Walking on Water: The Derek Rabelo Story
“We need to live by faith, not by sight.” ~Derek Rabelo
17 year-old Derek Rabelo was born blind, but that didn’t stop him from pursuing his dream of surfing Pipeline on the North Shore of Oahu.
“Pipeline is basically the ultimate wave in a lot of ways — just a short, intense, dangerous wave that’s close to the beach,” said Kelly Slater, 11-time World Champion surfer. “Many surfers with sight do not venture out even after they see that others can do it.”
But he DID do it, and after years of training and inspiring the worlds top surfers Rableo’s story is set to be immortalized in film by pro-surfer and film producer Bryan Jennings. Continue reading
Help Kelly Slater Save Our Oceans
June 8 is World Oceans Day and 11x ASP World Surfing Champion Kelly Slater agrees with me (indirectly of course) and is tired of the severe threats facing our oceans…pollution, overfishing and coastal development…it all takes it’s toll.
Help Save Our Oceans: http://www.nature.org/allhands/world-oceans-day.xml?src=%20s.tw.wod
As always, thanks for reading~
delinda@athlebrities.com
Kelly Slater Helps Clean Up Bali
(Press Release) Surfing’s 11-time and current world champion Kelly Slater is joining the effort to help clean up Bali by donating a surf board and offering to give his time and money to turn the tide of the seemingly careless disregard for the environment that has permeated the holiday island.
Slater has been in spending the last few days in Bali surfing and visiting friends in between stops on the ASP World Tour, and was understandably aghast at seeing the large amounts of trash in the water and on the beaches of the previously pristine Bali. Continue reading
Kelly Slater ‘Honored’ to Help Challenged Athletes Foundation
According to my Twitter feed, Kelly Slater has agreed to give surf lessons to athletes from the Challenged Athletes Foundation.
Slater was asked to participate by Rich Cruise Photo, “Would you consider giving some @CAFoundation (Challenged Athletes Foundation) athletes surf lessons?”
Took the surf-king less than 30 minutes to reply: “I’d love to. Would be an honor.” Continue reading
Kelly Slater Among Laureus Award Winners
Kelly Slater has been named as the 2012 Laureus Action Sportsperson of the Year during the annual awards ceremony.
This is the fourth win for King Slater-which equals the soon-to-be-defunct Laureus record of Roger Federer.
Other winners include Novak Djokovic who took home the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year…FC Barcelona won the Laureus World Team of the Year Award… Continue reading
Kelly Slater Among Laureus World Sports Nominees (Again)
Kelly Slater Among Laureus World Sports Nominees (Again)
On Monday, February 6, the international sports world will take over London’s Central Hall for the 2012 Laureus World Sports Awards Ceremony.
The Laureus World Sports Awards, which recognize sporting achievement, are the premier honors on the international sporting calendar. The winners, as voted by the Laureus World Sports Academy, the ultimate sports jury, made up of 47 of the greatest sportsmen and sportswomen of all time, will be unveiled at a globally televised Awards Ceremony staged at Central Hall, Westminster, in London….proceeds from the Laureus World Sports Awards directly benefit and underpin the work of the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, which supports 91 community sports projects around the world. Since its inception, Laureus has raised €40 million for projects which have improved the lives of more than one-and-a-half million young people.
The full list of Nominees for the 2012 Laureus World Sports Awards is available on Look to the Stars, but we here at Athlebrities would like to give a mighty-fine shout-out to some of our favorites we’d like to see win:
Usain Bolt for Laureus World Sportsman of the Year, nominated alongside Lionel Messi…tough call, I think Messi will take it. Continue reading
A Wounded Warrior Who Could Out-Surf Kelly Slater?
A Wounded Warrior Who Could Out-Surf Kelly Slater?
With the help of XTERRA, Skydive Hawaii, Outrigger Hotels, AccesSurf and Disabled American Veterans of Hawaii, Corporal Todd Love’s XTREME DREAM came true on a recent trip to Hawaii….the stud lost both his legs and part of his left arm when an explosive device was triggered while he was on a recon mission in Afghanistan in October 2010. Continue reading
Bravest v Finest Surf Challenge
Bravest v Finest Surf Challenge
The 2011 Quiksilver Pro New York Surf Competition just wrapped up with Owen Wright defeating Kelly Slater in the final heat. Wright robbed the ten-time World Champ of number 11 and took home the $300k purse in the first ever world championship surfing event in New York.
