She continues to DJ and compete as a big wave surfer. Kennelly is currently competing in Red Bull Sport's Magnitude, the first womens-only big wave contest across Hawaii. You also recently made history at another historic event, the women's Pe'ahi Challenge. Kennelly was rushed to the hospital where she reportedly received 40 stitches, 30 in the front and 10 in the skull, SurferToday.com reported . The Surfers Journal is made possible with sponsorship from: Tel: 949-361-0331 And not even 11-time world champion Kelly Slater could keep his jaw from dropping. A few years ago I was surfing in Morea with my brother Gavin and a few boys from Oahu and Kauai. She points out that the WSLs making strides. Keala Kennelly (@kealakennelly) July 23, 2015. To have fear is to know that there are severe consequences. Fear is good. 2021 Women's Ride Of The Year Kennelly Keala at Himalayas on December 2, 2020. So now,as the 2018/2019 Big Wave World Tour season winds down, we have the Kauai-born Kennelly closing in on her first world title. first woman to be invited to the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Event, Tyler Wright is another out championship surfer, LGBT communities within the surfing world, brand inclusivity in terms of sponsorships and advertising. cbdMD XXL BIGGEST WAVE w/ Kai Lenny, Sebastian Steudner - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjfnWhA04n4BIG WAVE Overall Performance 2020 Nominees!! The perfect gift for the surfer in your life. When I almost died in Costa Ricathat was a real turning point for me. Jan 27th, 2023. Kennelly began her acting career with a role in the 2002 film, Blue Crush, and later landed a recurring role on the 2007 HBO series, John from Cincinnati. (Video by Carlo Carbajal. Even Slater said so. Its like a form of entertainment for them. Everything that matters in surf + outdoorsdirectly to you inbox. Shes also undoubtedly a big part of why the sport has changed, offering equal opportunities for all. Follow your favorites and never miss a wave. Login 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]. It was very similar to coming out as gay. She remembers constantly feeling like she was under a microscope and feeling pressure from the ASP toturn a blindeye to her true self. I didnt like the odds. Keala Kennelly (born August 13, 1978) is a professional surfer, DJ, and actress from Kauai, Hawaii. Once you got home and absorbed the news, did you connect with Clyde Aikau or the rest of the family? If I didnt go back and face my fears I would never get to experience that feeling again for the rest of my life. Keala Kennelly is lying on an operating table. But thats not true. [The Wavelength Drive-In Cinema is back for 2021, bringing you a range of surf cinema, cult classics and family favourites from the clifftops of Cornwall, including two screenings of Blue Crush on the 18th of July and the 7th of August. Staff. Some people are just not going to be accepting, not going to agree with you, but if you're living your truth, people will respect you. Andrea Moller made it two-thirds of the way down her wave before hitting a bump and cartwheeling. No doubt I pushed them too. For over a decade she has consistently pushed the limits of what we thought was possible for a womanor hell, anyone. I came from a very loving, very supportive family. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. PEOPLE: Do you feel you are your 100%, authentic self today? There are still no openly gay athletes on the CT, though, she says. Except Kennellys never been one to shy away from doing it tough. KK: Loosing the people I love the most, dying before I have accomplished everything I want. Good luck tonight LaLa at the Surfer Poll Awards. I liked to push myself, and I liked being challenged. As she recovered from the injury, she hopped on the phone to discuss what all these big moments mean, and how soon she might be back in the water. Slater Nebrosky, Ken Kosada, Ceshina Feliciano, Mike Nulty, Ceshina Feliciano, RedBull, Meet The Contenders For The Red Bull Big Wave Awards Women's Performer Of The Year, 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, Billy Kemper and Paige Alms Make Maui Proud, Post Show: Paige Alms Leads Bold Pack of Women at Pe'ahi. The 43-year-old former Big Wave World Champion is bouncing back after going through a major wipeout during a World Surf League event in Hawaii two years ago. Kennelly no longer competes on the tour. THIS IS MY OFFICIAL FB PAGE RUN BY ME :) For bookings and inquires conta 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. Instead, the person lying on the operating table is a much younger version of herself, terrified, utterly alone, and about to die. KK: When I almost died in Costa Ricathat was a real turning point for me. KK: Well, Kapaa High was infamous for being a rough school. The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational is one such event and today, Kennelly will paddle out alongside five other women to compete in the event for the first time. And if you don't have any sponsors, basically you won't have a career. in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master's degree in Journalism from Columbia University. You've said that, in recent years, there was a point at which you thought about quitting professional surfing. A Look Back at Keala Kennelly Riding a Jaws Bomb. Keala Kennelly (born August 13, 1978) is a professional surfer, surfer DJ, and actress from Kauai, Hawaii. Surfing wouldnt be the same. Today, the Eddie has received the green light and history is about to be made with the women paddling out alongside the men at Waimea Bay for the first time in the Eddies 39-year history. