I liked to push myself, and I liked being challenged. I was like, Why do I have all these texts?' After that, I felt like, "OK, I have to be open about my mental illness, because if I can help just one person, then I need to do this." Your gift gives them full membership benefits. They make a sport out of putting each other down. I guess that's why I was discouraged -- there I was, breaking all these records, and I don't feel like I can call myself a professional surfer anymore because if you are a professional, you are getting paid. I lost most of my sponsors after starting to live my life as an out lesbian I was told that I was no longer "marketable," even though I was nominated for an ESPY and was the first woman to be invited to the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Event. In "The Level Up," changemakers in the fitness and wellness industries tell us how they're making an impact in their communities, from pushing for inclusivity to promoting body acceptance and so much more. . I feel that very strongly when I surfthat Im connected to something greater or connected to everything all at once, if that make sense? Keala Kennelly's age is 44. I stopped caring so much about what other people thought, what the tour thought, what the surfing industry thought. I grew up on the beach playing in the ocean with my two brothers and all the neighbourhood boys including the Irons brothers, Dustin Barca, Danny Fuller, Kamalei Alexander. (Video by Carlo Carbajal. | Red Bull Big Wave Awards - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO5xy_Nihb0#WSLSubscribe to the WSL for more action: https://goo.gl/VllRujWatch all the latest surfing action of the world's best surfers in the world's best waves. "Big wave" is a sub-category of surfing where riders tackle monstrous waves measuring at least 20 feet high. KK: I believe it has. in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master's degree in Journalism from Columbia University. Keala Kennelly girlfriend, wife list. "There's . Keala Kennelly (born August 13, 1978) is a professional surfer, DJ, and actress from Kauai, Hawaii. [5], In 2011, Kennelly chased one of the biggest swells to ever hit Teahupoo. 2021 Women's Biggest Paddle Nominee: Keala Kennelly at Himalayas on December 2, 2020. I didnt come flying out of the closet swinging rainbow flags in the air. Sunday January 22, 2023. Peter "Joli" Wilson explains just what made the 2005 Billabong Pro Tahiti such a special moment in surfing history. Keala is a good soul. KK: Surfing with all those boys in Kauai is what got me into bigger, more powerful waves. She resided atop the CT for years and is currently regarded as one of the best big wave surfers in the world. You've said that, in recent years, there was a point at which you thought about quitting professional surfing. I almost died. Three days later while riding in a memorial heat for Andy Irons during the Billabong Pro Men's WCT, Kennelly suffered a massive facial injury. And the thing is . Laird had gone there and gotten into many fights, and so had my older brother, so I knew what I was in for. Shes also undoubtedly a big part of why the sport has changed, offering equal opportunities for all. Just to say it and do the paddle-out. But the feeling when you get spit out of a giant barrel at Chopes is like nothing else. Tell me about how living with bipolar depression has impacted your surfing, or vice versa. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. That is a career, you get paid. I do a lot of things to make money that also keep me from being tied down to a 9 to 5, so I can still chase swells from time to time, especially at Chopes. "They made it pretty rough," she tells Bustle, but she still wanted to make and ride the biggest waves she could. Watch popular content from the following creators: The Flex Company(@weirdflexbutok), World Surf League(@wsl), Maui Media Cartel(@mauicartel), keala (@keala.lynne), Michelle Kennelly(@kennelly_michelle) . A Look Back at Keala Kennelly Riding a Jaws Bomb. 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. He previously worked for Complex Magazine in New York City. Keala Kennelly is an incredible surfer. Its not me. She left that behind a decade ago, along with the hardened exterior shed cultivated since childhood. Since coming out in her late 20s, Kennelly has fought for equal pay for women surfers and brought awareness to being gay and a world champ. Video from Ken Kosada. Keala had (1), maybe of the year, at Teahupoo, Tahiti. Before that, she was in on the ground level when the push started forthe ladies to have their ownbig wave competitions and, funny enough, probably the toughest person for naysayers to shut down after she made history, winning a big wave award in a field full of men. Big Wave Award paddle week, Keala Kennelly breaks down her Wipeout of the Year, and Sky Brown heroically back on a surfboard. It's this mystical thing that is ingrained in Hawaiian culture. As the weeks went by, Kennelly says she developed pain in her labrum (hip) caused by the board yanking the leash attached to her leg during the wipeout. She gathered a lot of big-time wins after being accepted into the World Championship Tour, an elite competition hosted by the World Surf League, spanning multiple events, locations, and months. I guess it made me really hard and standoffish. Below, Kennelly explains how she decided to come out as a lesbian and about her mental health. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. It took me a year to build up the courage to surf it again. She came out and her sponsor didn't drop her, they're still supporting her. I never thought I would see the day that a woman would be invited to #TheEddie. Less talk, more action. Despite her packed resume of badass wins and awards, Kennelly is very clear that as a 43-year-old competing against 20-somethings, she's keeping her expectations in check for the tour. Things have improved a lot for the Women's Tour. Good luck tonight LaLa at the Surfer Poll Awards. Keala was born in Honolulu, the capital and largest city of Hawaii. He was pissed and smashed my sandwich into my face and we were about to start throwing blows when security broke us up. The Inertia Contributing Editor. [7], She was the female 2018 Big Wave World Champion. We've got a lot more stacked for you. It took me two years to go back after that. It's not like I made some big statement I just started bringing girlfriends on tour and not introducing them as friends. Photo: Thouard. I am so humbled right now. It was as if the doctors had cut the hard part of me out and left it on the operating table. The current WSL Women's Big Wave World Champion was born and. Keala Kennelly air dropped to the bottom of a 40-foot bomb, losing her feet halfway down and disappearing into the abyss. Butch. 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. He was always out there on the big days at the bay. Kennelly: I think for me just going through life, living inauthentically was so hard, and coming out was so scary but when I actually finally did come out, it was one of the most freeing feelings in my life. I left the tour because, emotionally and mentally, I just couldn't handle it but I also got this really amazing opportunity to go do acting on an HBO TV series (2007's John from Cincinnati) for a year. PEOPLE: How does that make you feel to see that? She is now pursuing careers as a DJ . I had to close myself off in order to protect myself, which goes against my nature because Im generally a very open person. It was this unspoken thing, a safe space, kind of like 'don't ask, don't tell.' I spent a lot of time on tour alone. Hawaiian native Paige Alms made history on November 11 when she became the first woman to win the Pe'ahi Challenge. KK: Yeah, it was 1998 or 99 I think. And every so often, the dragon catches up to you. You also recently made history at another historic event, the women's Pe'ahi Challenge. As appeared in Wavelength, 2021. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. She was in the Hollywood hit movie Blue Crush and was a season regular on the HBO show John From Cincinnati. 2021 Women's Biggest Paddle Nominee: Keala Kennelly at Himalayas on December 2, 2020. Those years before I came out were really hard. KK: Loosing the people I love the most, dying before I have accomplished everything I want. It's a tiny little muscle but it's really painful when it tears. So, it's worth it. Keala is a Kauai-born surfer who turned pro at seventeen, and in time qualified for the ASP World Tour. "This gust of wind came up the face of the wave and got under my board and just flipped it sideways," Kennelly, named Female Surfer of the Year by ESPN in 2002, recalls to PEOPLE. Keala Kennelly was born on the 13th of August, 1978. Kennelly is currently competing in Red Bull Sport's Magnitude, the first womens-only big wave contest across Hawaii. Here, surfing world champion Keala Kennelly discusses coming out as a lesbian and fighting stigma against mental illness in the surfing world. IRVINE, Calif., July 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Keala Kennelly has redefined women's surfing. What was your take on the experience? But I was stoked, I was feeling really confident. That translated well into competing on the tour, because I was able to keep all my competitors at a distance and not get too friendly with them. For over a decade she has consistently pushed the limits of what we thought was possible for a womanor hell, anyone. However, Kennelly says that there was intense pressure to hide who she is: between competing on tour, coping with undiagnosed bipolar depression, and being in the closet, she says, "I don't know how I survived those years.". KK: Andy and Bruce were brothers to me in every sense of the word, which meant they treated me like crap a lot of the time [laughs]. 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