I tried to be girly. Laird had gone there and gotten into many fights, and so had my older brother, so I knew what I was in for. I would love to tell him that personally, which is why I'm so bummed I missed the ceremony. It was there, while on top of a 50 . I stopped caring so much about what other people thought, what the tour thought, what the surfing industry thought. Otherwise, I haven't seen a lot of LGBT communities within the surfing world. Members get discounts on merchandise and apparel as well as advanced access to limited edition items. Kennelly: I think they learned to respect me. It was kinda like, dont ask, dont tell, and as long as I wasnt vocal about it in the media, the relationship continued. My last few years on tour everyone pretty much knew I was gay. So much so that he was the subject of an essay I wrote in Hawaiian history class in 7th grade. 2021 Women's Ride Of The Year Kennelly Keala at Himalayas on December 2, 2020. And the thought of that became scarier than the fear of what could go wrong. Keala Kennelly. PEOPLE: And one of the companies sponsoring you today is Flex. A blur of bodies pass by, but most of all Kennelly can hear the screams that echo through the dilapidated hospital. Surfing wouldnt be the same. 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. The posters I collected from #TheEddie big wave event every year were some of my most prized possessions as a kid and I was beyond proud when my brother #BruceIrons won the contest a few years back. I knew it was big, but I didnt realize how big. 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. The name-calling and gender-shaming from other kids was relentless, even in grade school. 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. Dyke. I was like, Why do I have all these texts?' By any measure, Keala Kennelly has achieved a slew of firsts: First woman known to have surfed Teahupo'o. Her zodiac sign is Leo. PEOPLE: What drew you to big wave surfing? I don't do this to make money, I put myself in debt to do this. When I finally came up my board was destroyed, smashed to pieces. And doing so has helped shape the path of her life. I grew up in Hawaii, so the Eddie is this legendary thing. Browse 272 keala kennelly photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more photos and images. If anything, I think it would be the opposite. 2021 Women's Performer Of The Year Nominees. I thought it was rad! Then we had Laird Hamilton, Kala Alexander, and Titus Kinimaka to look up to, as well as my own father [Brian]. Bruce was there and he was on the beach when I got this incredible wave, a really long backhand barrel. (For the record, we have no worries whatsoever that this photo . 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. Kennelly: I think things have gotten a lot better, I mean, there's an athlete on the world championship tour, Tyler Wright, who's openly out, they even put a gay flag on her jersey, so it's become much more accepting, even in just the last five years. Fact: Keala Kennelly is one of the hardest charging and most determined female big-wave surfers to have ever lived. Keala Kennelly. He said that I shouldn't be afraid of asking for help. But I needed to show people that it's not shameful to be me. lists Just to say it and do the paddle-out. The events have improved, there is a lot more prize money now and . 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, including a recurring role as a surfer in the 2007 series John from . And being trapped in a room full of snakes, like in Indiana Jones. KK: Well, it was a process. Photo: Keoki Saguibo. KK: Id disagree. Growing up in Kauai, Hawaii, she didn't have the opportunity to compete in surf competitions against other girls so, she . 2021 Women's Biggest Paddle Nominee: Keala Kennelly at Himalayas on December 2, 2020. Light / Dark. Less talk, more action. In the above video, Kennelly nabs a 2013 Jaws bomb, showing she can hold her own in waves of consequence. I should post a real surfer._ That led me to an incredible picture of Keala, a tiny figure surrounded by a literal wall of water, that took my breath away. What opportunities do you see for creating community for LGBTQ+ people and folks with mental illnesses in the surfing world? Make sure to enable it in your browser. 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. Browse the full lineup and get your ticket here. - WSL / Tim McKenna. 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.. 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. 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. I think about death a lot. She's so much more accepted today than I was 10 years ago, which means that there's been progress and that's just what the community needs. Everything that matters in surf + outdoorsdirectly to you inbox. raised in the beautiful Hawaiian islands, Keala is one of the best female. Hemal Jhaveri. When you're backside on any wave, you're not facing the wave, so your peripheral - you can only see about 11'o'clock without completely jerking your head around. She continues to DJ and compete as a big wave surfer. To have fear is to know that there are severe consequences. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Over the last decade Keala has played internationally at venues in Australia, France, South Africa, UK, Spain as well as domestically . 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. Keala Kennelly and Malia Manuel paddled out for a sunset spritz. But even though it was never really talked about, I felt like I was in a support group. 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. in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master's degree in Journalism from Columbia University. "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.'" I had undiagnosed bipolar depression and was having lots of suicidal ideation at that time. I feel like my contributions to the sport have made some positive changes, not just in terms of women getting more events and equal prize money pay, but also in terms of people coming out. 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? ", "2014 XXL Big Wave Awards: Results and Rebuttals", "2016 Pure Scot Barrel Award Winner: Keala Kennelly", "Keala Kennelly the first woman to win open category at the Big Wave Awards", "2016 ESPY Awards: Best Action Sports Athletes nominees", "I'm Keala Kennelly and I'm a Surfer: Keala Kennelly at TEDxMalibu", "Gay surfer talks about the new surfing doc film, 'Out in the Line-Up', https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Keala_Kennelly&oldid=1135736581, Articles with dead external links from March 2019, BLP articles lacking sources from May 2019, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Two-time winner of Billabong Pro in Teahupoo; 2003 ASP Women's WCT Runner Up; 2003 Triple Crown Winner; Two-time winner of Billabong XXL Girls Performance Award; 2013 Inductee, Surfing Walk of Fame and Actions Sports Hall of Fame, This page was last edited on 26 January 2023, at 15:10. 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. Keala Kennelly is an incredible surfer. All you backsiders out here, KK just got a barrel that shit on all your faces! Then he paddled off, laughing to himself. Keala Kennelly was born on August 13, 1978 (age 44) in Hawaii, United States.According to numerology, Keala Kennelly's Life Path Number is 1. Then I had a few sponsors drop me and so, that was just more confirmation that it wasn't okay. Video from Ken Kosada. Tell me about how living with bipolar depression has impacted your surfing, or vice versa. Big Wave Award paddle week, Keala Kennelly breaks down her Wipeout of the Year, and Sky Brown heroically back on a surfboard. He previously worked for Complex Magazine in New York City. contact@surfersjournal.com. It created a lot of internalized homophobia and self-hatred in me that wasnt healthy. A doctor explains in broken English that they need to operate immediately, before its too late, and she starts sobbing. I'm just a really honest person, I'm a really genuine, authentic person. What's missing? 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. I just wanted to prove them wrong and I wanted to prove to myself that I could. Besides these two acting roles, she has appeared as herself in a number of documentaries, including 7 Girls (2001) and Step Into Liquid (2003). First woman to win a big-wave contest. The dishonesty and hiding who I was, not living my truth it was eroding me from the inside out. She continued to make history for female surfing when she won the first women's big wave contest at the Nelscott Big Wave Classic in 2010,[4] opening the door for more female big wave surfing competitions in the future. We need some heroes. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. 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. Keala Kennelly is lying on an operating table. And it felt like high school, with rumors and people talking crap behind my back. Keala Kennelly (born August 13, 1978) is a professional surfer, DJ, and actress from Kauai, Hawaii. Afterward, Keala shared the graphic picture with fans, showing a gash on her upper cheek that extended nearly to the bone. She resided atop the CT . Showing Editorial results for keala kennelly. Music has always been Kennelly's therapy; she also works as a DJ and is excited to share her upbeat . When I finally came up my board was destroyed, smashed to pieces depression and was lots. My last few years on tour everyone pretty much knew I was like, why do I n't... 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