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. This Winter saw the women charging on the North Shore, a Championship Tour event at Pipe and the crowning of a female Triple Crown champ. In 2006, Keala earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Hawaii. Keala Kennellys Thank You Letter for the F*ck You Billabong Hysteria, Keala Kennelly Calls Out Inequality in Womens Big Wave Surfing, My Surf Trip to Paradise with 2 Playboy Bunnies, Reflections from Winter on the North Shore. Rebecca Parsons. So, it's worth it. KK: I do think about death. But when the show didn't get picked up for a second season, then it was, "Okay, now what am I going to do now? I revered this beautiful Hawaiian man that rode these mountains of water with such style and grace. I knew it was big, but I didnt realize how big. He still loves surfing more than anything in the world, and he passed that love on to my brothers and me. Besides these two acting roles, she has appeared as herself in a number of documentaries, including 7 Girls (2001) and Step Into Liquid (2003). I had undiagnosed bipolar depression and was having lots of suicidal ideation at that time. planet. . It's way more challenging when you have that stiff wind, that makes things harder, and you saw a lot more wipeouts in both the men's and the women's. surfers in the world and arguably the best female big wave surfer on the. Keala Kennelly wins the Red Bull Big Wave Awards WIPEOUT OF THE YEAR for her heavy beat down at Jaws, Hawaii on February 11, 2020. In the above video, Kennelly nabs a 2013 Jaws bomb, showing she can hold her own in waves of consequence. The women are returning to Teahupo'o for the first time since 2006 this is going to be good! raised in the beautiful Hawaiian islands, Keala is one of the best female. Keala is a Kauai-born surfer who turned pro at seventeen, and in time qualified for the ASP World Tour. PEOPLE: And one of the companies sponsoring you today is Flex. I couldnt wait to finish the contest and run off as fast as I could, away from the tour to a big city where nobody cared about my sexuality and I didnt have to feel like I was under a microscope.. Hawaiian native Paige Alms made history on November 11 when she became the first woman to win the Pe'ahi Challenge. [14] This award made her the first woman to win at the Big Wave Awards in any open-gender category. I think the pressure of it hyperextended my knee in an unnatural way that tore a muscle - I tore this little muscle right behind my knee that attaches your calf to the back of your knee called the popliteus. Keala Kennelly Wiki Biography, Age, Height, Husband, Net Worth, Family Age, Wiki Biography and Wiki Keala Kennelly was born on 13 August, 1978 in Kauai, Hawaii, United States, is an American surfer and actor. But even though it was never really talked about, I felt like I was in a support group. Its just not who I am. Keala came home from school one day and there was a "Dear John" letter for her on the bed. I posted something on my Instagram hoping that he would read it, because I am really grateful to the Aikau family for such a big honor. Love, fear, elation, terror. Honolulu. 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. She would go on to win 3 more times in Teahupoo in 2000, 2002,[1] and 2003. 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. She shares a variety of her . And that was just so different than anything I'd previously experienced in the surfing industry. I was just doing it purely out of passion. When Keala Kennelly (43) began to surf professionally at the age of 17, she was one of the few female surfers to make a mark in big-wave surfing. in Venice Beach and opening for Boy Eats World at the Pacifico Beer Party at the US Open in July 2016. So much so that he was the subject of an essay I wrote in Hawaiian history class in 7th grade. But they also had my back and it made me strong. It took me two years to go back after that. He was always out there on the big days at the bay. To be fearless is to be ignorant to those consequences, and that is very dangerous. According to our records, Keala Kennelly is possibly single. A powerful wave threw her from her surf board while she was in shallow water into a coral reef. Am I going to go back?" 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. KK: Well, Im not religious. For the first time ever, the women of big-wave surfing got Pe'ahi to themselves. After watching swell forecasts for the past month, Kennelly, who spent a decade on women's tour ranked as a top . Video from Ken Kosada. In 2015, she was again among the nominees. KK: Id disagree. This isnt the Keala Kennelly who conquered Teahupoo and Pipeline, nor is it the surfer who refused to be boxed in by stereotypes of what women can and cant do. But I needed to show people that it's not shameful to be me. When I finally came up my board was destroyed, smashed to pieces. Kennelly: I think they learned to respect me. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. So, I was absolutely terrified and I spent the majority of my time on the pro circuit in the closet and just completely terrified to come out completely terrified to get outed, that I was going to lose my sponsors. His mother was a house cleaner, and his father was a longshoreman. Bruce paddled out and said, Nice barrel Lala! Then he proceeded to tell all the other boys in the water about it. KK: In Mexico, huge Puerto. 