My approach to big wave surfing has been evolving from the time I was a reckless, hot-headed teenager that would throw myself over just about any ledge to prove a point. Andy and Bruce Irons were like my brothers growing up, so I had a lot to prove in order to impress those guys. Keala Kennelly, the first-ever women't big-wave event winner. There were all these cautionary tales of, "You can't be a lesbian, it's career suicide.". I get to be proud of who I am and I get to love myself exactly as I am, not as people would want me to be. After spending a decade ranked in the top 10 on the ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), Kennelly took a break from the tour in 2007 to explore her passions for acting and music, including a recurring role as a surfer in the 2007 series John from Cincinnati. In a very real sense, this could have been, quite literally, The End of the Road, had the incident at Teahupoo played out differently. Eventually I got caught inside and pummeled by a set which shook me up and probably scared the crap out of my dad. Out of the 40 surfers set to compete, six are women. Slater Nebrosky, Ken Kosada, Ceshina Feliciano, Mike Nulty, Ceshina Feliciano, RedBull, - WSL / Fred Pompermayer / Red Bull Content Pool, 2021 Women's Biggest Paddle Nominee: Keala Kennelly At Himalayas, 2021 Women's Ride Of The Year Nominee: Keala Kennelly At Himalayas, Keala Kennelly Talks Equality In Women's Surfing, Charging Teahupo'o And Competing Against The Irons Brothers, It's Big Wave Award Paddle Week, And Jaws Stole The Show, Four-Time World Champ Carissa Moore On A Return To Teahupo'o, Meet The Contenders For The Red Bull Big Wave Awards Women's Performer Of The Year, Keala Kennelly Wins First-Ever Red Bull Magnitude, Championship Tour Stars Reflect On A Monumental North Shore Season For Women, A Handful Of Hard-Charging Women Just Changed The Game At Jaws, Women Take Their Rightful Place In The Lineup At Teahupo'o, Why 2005 Was Such A Special Year At Teahupo'o. I was just doing it purely out of passion. It is the second year in a row she won. SURFER has affiliate partnerships so we may receive compensation for some links to products and services. Im an admirer and so it was that I watched as Keala left the safety of her home and her life-love, Jane (who is pregnant with the pairs first child), in Hawaii to meet a massive swell in Tahiti. I am supposed to be invisible. Over and over he told me I couldnt go that day because it was too big for me. KK: I think it came from growing up in Kauai as a girl surrounded by nothing but strong male influences. Hurricane Iniki, September 1992. [jwplayer fXVCPuS5-t2dCqACG], Sign up for the For The Win newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. Keala Kennelly, the Hawaii-born professional surfer who suffered a severe injury to her head and face in 2011, won the Women's Best Overall Performance at the Billabong XXL Awards on Friday. Summing up the post note, she wrote, This might be my last great #send my body cant take this shit anymore. KEALA KENNELLY, PRO SURFER. Keala hasnt been the subject of any controversies or rumors concerning her love life, since she has been away from the limelight. With the barrier-breaking success of Keala and the other . Jack is first name and Mandanka is last name. Kennelly: There wasn't a big wave tour or anything like that yet so, I was just going out and doing it and I was one of the only women doing it at that time. She did a stint on HBO's "John From Cincinnati" and has continued to put in . Maui County hospital workers on strike enter week 2, negotiations set for Monday, Hawaii News Now - Meteorologist Jen Robbins, Couple killed in house fire remembered as high school sweethearts enjoying their golden years, Lawmakers debate funding demands for safety net hospitals as one facility issues stark warning, Mayor throws his weight behind big tax break for company proposing film studio on Oahu, 'The Other Side of Paradise' with Lynn Kawano, KHNLPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246, KGMBPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246, KFVEPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246, KSIXPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246, KOGGPUBLICFILE@HAWAIINEWSNOW.COM (808) 847-3246. Andy and Bruce Irons were like my brothers growing up, so I had a lot to prove in order to impress those guys. The crash was so severe that it earned Kennelly the Red Bull Big Wave Wipe Out of the Year award. Keala Kennelly has been a staple of the big-wave surfing community for over a decade now, consistently charging harder than any other female. Kennelly: I had just all this internalized homophobia and self-hatred for being gay. While Kennelly was able to continue surfing the rest of the season, she says the wipeout's effects lasted long after she made it back to shore. The doctors were very concerned that I had cracked my skull, cheekbone or that I had injured my neck, so I was pretty stressed until the CT Scan results came back all good. She is now pursuing careers as a DJ and actress while . The best universities in the U.S. for scoring waves while getting your degree. Keala Kennelly said her injury had the severity of a car accident, and for months afterward she had to take powerful pain medications just to make it through the day. Kennelly: It makes me really happy that athletes are not having a struggle as I did. SURFER Magazine. She doesnt remember much from that note, except that it was pretty short. Also check out other Music Events in Honolulu, Entertainment Events in Honolulu, Parties in Honolulu. As tempted as I might be to honor Andy by including his name when I name my son I feel like that name belongs to Andys son and Andys son alone. I am a professional surfer, DJ, and Actor. Recently, Kennelly shared a post on her social media handles to share the news with her fans. E.g. Explaining her