor]

After that Trestles comp and Black n White came out, surfing went bananas and everyone wanted to surf like Kelly and still do.

[isoulsearch]

They had the board used in the contest in a little museum next to Ron Jons in Cocoa Beach, I don't know if its still there but it was cool to see

[robertoambrosios.]

I remember that contest in the magazines there was no other way to know unless you were close to the place of action.
Then black and white video ....
The rest is history still being writing.
Hope for a long time.
Ja ja he is still a kid for some of us.

[sumatran]

That's still some of the most rippable surf I've seen at Trestles on video to this day. And the surfing Kelly did in those heats would also still win 99% of the heats out there today, or at least it SHOULD.

[Ranger]

I remember watching a Florida ESA event at Sebastian inlet circa 1986 or 87 and saying to a friend, who is that kid he rips? My boy says, you don’t know who that is? That is Kelly Slater he’s going to be world champ someday! 😂 little did we know at the time lol He use to kick all of our asses in ESA.. Love from Ft. Pierce Florida everyone 😎🤙