“Its been an amazing week…we almost didn’t have the contest last week and then it all came together, I’m stoked for Owen, congratulations, first win,” said Slater when accepting his $100k second place purse, “I think we might have a little surfing out here tomorrow with firefighters versus the policeman…my mom was a firefighter so I might be on their side.”
Huh? Who? What? Where? After a little research into Slater’s ‘charity-drop-mention’ I found some information regarding the ‘Bravest vs. Finest Surf Competition’ being held September 10 in NY.
Apparently, members of the NY Police department will battle against members of the NY Fire department to see who are the better surfers. Quiksilver has held a few events in New York in efforts to give back, for example on September 3, the Waterman Wall St. Challenge pitted Wall Street companies against each other to find the best surfers on Wall Street in an invite-only challenge…also, on September 11, there will be a Benefit Concert and a Memorial Paddle Out. More info is apparently available on the QuiksilverPro website, although I can NOT find enough info to satisfy my ‘need-to-know-everything-charity-related-about-surfers’ mind.
Maybe…just maybe…the event is part of the World Police and Fire Games?
- The New York City Police Department, The New York City Fire Department, The Port Authority Police Department, and the New York City Department of Corrections are inviting you to experience our City and participate in the most memorable World Police & Fire Games ever. Spread throughout the five Boroughs, the city that never sleeps will be the setting for the world’s largest multi-sport, Olympic style event. As many as 20,000 full time firefighters and law enforcement personnel from 70 different countries are expected to compete in 65 sports.
Great story here as well about firefighters and police surfing at 2011 World Police and Fire Games which wrapped up on September 5.
As always, thanks for reading~
delinda@athlebrities.com
Worlds Top Surfers Gather to Honor Boobies
Worlds Top Surfers Gather to Honor Boobies
This year, SIMA’s Liquid Nation Ball 8 will be honoring Shaney jo Darden: Keep A Breast co-founder as their ‘2011 SIMA Humanitarian of the Year.’
- The annual Liquid Nation Ball serves as the main fundraising source for the SIMA Humanitarian Fund and has become one of the surf industry’s can’t miss events. Each year surf industry legends, surf stars, and La Jolla VIPs gather for an amazing night of dancing, live music, great food, open bar, and a short live auction of a unique collection of one-of-a-kind items to exclusively benefit the surf-related humanitarian organizations selected by the SIMA Humanitarian Fund Board of Directors.
It goes down Saturday, September 17, 2011 in La Jolla, California. I HIGHLY recommend you nab tickets before it’s too late, as the list of guests who have confirmed their attendance to honor Shaney includes a trifecta of the world’s greatest surfers: Kelly Slater, Rob Machado and Greg Long (among others).
Liquid Nation is going on during the Hurley Pro but thankfully, Hurley will be shuttling down the athletes, because really, its take very little to get the surf industry to mobilize for the greater good.
In fact, Liquid Nation Ball host, Fernando Aguerre will be speaking at SDSU’s Center for Surf Research ‘Rising Tide Symposium’ the morning of Liquid Nation Ball. The ‘intellectual jam session on surf philanthropy’ brings together surf industry veterans Rusty Miller, Jon Roseman, (Co-owner Tavarua), Dr. Dave Jenkins (Founder of SurfAid); Steve Barilotti (Surfer Magazine) and Dr. Serge Dedina (WildCoast), in efforts to inspire students, showcase the ‘social movement’ of surf philanthropy and explore the needs from non-profit partners etc…oh, and its FREE.
As always, thanks for reading~
delinda@athlebrities.com
New TV Series Debuts with ‘Life Roll’s On’ in the Spotlight
New TV Series Debuts with ‘Life Roll’s On’ in the Spotlight
ABC’s new show, ‘Everyday Health,’ premiered today with its inaugural episode highlighting one of Athlebrities favorite organizations, ‘Life Rolls On.”
Life Rolls On, a subsidiary of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, is dedicated to improving the quality of life for young people affected by spinal cord injury and utilizes action sports as a platform to inspire infinite possibilities despite paralysis…founded by Jesse Billauer, this inspiring organization has a long list of celebrity supporters including Jason Mraz, Jason Lewis, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Kelly Slater, Rob Machado, 90% of the worlds pro-surfers and 100% of the surf industry.
Co-hosted by Laila Ali, Ethan Zohn, and Jenna Morasca, ‘Everyday Health’ is a weekly program that brings you inspiring stories of people who’ve been affected by a health crisis and who are now ‘paying it forward,’ delivering a message of hope and healing to others with that condition.
