[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 75 (Tuesday, May 18, 2010)]
[House]
[Pages H3510-H3512]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HONORING ROBERT KELLY SLATER ON SURFING ACHIEVEMENTS

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution (H. Res. 792) honoring Robert Kelly Slater for 
his outstanding and unprecedented achievements in the world of surfing 
and for being an ambassador of the sport and excellent role model, as 
amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 792

       Whereas Robert Kelly Slater was born on February 11, 1972, 
     in Cocoa Beach, Florida;
       Whereas Kelly Slater learned to surf in Cocoa Beach, 
     Florida, with his brothers, Sean and Stephen;
       Whereas Kelly Slater was a perennial amateur champion in 
     the 1980s, winning 6 Eastern Surfing Association titles and 4 
     national titles;
       Whereas, in 1992, at the age of 20, Kelly Slater was the 
     youngest surfer to win the Association of Surfing 
     Professionals World Championship;
       Whereas, between 1992 and 2008, Kelly Slater was a 6-time 
     winner of the Billabong Pipeline Masters, a competition held 
     annually for the 45 top-ranked surfers by the Association of 
     Surfing Professionals at the Banzai Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii;
       Whereas, between 1994 and 1998, Kelly Slater won 5 
     consecutive Association of Surfing Professionals titles;
       Whereas, in 1995 and 1998, Kelly Slater won the Triple 
     Crown of Surfing, the Reef Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa Ali'i 
     Beach Park, the O'Neill World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach, 
     and the Billabong Pipeline Masters at the Banzai Pipeline;
       Whereas Kelly Slater was inducted into the Surfers Hall of 
     Fame in 2002;
       Whereas, in 2002, Kelly Slater won the Quicksilver in 
     Memory of Eddie Aikau at Waimea Bay in Oahu, Hawaii, a 
     competition that occurs only when waves reach a minimum 
     height of 20 feet;
       Whereas Kelly Slater was the 1st surfer ever to be awarded 
     2 perfect scores in the final heat of the Billabong Tahiti 
     Pro Contest under the Association of Surfing Professionals 2-
     wave scoring system;
       Whereas Kelly Slater won an Association of Surfing 
     Professionals World Title in 2005, 7 years after his previous 
     win in 1998;
       Whereas, in 2007, Kelly Slater started the Kelly Slater 
     Foundation to raise awareness and financial support for 
     socially and environmentally conscious charities;
       Whereas, in 2008, at the age of 36, Kelly Slater was the 
     oldest surfer to win an Association of Surfing Professionals 
     World Championship;
       Whereas, in 2010, Kelly Slater won the Rip Curl Pro Bell 
     Championship, making him a 4-time winner of this 49-year-old 
     international surfing championship held in Australia;
       Whereas Kelly Slater has 39 World Championship Tour 
     victories;
       Whereas Kelly Slater holds 9 Association of Surfing 
     Professionals World Championships, a record number; and
       Whereas Kelly Slater is surfing's all-time leader in career 
     event wins: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives recognizes and 
     honors Robert Kelly Slater for winning the 2010 Rip Curl Pro 
     Bell Championship and for his other outstanding achievements 
     in the world of surfing.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Davis) and the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Broun) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair now recognizes the gentleman from Illinois.


                             General Leave

  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that 
all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend 
their remarks.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.

[[Page H3511]]

  Madam Speaker, on behalf of the Committee on Oversight and Government 
Reform, I am pleased to present H. Res. 792 for consideration. This 
resolution honors Robert Kelly Slater for his outstanding achievements 
in the world of surfing.
  H. Res. 792 was introduced by our colleague, the gentleman from 
Florida, Representative Bill Posey, on October 1, 2009. It was referred 
to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which ordered it 
to be reported favorably by unanimous consent on May 6, 2010. This 
measure enjoys the support of 60 cosponsors.
  Madam Speaker, Mr. Slater has accomplished a great deal in the world 
of amateur and professional surfing. As a teenager, he won six Eastern 
Surfing Association titles and four national titles. At the age of 20, 
he was the youngest surfer to win the Association of Surfing 
Professionals World Championship. He has won that title nine times in 
his career, another record. This year, he won the Rip Curl Pro Bell 
Championship for the fourth time, earning him yet another international 
title.
  He is, in fact, the all-time leader in career event wins, but his 
accomplishments are not limited to tackling big waves. In 2007, he 
founded the Kelly Slater Foundation, an organization dedicated to raise 
awareness and financial support for a number of environmental and other 
charities.
  Madam Speaker, Mr. Slater has achieved much in the world of 
professional surfing. Today we have the opportunity to congratulate him 
for his successes and to commend him for his charitable works. I thank 
the gentleman from Florida for introducing this measure, and I also 
thank Chairman Towns and Ranking Member Issa for their support for the 
bill.
  I urge my colleagues to support its passage and reserve the balance 
of my time.
  Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of House Resolution 792, 
honoring Robert Kelly Slater for his outstanding and unprecedented 
achievements in the world of surfing.
  A native of Cocoa Beach, Florida, Kelly Slater has been a dominant 
surfer since first learning how to surf during his childhood. As an 
amateur surfer, he quickly entered the spotlight, winning six Eastern 
Surfing Association and four national titles.
  In the 1990s, he was already a household name. In 1992, he won his 
first Association of Surfing Professionals World Championship when he 
was only 20 years of age, making him the youngest person ever to win 
the title. From 1994 to 1998, Slater continued to rack up world titles. 
He won the world championship title five times in a row, for a combined 
nine championships. He has won more championships than any other 
surfer. In 2002, he became a member of the Surfers Hall of Fame.
  In addition to his success in surfing competitions, Slater has 
appeared in commercials and television shows, as well as having a wide 
variety of surfing sponsorships. Throughout his entire career, Kelly 
Slater has continued to make surfing more popular as more people across 
the globe become aware of his expertise in the sport. He also created 
the Kelly Slater Foundation to raise money for major charities, such as 
the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the World Skin Cancer Foundation.

