5

COMMIT, CHARGE, SHRED!

IN EVERY SPORT THERE ARE MANY SUPERSTARS, A FEW CHAMpions, and an occasional iconic legend. In surfing there are only a few legends on whom almost everyone can agree: Duke Kahanamoku, Eddie Aikau, Miki Dora, Shaun Tomson, Clyde Aikau, Tom Carroll, Tom Curren, Laird Hamilton, and Kelly Slater are 9 of my top 10. The tenth, to me, is the late Andy Irons.

Some in the surfing world may not agree with me, and in terms of full disclosure I admit that I am a bit biased. Hanalei, Kauai—Andy’s birthplace—holds a special place in my life. I first went to Hanalei in the early 1970s. I later honeymooned there, and with my family subsequently spent more than two-dozen summers just north of Pine Trees. My five kids all learned to swim ...

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