Waiting for One More Wave

Hurricane Bertha is kicking up swell in the middle of the Atlantic.  It's already dark and I've just come back from watching about 40 surfers catch waves down at Sebastian inlet.  I watched them all finish up their set and catch a final wave while they could still see the bodies of other surfers bobbing in front of them.  As I walked back to the parking area along the top of the jetty I looked back into the surf and could barely make out one last guy in the water waiting for his last wave.  Since there was only one guy left I fancied that it was Kelly Slater, trying to catch one more before going in.  I would like to meet Kelly Slater, the man, the champion, the surfing legend.  I just finished reading Pipe Dreams--a Surfer's Journey, a little late since it was published in 2003.  Co-written by Slater and Jason Borte a surfer/writer/teacher from Virginia Beach, VA, it's a nice book, with quaint stories about Kelly's journey from grommet to manhood to world champion -- 6 times (the book stopped before his world title career continued).  Unfortunately it does not read like the life of a world champion -- it is not a world class biography.  It reads more like like it was written for his fan club -- with short anecdotal accounts of his formative years followed by even shorter accounts of the many repetitive competitions required to capture six world tour victories.  Since Slater is in the upper stratosphere when it comes to his craft -- where only world class talent belongs -- his book should also have world class appeal -- sadly it does not.  I lay the blame at the feet of his co-author and perhaps his editor.  I don't know much about surfing, and I probably know even less about surfing after reading Pipe Dreams.  This is a shame.   Slater hints of a second book where he details some secrets to surfing.  This would probably be a better story.  That's not to say Slater's story shouldn't have world class appeal -- it has too -- the story just isn't told in this book.  Kelly Slater is now an eight-time world champion -- that puts him in extremely rare company, dare I say Lance Armstrong.   What you can barely glean from the narrative is that Kelly Slater is a deep introspective person -- hugely complex and sophisticated in his thoughts -- this is readily apparent in his life story yet you do not get this directly from the pages, you must read between the lines and theorize that there is way more to what we are being told -- I hope there is, otherwise Slater has lived a very shallow life.  Perhaps a surfer's journey is shallow -- but I doubt it.  This book is a must read for all surfers, young and old and at heart, so they can say they've read Slater's book, but it is no better than the the worst written TV shows or movies about surfers it criticizes.  When a world class athlete decides to write a book, they have to go with  world class help -- please Kelly -- for the sake of your fan's and for the sake of your profession, get some help with the next one. I'll be waiting for that wave.  This one gets three stars because I finished it without too much trouble and the awesome cover jacket (which ironically is world class).