From Beach Blanket Bingo to Baywatch, surfing has fascinated people for years, and Kelly Slater is the sport's newest star. He's one of the world's most popular surfers; his radical moves have revolutionized the sport. Born in Cocoa Beach, Florida, in 1972, he found surfing to be a great way to escape problems at home. When he was eleven, his parents divorced. Slater and his brother, Sean, were raised by their suddenly single mother, who struggled to support two young sons. After Slater's surfing career took off, he made the transition into acting and modeling. He spent a season starring on the popular television show Baywatch, where he won the hearts of women young and old-including Pamela Anderson, who he dated for about a year. He has also been featured in Versace ads. Slater has ridden the waves of the surfing world and experienced all of its ups and downs. He stayed focused on surfing during the difficult years of his life and has watched - and helped - the sport change through the years. In Pipe Dreams, he shares the stories that have influenced his life and have inspired him to overcome both personal and professional hurdles-and achieve his dreams

About the Author

Kelly Slater was born in Cocoa Beach, Florida and now lives in Los Angeles, California. He is best known for his radical surfing moves and for his role in Baywatch. Slater is sponsored by Quiksilver, one of the premier surf companies and clothing manufacturers in the world. In April 2000, together with Quicksilver, he opened the Kelly Slater Boardrider's Club, a clothing and surf shop in Los Angeles. He is also currently pursuing an acting caraer. When time permits, he plays with his band, The Surfers.

Reviews

Because six-time world champion surfer Slater has been perhaps the dominant figure in the sport since the 1990s-combining "freakish freesurfing and a vision for bringing his act on the pro tour without toning it down"-it is surprising that his autobiography is so pedestrian. Slater recounts growing up with a turbulent home life in the fading Florida surf community of Cocoa Beach, winning his first world championship in 1992 at age 20 as the youngest men's champ in history, retiring in 1998 after winning his sixth world title and his recent comeback. Slater has many lively stories to tell, about his friendships with the many great surfers at the famous "Pipeline" area of Oahu, his run-ins with surfing groupies and his ill-fated role in the TV series Baywatch. He has plainspoken insights into his world, such as the egos found on the world tour circuit, the change in style from long boards to the "new school" of short boards and how many great surfers "fail to grasp the system" of professional competitions well enough to reach their full potential. Unfortunately, this is a relentlessly detailed book, written in a fairly simple and direct style, describing almost every surfing competition Slater has been in since his first one when he was six years old. While Slater's many fans will enjoy reading that "[I] surfed one of the best heats of my life in the quarterfinals of the Marui Pro at Hebara Beach" in 1992, the average reader looking for insights into the world of surfing will find this book tougher going. (Aug.) Forecast: Slater is still an extremely popular surfer whose fans will love this book, while his involvement with the popular surfer-turned-singer Jack Johnson has brought his name to a new audience. But this book will be too detailed to capture the interest of a wider audience. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.