11.28.01

Six-time Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Champion Kelly Slater today announced his intent to shoot for a seventh world title in 2002, during a 'comeback' press conference staged on the North Shore of Oahu. After a three-year hiatus from full-time competition, Slater's return to the World Championship Tour is being hailed as "the best thing" to happen to pro surfing in years.

Quiksilver, Slater's sponsor of 12 years, will host the first event of 2002 - the Quiksilver Pro at Kirra, Queensland, Australia, in March, and Slater wasted no time in stating that his first step to a return world title would be a win there.

"It's simple," Slater said of his comeback. "I'd like to win another world title. I plan on giving myself this next year to really get back into feeling out the competition. From the first contest on I'm going to try to win a world title. If it happens, great, if it doesn't, I'm fine with that but I'd like to be involved in that level of surfing and be able to push it to give my two cents towards the ASP and world surfing."

"Not only does Slater bring the color of a champion, but he has also been instrumental in reshaping the tour he returns to.

"Kelly's going to inject his vision into the sport as well as try to pursue another world title, which is a wonderful thing," said Wayne 'Rabbit' Bartholomew, President of the ASP. "We're talking about the next evolutionary stage of the growth of the sport and this is great input from a world champion."

Slater continued: "Rabbit and I have been talking about the future of the tour and the direction that it's going. I feel like my surfing, my attitude and my whole life is maturing in a lot of ways. I don't feel like I'm going to live and die by the competition. Whether I win the world title or not, it's not going to make or break my year, but if I do, it's going to be a lot more fulfilling than in the past."

Slater, 29, from Cocoa Beach, Florida, is the sport's most decorated athlete. Winning his maiden world title in his first season on tour in 1992, Slater became the youngest surfer to ever win the world championship at the age of 20. By his semi-retirement at the end of 1998, Slater had amassed a record six world titles (including five in a row) and had become the highest prizemoney winner of the sport. In spite of his absence from the tour over the past few years, he has never lost the unofficial title of being surfing's pacesetter.

Current world champion Sunny Garcia (Hawaii) was on hand to support Slater's official comeback today, stating that he would be disappointed with anything less than an all-out charge by Slater for the world crown.

"Oh, it's war," Garcia said. "I'd be disappointed if he said he'd be happy with fifth place. He wants to win a world title and so do I. I'm glad he's coming back and that's what he wants to do because I get to compete against him for that title. Our rivalry goes back a long time and we've been friends ever since I can remember. I think it's going to help American surfing in general. In the last couple of years Americans on tour have kind of been lagging so this definitely gives it a big boost."

Also present at today's press conference was four-time women's world surfing champion Lisa Andersen, who is also from Florida. Andersen, 32, has applied to the ASP for a full-time wildcard return to the women's professional surfing circuit in 2002. A decision by the board is pending.

"I never wanted to retire," Lisa said. "When I finished the tour in September last year, I'd just won an event and I was pretty much on top of everything - then I fell pregnant. I really wanted to come back again and this was the best time for me. I was thinking maybe I could get a couple of wildcards through Roxy events and then I saw all the emails about Kelly getting a full wildcard and I thought it might be a good opportunity for me to apply for the same. I wouldn't want to do half a year anyway, because I'd want to give it my best and compete for the world title. Seeing how Layne (Beachley) could be tying my record, I'd love to make it harder for her."

After the birth of her second child, Mason, six months ago, Andersen feels she has made a full return to her surfing form and is looking forward to testing her skills against the current stock of female surfers on tour.

Please find television video news reel information below. For more information and press images please go to www.quiksilver.com/media.

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