- Whether it’s surprising a cheerleading squad for children with disabilities with an appearance from one of their celebrity idols, or coordinating a Flash Mob to raise awareness for cystic fibrosis, the ‘Everyday Health’ team is there to make these dreams come true — and to celebrate the amazing strength of the human spirit. ‘Everyday Health’ helps you feel good — and feel better — every day.
Check out this ‘Life Rolls On’, video, if it doesn’t inspire you or tug at your heartstrings, then you’re on the wrong blog.
Big congratulations and a massive hug to Jesse and his amazing LRO staff for getting the recognition they deserve. You continue to inspire and improve the quality of life for those with disabilities and we here at Athlebrities are proud to call you a friend.
As always, thanks for reading~
delinda@athlebrities.com
ESPY’s Nominate Stephen J Wampler
ESPY’s Nominate Stephen J Wampler
On Wednesday July 13, Seth Myers will host the 2011 ESPY Award show, and this year, there’s a very special and inspirational athlete making waves, his name is Stephen J. Wampler.
Wampler has been nominated for an ESPY Award in the category of ‘Best Male Athlete with a Disability’. His disability? Cerebral Palsy. What did he do? Became the first person with Cerebral Palsy to ascend El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. According to his personal trainer ‘his climb was twice the height of the Empire state building, and it took him 6 days to complete. He even slept up there and still did interviews via cell phone.’
Wampler needs your help to win this ESPY…this is a voter based winner, so please, support this athlete who has inspired so many people…visit his Facebook page here or the Wampler Foundation and vote for Love this year by letting Wampler know we support his amazing efforts. You can VOTE HERE or HERE. (And while you’re there, make sure to vote for Rafael Nadal and Kelly Slater)
As always, thanks for reading~
delinda@athlebrities.com
Kelly Slater IS the Only King
King Slater
That’s the title of this post because his name is enough…next week, the Ten Time Word Surf Champ and long-standing King of all things Athlebrity, Kelly Slater, will be given a key to the city of Huntington Beach by Mayor Joe Carchio.
Now, what strikes me as criminal is this…the following PSA with King Slater has only been viewed 1,000 times on Youtube? Do we not wanna save our oceans? Why has the ‘Golf Boys” video gotten over 500k hits in a day while this breath-taking clip sits on the shelf collecting dust? Seriously, what’s not to like?
And if I were to tell you that Slater was chillen with the Dalai Lama last week for a youth panel, might you pay attention to what his passions are?
I chuckled to myself-loudly-as Lebron James slowly slipped off his throne. He should have never been put there in the first place…I only bring this up because I firmly believe that Slater is the most dominate athlete ever. Lebron is all things our sports heroes should NOT be. Slater is everything they should. Yes, I am comparing the two because it baffles me that fans would applaud the efforts of an athlete who has done nothing to better humanity while ignoring the efforts of someone who should be on the cover of Sports Illustrated already.
Natural talent, a big heart and finer than fine. And he saves puppies.
As always, thanks for reading~
delinda@athlebrities.com
Surfboards, Autism, Pearl Jam and Incubus
Surfboards, Autism, Pearl Jam and Incubus
Thank god for surfers. Sometimes I feel if it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t be harnessing the healing powers of the ocean or tackling the environmental issues that stem from polluted waters. But we are, thanks in part to two surf related organizations that are leading the pack.
First, the Surfrider Foundation. This organization is dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of the world’s oceans through conservation, activism, research and education…its represented by over 50,000 members and 60+ local chapters in the U.S., with affiliations in Australia, Japan, France, and Brazil…and mark your calendars kids because on October 9 in Los Angeles, they are celebrating their 25th anniversary in style by awarding the ‘Surfriders Keeper of the Coast Award’ to Incubus AND Pearl Jam. This award is only given out once every five years to celebrities who have made significant contributions towards helping the foundation fulfill its mission. Joining Pearl Jam and Incubus at the bash? Baywatch actor David Chokachi, and a performance by the legendary Camp Freddy (featuring members from Jane’s Addiction, the Cult and Guns n’ Roses)…get your tickets HERE.
The second organization which is transforming lives-literally-is Surfers Healing. If you’re a regular reader, you should know by now that Surfers Healing was founded by Izzy and Danielle Paskowitz after their son Isaiah was diagnosed with autism. Soon, they realized the only place where Isaiah seemed to find respite was the ocean…so Izzy took Isaiah out surfing, (sharing the same board) and it had such a profound impact on Isaiah that Izzy and his wife decided they wanted to share this unique therapy with other autistic children…they soon began hosting day camps at the beach where autistic children and their families could be exposed to a completely new experience of surfing-and today, its one of the most recognized surf related organizations to spread love to autistic kids coast-to-coast. Most recently, you may recall, it was giving a massive dose of love from Flea during the Liquid Nation Ball.