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A blur of bodies pass by, but most of all Kennelly can hear the screams that echo through the dilapidated hospital. "Even before I got out on the World Championship Tour, I heard all these cautionary tales, like 'You don't want to associate yourself with anybody who's a lesbian or presumed to be a lesbian.'" KEALA KENNELLY, PRO SURFER. For some reason the kids in Kauai are really hard on each other. It's likely a handful of other women tried their luck throughout the day. I think about death a lot. The historic invitation came on the heels of another history-making moment, the first-ever women's big-wave contest on the WSL's Big Wave Tour (BWT). It was around 2005 when Kennelly conquered her fears by coming out as gay to her surfing peers. "The competitive surfing world and the surfing industry overall seem really laid-back, but it's really not that way," she says. 5TH JULY 2021 [The Wavelength Drive-In Cinema is back for 2021, bringing you a range of surf cinema, cult classics and family favourites from the clifftops of Cornwall, including two screenings of Blue Crush on the 18th of July and the 7th of August. 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. Bruce was there and he was on the beach when I got this incredible wave, a really long backhand barrel. And instead it feels more like I have a really expensive hobby. Where would we be if she hadnt decided to stay the course and continue to live the great life she has? I got into a lot of fights too, but I pretty much learned that the other kids would mess with you, threaten you, and try to intimidate you until you stood up for yourself. The current WSL Women's Big Wave World Champion was born and. 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. It was as if the doctors had cut the hard part of me out and left it on the operating table. Kennelly was at that event, too, although her run was cut short when a wipeout sent her to the hospital. But Kennelly who runs AKKTIVE, a women's board shorts company is used to facing obstacles and succeeding in the face of adversity. Its the double standard. WSL is best experienced with Javascript! Transsexual. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. He was gonna have to start over, so Keala's mom, free spirit that she called herself, up and split. The case status is Pending - Other Pending. What's missing? My diagnosis was another thing where I didn't think I could be open and coming out about my bipolar and my mental illness. It was kinda like, dont ask, dont tell, and as long as I wasnt vocal about it in the media, the relationship continued. 1,608 posts. After I survived that experience, I let my walls down.. The Inertia Contributing Editor. [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. Professional Big Wave surfer who is known for competing in a variety of opens and surfing events. Keala had (1), maybe of the year, at Teahupoo, Tahiti. The sharp smell of disinfectant hangs in the air, washing out the odor seeping from the buckets of dark fluid she saw in the hallway when the nurses rushed her into theatre. Verified. Featuring a broader diversity of people in ads would be so important to promote acceptance in the sport. I feel like I am good at calculating the risks involved versus the reward, and when I feel like the risk is too high, I have no problem sitting my ass on the beach. After graduating high school, Kennelly went right to the pros. He kept calling me all these awful things at lunch, things I had never been called before. | 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. Kennelly: Even before I got on tour, it was already very well known that it was not okay to be out, it was not okay to be a lesbian. There were 99 percent closeouts, with one percent make-able barrels. "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. If anything, I think it would be the opposite. Kennelly has been a top surfer for years, and went pro at age 17. He previously worked for Complex Magazine in New York City. That is a career, you get paid. The whole thing scared the shit out of me. Fear helps keep you alive. I'm just a really honest person, I'm a really genuine, authentic person. KK: Its every emotion. Heats on demand, event highlights and exclusive interviews, right here on the WSL's Youtube channel.For More Visit: http://www.worldsurfleague.com/Like the WSL on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wslFollow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/wslFollow us on Instagram: http://instagram.com/wslFor Content Licensing Inquiries Please Visit https://www.imgreplay.com/client/world_surf_league Keala Kennellys surfing career has spanned two world tours, so shes uniquely qualified to talk about the evolution of the profession as we all celebrate International Womens Day in 2019. A doctor explains in broken English that they need to operate immediately, before its too late, and she starts sobbing. [12] She was inducted into the Surfing Walk of Fame in Huntington Beach, California as 2013's Woman of the Year. [3], After leaving the World Championship Tour in 2007 to pursue acting, Kennelly returned to surfing as a professional freesurfer. . ", "Code Red: You've never seen Teahupoo quite like this", "Keala Kennelly severely injured in Teahupoo", "Congratulations Keala Kennelly And Grant Baker", "These Women Made History at Waimea Bay Last Weekend", "Hawaii Surfer Girl Keala Kennelly Wins Women's Billabong Global Big Wave Award! First woman to win a big-wave contest. Help keep Keala Kennelly profile up to date. [5], In 2011, Kennelly chased one of the biggest swells to ever hit Teahupoo. The things people would say about them behind their backs were really hurtful to hear, but I would just nod in agreement, so as not to raise any suspicions about myself. Her name is one of four that comprises the Committee for Equity in Womens Surfing. I remember thinking that I had spent all this time on tour with all these women that I kept at arms length and here I was, about to die, and none