  Madam Speaker, Kelly Slater has continued to excite surfers across 
the entire country and the world. I ask my colleagues to support this 
resolution to honor Kelly Slater's work.
  Madam Speaker, I yield as much time as he may consume to my 
distinguished colleague from Florida (Mr. Posey), the sponsor of this 
resolution.
  Mr. POSEY. I thank the gentleman from Georgia for yielding.
  Madam Speaker, I rise also to honor the surfing achievements of Kelly 
Slater. He is the dominant world champion of surfing. Last month, he 
became the Rip Curl Pro Bell Champion for the fourth time, adding to 
the 42 international championships he has won. He is unmatched, 
unparalleled in the world of surfing. Obviously, he is an inspiration 
to many.
  Robert Kelly Slater grew up in Cocoa Beach, Florida, born there on 
February 11, 1972. He learned to surf on Cocoa Beach with his brothers 
Sean and Stephen. He routinely won amateur championships in the 
eighties, and six Eastern Surfing Association championships and four 
national titles.
  In 1992, at the age of 20, Kelly Slater was the youngest surfer ever 
to win the Association of Surfing Professionals World Championship. He 
is a six-time winner of the Billabong Pipeline Masters. That's 1992 to 
2008. The Billabong Pipeline Masters is a competition held annually at 
the Bonzai Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii. Forty-five of the top-ranked 
surfers ranked by the Association of Surfing Professionals compete. 
Again, Kelly Slater's achievements there are unprecedented.
  He won five consecutive Association of Surfing Professionals titles 
between 1994 and 1998. In 1995 and 1998, Kelly Slater won the surfing 
triple crown: the Reef Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa Ali'i Beach Park, the 
O'Neill World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach, and the Billabong 
Pipeline Masters at the Bonzai Pipeline. In 2002, he won the 
Quicksilver, in memory of Eddie Aikau, at Waimea Bay in Oahu, Hawaii. 
Competition occurs there only when the surfing conditions have waves 
that are at least 20 feet high. He was the first surfer ever to be 
awarded two perfect scores under the Association of Surfing 
Professionals two-wave scoring system, awarded in the final heat of the 
Billabong Tahiti Pro Contest.
  In 2005, Kelly Slater won an Association of Surfing Professionals 
World Title 7 years after his previous win in 1998. In 2008, he was the 
oldest surfer, at age 36, to win the Association of Surfing 
Professionals World Championship title. Kelly Slater has 39 
Championship Tour victories. He holds the most Association of Surfing 
Professionals World Championships ever, a total of nine. He is 
surfing's all-time leader in career event wins and was inducted into 
the Surfing Hall of Fame in 2002.
  As was mentioned, he has established the Kelly Slater Foundation. He 
did that in 2007. Its purpose is to raise money and awareness for 
existing social causes, as were previously mentioned, and also 
environmentally conscious charities.
  Just a few words about Florida surfing. Florida has 1,350 miles of 
coastline suitable for surfing. Forty percent of east coast surfing 
occurs in Florida. There are over a dozen popular surfing areas in 
Florida's 15th Congressional District. Ron Jon Surf Shop was opened in 
Cocoa Beach by Ron DiMenna in 1963. Now there are three such stores in 
Florida, South Carolina, and Canada. The Cocoa Beach location is the 
largest surfing store in the world.
  Kelly Slater is Florida's first surfing champion and, obviously, one 
of the greatest surfers of all time.
  For those who may not be familiar with surfing as an industry, it is 
an important part of our economy. According to SIMA, that's the Surf 
Industry Manufacturers Association, even during recession and economic 
challenges, the surf industry remains resilient. It had $7.22 billion 
in sales in 2008 and considerable growth over the past several years. 
In 2009, Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach was named one of the 25 Best 
Independent Retailers by Business Week. Ron Jon employs 500 people and 
has over $50 million in annual revenues.
  In conclusion, I state again that Kelly Slater's achievements are 
unprecedented. In passing this resolution, we are acknowledging his 
many wonderful achievements.
  I want to again thank Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and over 60 other 
cosponsors that we have for participating in this resolution, and I 
urge my colleagues, each and every one, to support its passage.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I want to thank Representative 
Posey for bringing surfing and for bringing Mr. Slater to our 
attention. Both are just unbelievable.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. BROUN of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my 
time.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, it's been a pleasure sharing 
the floor with the gentleman from Georgia this afternoon, 
Representative Broun. I want to thank him for his comments and urge 
passage of this resolution, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Illinois (Mr.

[[Page H3512]]

Davis) that the House suspend the rules and agree to the resolution, H. 
Res. 792, as amended.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution, as amended, was agreed to.
  The title was amended so as to read: ``Resolution recognizing and 
honoring Robert Kelly Slater for winning the 2010 Rip Curl Pro Bell 
Championship and for his other outstanding achievements in the world of 
surfing.''.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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