Age shouldn’t be a barrier to doing the things you love
Something really incredible happened in the world of professional surfing in Feb 2022. Eleven time world champion Kelly Slater won the Pipeline Pro on the North Shore in Hawaii. This may not sound remarkable to most people, especially if you don’t know anything about pro surfing.
What does make it remarkable however, is the fact that Kelly Slater is 50 years old.
This is the 8th time he’s won this event. He first won this event 30 years ago in 1992, the same year that he won his first world title at the tender age of 20. The guy he beat in the final, Seth Moniz, is 23 years old. When Seth was born, Kelly had already won 5 world titles ( he would go on to win 11 and he’s still not done..)
What makes it even more incredible is the fact that Pipeline is one of the most dangerous waves in the world, having claimed the lives of 11 surfers over the years. It’s an extremely heavy wave breaking over a very shallow, jagged reef.
And the waves were massive throughout the contest window.
The point of this story is that here is this 50 year old guy, beating the best surfers in the world who are less than half his age, in waves that can kill you.
Obviously he is a freak and the greatest surfer of all time, but it just shows you that age shouldn’t be a barrier to doing the things you love. If you stay fit, healthy and strong, you can keep doing the things you love for as long as you want. You don’t have to give up on the things you love doing just because you think you’re too old.
You’re only as old as the way you live your life. So get out there and do what you love. You’ve only got one life. Make the most of it.
(Pictured: Kelly charging a huge Pipeline pit en route to his historic win and his emotional response to the victory)
Written by Michael Hansen from Hansen Strong
Image copy write: Getty Images & World Surfing League
