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KELLY PROFILE IN SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
Insightful 6000 word article by award-winning sports writer Gary Smith
Category: General
Posted by: tim
The latest issue of Sports Illustrated in the US carries an incredibly intimate and revealing profile of nine-time world champ Kelly Slater, that might allow many long-time pro surfing observers to see the champ through fresh eyes. I for one learnt more about the man in this one story than in 20 years of writing about him and a dozen or so of my own interviews. Quite humbling really. Gary Smith is perhaps the finest sports writer in the US and a lot of these unqualified web monkeys getting about could learn a thing or two about the craft of journalism from this piece, and how it is possible to write more than 300 words at a time and make then engaging, thoughtful and nuanced. The picture he paints of a young man haunted by his largely absent father, volatile home life and resultant fear of intimacy makes fascinating reading. You can read the article on the SI website.
