Congressman Bill Posey of Rockledge on Tuesday introduced a resolution commemorating the accomplishments of champion surfer Kelly Slater.

Nine-time world champion Kelly Slater of Cocoa Beach is ranked fifth with three events remaining on the WCT. (Robert Hanashiro, USA Today)

Congresswoman Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) joined Posey in offering the resolution.

Slater has 39 World Championship Tour victories and was inducted into the Surfing Hall of Fame in 2002.

“Kelly Slater has made outstanding accomplishments in the sport of surfing,” Congressman Posey said. “He is an ambassador of the sport and a role model for other aspiring surfers in the United States and throughout the world. It is a privilege to work with Congresswoman Hirono on this resolution.”

“Although he wasn’t born in Hawaii, we consider Kelly Slater an island son,” Congresswoman Hirono said. “Having surfed the world-renowned spots on Oahu’s North Shore, Kelly has earned a large following in Hawaii, not only due to his nine world surfing championships but also because of the humble, local-style way in which he carries himself. As a representative of Hawaii, the birthplace of surfing, I thank my colleague, Congressman Posey, for introducing this resolution.”

Slater learned to surf with his brothers in Cocoa Beach. In 1992, he was the youngest surfer to win the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship and, just last year, he became the oldest to win that title.

Slater also is the first surfer ever to be awarded two perfect scores under the ASP two-wave scoring system and is a six-time winner of the Billabong Pipeline Masters for the top 45 ranked surfers by the ASP. In 2007, Slater started the Kelly Slater Foundation to raise awareness and support for environmental and social issues.

Source: Florida Today