point, she used her pictures from the event as an example. share. Im not scared to say, 'This is what I stand for. I want to show that surfing can be a welcoming space for LGBTQ+ athletes.. PEOPLE: And one of the companies sponsoring you today is Flex. Thats why she knows what its like to win against impossible odds. If womens shortboarding were a song, Keala Kennelly would be the baseline. I had to make some adjustments and then saw that the next section was going to throw, so I bottom-turned and parked it in the barrel. My dad was going surfing on an outer reef in Kauai and I wanted to go with him really bad. If women's shortboarding were a song, Keala Kennelly would be the baseline. She is not dating anyone. Keala Kennelly Puts Her Son On His First Wave.So Cool, 3 Generations Of Surfers In The Water. The wipeout was so forceful that the board practically "ripped [her leg] out of the hip socket," she says. Its day seven for hospital workers on strike on Maui and Lanai. The series includes surfing sequences by well-respected surfers such as Brock Little, Keala Kennelly, Dan Malloy, John-John Florence, Shane Beschen, and Herbie Fletcher. Not in the sense that she avoids the spotlight or refuses to lay bare her innermost hues and shades, but rather, everything she does comes from a deep sense of self-creation. Two lives lost in Makiki fire, a Vietnam War Veteran and an entertainer who raised a family together. Photo: "I thought I was coming out but the lip just clipped me in the head." Celebrate with an energized evening of music and merriment featuring a concert by Paula Fuga & Trishnlei, and special DJ sets by Keala Kennelly! In a spaceship. From huge barrels to massive drops, for a handful of other women at Jaws on January 16, it was just the moment they've been waiting for. "The board hit me in the shin, it flipped again and hit me in the ribs and then it flipped again and hit me in the face.". My name is Keala Kennelly and this is my website. I feel like I honor Andy more to let that name belong to his only son. Did you feel that Andy was present with you that trip? Period. CS: Is this your worst surf-related injury? 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PEOPLE: What drew you to big wave surfing? https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/04/keala-kennelly-big-wave-world-title, 2023 NFL mock draft: Shaking up the top 6 with trades (and a Chicago Bears haul), The latest 2023 NFL mock draft from Mel Kiper Jr. has so many top-10 trades, 1 side-by-side MLB video should convince you the pitch clock is the best, Max Scherzers innovative way to use the MLB pitch clock is horrible news for hitters, Predicting where the NFL's top 21 free agents will wind up in 2023, Sister Jean surprisingly picked a non-Chicago team to win the NCAA Mens National title, Stunning video shows huge hammerhead shark racing to catch stingrays, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Stay tuned with the most relevant events happening around you. Big way surfer Keala Kennelly has been fighting for women's equality in the sport of surfing for a long time. The way I get my confidence back when I feel like that is by doing something amazing again. If women's shortboarding were a song, Keala Kennelly would be the baseline. I was living this double life because on tour, I was pretending to be straight. Keala skated over death on the largest day, but Teahupoo exacted its payment nevertheless, branding the right side of her face with its teeth during the tribute heat for Andy Irons, before the Teahupoo Pro 2011 final. KK: This could be the worst wipeout of my life but it didnt feel that way when it was happening. The confidence I have in myself does subside sometimes and I doubt myself. an editor/writer with Asiana Times for the better part of a year. New Chairlift At Quebec . Peter "Joli" Wilson explains just what made the 2005 Billabong Pro Tahiti such a special moment in surfing history. Time PEOPLE: After doing that, did you feel the surfing community eventually embraced you? Keala Kennelly (@kealakennelly) July 23, 2015 And not even 11-time world champion Kelly Slater could keep his jaw from dropping. 1978) plays Kai in John From Cincinnati. How do you stoke this feeling if/when it subsides? PEOPLE: Do you feel you are your 100%, authentic self today? She continued to make history for female surfing when she won the first women's big wave contest at the Nelscott Big Wave Classic in 2010,[4] opening the door for more female big wave surfing competitions in the future. Don't say we didn't warn you. I was to stay home with my mom. Location: 25 Degrees restaurant, 412 Walnut . I am an only girl with two brothers, a total daddys girl. [10], Kennelly's accomplishments have garnered her numerous accolades, including being named the 2002 Female Surfer of the Year by ESPN and more recently, the 2011[5] and 2013 Billabong XXL Girls Performance Award,[11] and the 2014 Billabong XXL Womens Performance Award. ", "2014 XXL Big Wave Awards: Results and Rebuttals", "2016 Pure Scot Barrel Award Winner: Keala Kennelly", "Keala Kennelly the first woman to win open category at the Big Wave Awards", "2016 ESPY Awards: Best Action Sports Athletes nominees", "I'm Keala Kennelly and I'm a Surfer: Keala Kennelly at TEDxMalibu", "Gay surfer talks about the new surfing doc film, 'Out in the Line-Up', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Keala_Kennelly&oldid=1135736581, Two-time winner of Billabong Pro in Teahupoo; 2003 ASP Women's WCT Runner Up; 2003 Triple Crown Winner; Two-time winner of Billabong XXL Girls Performance Award; 2013 Inductee, Surfing Walk of Fame and Actions Sports Hall of Fame, This page was last edited on 26 January 2023, at 15:10. This case was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Courts, Stanley Mosk Courthouse located in Los Angeles, California. 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