And it’s not just Flea stepping up to support Izzy and his organization… surf legends such as Kelly Slater, Laird Hamilton, Matt Archbold, Makua Rothman, Sunny Garcia, Garrett McNamarra, Dustin Barca, Michael and Dereck Ho, Shane and Gavin Beshen, the Malloy Brothers, Shaun Tomson, Joel Tudor, Nathan Fletcher and Timmy Patterson, have all recently stepped up and donated surfboards and surf memorabilia to be auctioned off the top the Ritz-Carlton, (Laguna), during the Second Annual Holiday Surfboard Auction to benefit Surfers Healing. Several celebrities, including Scott Caan, Benjiman Bratt and Robert Hays, also signed boards and items…All surf items will be on display from Sunday, November 22 through December 31, 2009 with the bidding closing at noon on December 31, 2009. For more info, please visit SurfersHealing.org.
As always, thanks for reading. Delinda@athlebrities.com
Life Rolls On ‘Night by the Ocean’ Benefit
Life Rolls On ‘Night by the Ocean’ Benefit
Just discovered a great event and awesome foundation thanks to those blue eyes of Kelly Slater…the Life Rolls on Foundation held their 5th Annual “Night by the Ocean” Benefit last Sunday…also bringing a wee-bit more attention to this event was Prison Break babe Dominic Purcell.
Over 500 celebrities, surf stars and supporters stepped out in full force to support the Life Rolls On Foundation which is dedicated to improving the quality of life for young people affected by spinal cord injury. Sponsor Disaboom kicked in $75k while saluting the efforts of IMG Sports & Entertainment for their efforts in promoting positive images of people with spinal cord injury.
Don’t know how many of you have tried surfing before. Living in San Diego has given me pa-lenty of time on a board and I can tell ya its not easy. After watching autistic kids surf via the aid of ‘Surfers Healing’ I vowed never to have a bad day. And now, as we face this insane economic crisis, let’s keep it in perspective. Most of us can walk, talk and enjoy the freedoms that some can’t. The Life Rolls On Foundation rightly deserves some serious attention…as do those with spinal cord injuries. Combine ‘em both- add a few waves and a splash or two Kelly Slater into the mix and ya got yourself one hell of a foundation.
The black tie gala was held at the historic Hollywood & Highland Grand Ballroom, and the red carpet (complete with wheelchair access) was walked by: Kelly Slater, Nicky Hilton, David Katzenberg, Jenna Fischer, Brooke Burns, Dominic Purcell, Morgan Spurlock, Rob Machado, Brandon Boyd, Jeffrey Donovan, Brandon Jenner, Linda Thompson, Brandon Davis, Jason Davis and David Chokachi.
This years fundraiser was the largest ever for the Foundation and raised a whopping $340,000 thanks to heavy bidding during the cocktail reception…guests enjoyed dinner by Wolfgang Puck…Highlights of the evening included Kelly Slater underwriting Life Rolls On Foundation’s upcoming family fair for kids with spinal cord injury, Brooke Burns buying a trip to Tavarua Island, David Katzenberg winning a surfboard signed by Dean Morrison, Jeffrey Donovan winning a trip to Costa Rica, Jenna Fischer sponsoring a They Will Ski event to give children with SCI the opportunity to ski this winter and Sal Masekela donating $10,000 to the foundation.
Scheduled host for the evening, Sal Masekela, couldn’t make it due to a flight delay, so LRO founder Jesse Billauer took to the stage. Morgan Spurlock opened the ceremony followed by contributions from Dominic Purcell, Brandon Boyd, Rob Machado, Jeffrey Donovan, Jodie Nelson and Josh Billauer (Jesse’s brother).
About Life Rolls On: Founded in 1999, Life Rolls On Foundation (LRO) is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life for young people affected by spinal cord injury. Utilizing action sports as a platform to push the bounds of possibility after SCI, Life Rolls On produces quality of life programming, raises awareness about spinal cord injury and funds research to find a cure. With a network of more than 70,000 supporters worldwide, LRO is one of the fastest growing, contemporary charitable organizations in the country and has been featured in national print, television and radio. In 2007, the organization received its first EMMY® nomination for Best National Public Service Announcement. For more information, visit www.liferollson.org. Also be sure to check out thier YouTube Channel.
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As always, thanks for reading.
Delinda Lombardo
delinda@athlebrities.com