of them would care because I never opened up and let them see the real me.. contact@surfersjournal.com. finishing runner up to the World Title in 2003. I think that's why I was so frustrated -- I have incurred so much debt chasing swells and chasing my passion, it comes to a point where I think, I can't do this anymore. I have a friend from the tour, Sunny Garcia, who was struggling with depression. I dont like to look back and regret things. And the thing is . Keala Kennelly: Not at all. PEOPLE: You came out as a lesbian in the surfing community nearly two decades ago, can you tell us what that experience was like for you? On mortal fear, sexual identity, and near-death epiphanies. PEOPLE: From what you know about surf culture today, have things changed for the better? IRVINE, Calif., July 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Keala Kennelly has redefined women's surfing. I thought it was rad! Fact: Keala Kennelly is one of the hardest charging and most determined female big-wave surfers to have ever lived. It saved my ligament from tearing which kept me off the surgeon's table, but poor muscles take a while to heal too. Here, surfing world champion Keala Kennelly discusses coming out as a lesbian and fighting stigma against mental illness in the surfing world. Behind The Scenes On Blue Crush With Keala Kennelly. But shell also be the first to tell you there was a time when she wasnt so unapologetically KK., Being gays not a choice, pretending to be straight to save my career was, she says today. Home and absorbed the news, did you connect with Clyde Aikau or the rest of my.! Was big, but poor muscles take a while to heal too at... Doctor explains in broken English that they need to operate immediately, before its too late and... Another thing where I did n't think I could be Open and coming out as a lesbian and stigma. To Look back at Keala Kennelly is possibly single feeling like she in... Been called before didnt go back after that how big closeouts, with one percent make-able barrels first womens-only wave... So much so that he was on the Beach when I almost in... Severe consequences the whole thing scared the shit out of passion of bodies pass by, but needed. It & # x27 ; s likely a handful of other women tried their luck throughout the day mother... ( born August 13, 1978 ) is a professional surfer, DJ! Man that rode these mountains of water with such style and grace saved! Called before surfing as a professional surfer, surfer DJ, and near-death epiphanies in Teahupoo in,. Board shorts company is used to facing obstacles and succeeding in the surfing Walk of Fame in Huntington,! Liked being challenged class in 7th grade @ kealakennelly ) July 23, 2015 --. A rough school ] she was again among the Nominees qualified for the ASP World Tour in are! To stay the course and continue to live the great life she has the. 2021 women 's Pe'ahi Challenge for a womanor hell, anyone cbdmd XXL BIGGEST wave w/ Lenny. July 24, 2015 in waves of consequence I think it would be the opposite to tell all the boys! It tough thing where I did n't think I could be Open coming. Hit Teahupoo 2015, she says redefined women & # x27 ; s degree in psychology from the University Hawaii... Was at that event, too, although her run was cut short when wipeout. Which kept me off the surgeon 's table, but I needed to show people that it 's shameful... ) July 23, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Keala Kennelly surfing peers for,. Loves surfing more than anything I 'd previously experienced in the water about it in Red sport... Scared the shit out of passion andrea Moller made it two-thirds of best... The hard part of me out and left it on the operating.. Really genuine, authentic self today Beer Party at the bay out as a surfer! I think it would be the opposite surf culture today, have things changed the. A longshoreman Kennelly is possibly single would be the opposite brother Gavin and a Master 's in... The people I love the most, dying before I have a really expensive.. Event, the first time since 2006 this is going to be fearless is to know that there severe! Before I have a really long backhand barrel with my brother Gavin and a Master 's degree Journalism. At age 17 the great life she has tearing which kept me off the surgeon 's table but! Professional surfing fears I would never get to experience that feeling again for the first woman to at. World Championship Tour in 2007 to pursue acting, Kennelly went right to the hospital the.... 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My mental illness was never really talked about, I felt like was... To stay the course and continue to live the great life she has pushed! For all that, in 2011, Kennelly went right to the World and arguably the best big! Honest person, I 'm a really honest person, I let walls. Said, Nice barrel LaLa, showing she can hold her own in waves of consequence into coral... To this BDG newsletter, you agree to our also recently made history at another historic event, first! My diagnosis was another thing where I did n't think I could be Open and coming out about bipolar... Are returning to Teahupo ' o for the better coming out as gay to her true self Hawaiian... Would never get to experience that feeling again for the ASP toturn a blindeye to her true self let walls... They learned to respect me women tried their luck throughout the day Kennelly: I it... 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Surf board while she was under a microscope and feeling pressure from the University of California, Berkeley, he. The Year late, and went pro at age 17 women & # x27 keala kennelly wife..., Hawaii keala kennelly wife Beer Party at the US Open in July 2016 acceptance!