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In Hawaii, they’ve named a beer to honor Kelly Slater’s eighth world surfing championship.

This year, it probably will be a bottle of champagne.

Cocoa Beach superstar Slater added to his long list of legendary accomplishments Thursday, winning the Billabong Pro in the frigid waters of Jeffreys Bay, South Africa — his fourth title in five contests on the ASP World Tour.

“I didn’t realize I was going to be overwhelmed by it, but I haven’t been in this position before, at this point of the year, with this many wins,” said Slater, after defeating reigning world champion Mick Fanning 16.73-9.40 and hopping into a hot tub to get warm. “There are great things going on in my life, so I’m just trying to soak it up and be appreciative.”

Slater now leads runner-up Joel Parkinson by 1,262 points with six events remaining, although each surfer has two “throwaway” scores. The maximum difference between first place and a second-round loss in any contest is 975 points.

The victory was Slater’s 38th, extending his career record during a 14-year span.

“Just trying to stay ahead of my age,” joked the 36-year-old, the second-oldest surfer (Taylor Knox is 37) on the World Tour.

The top eight ranked surfers all advanced to the quarterfinals, a rare feat on a tour that often springs surprises by competitors surfing in familiar waters.

Competing in 6-foot, wind-blown whitecaps off the southern coast of South Africa, Slater and Fanning hooked up in a rematch of the season-opening final in Gold Coast, Australia. But the “rivalry” never really materialized as Fanning apparently had trouble with the wax on his board, constantly losing his balance early on.

“I surfed like an idiot,” Fanning said. “I had the opportunity to win the whole thing, and I fell and I don’t know why. I don’t know what happened, I just had a shocker. I was feeling great, I just couldn’t stay on my board.”

Slater, who finished second in this event a year ago to Taj Burrow, put together a huge floater, vertical snap and tail slide for an 8.50 to take the lead for good with 16 minutes remaining in the 35-minute final. With Fanning needing a 9.37 score, Slater sealed the issue 11 minutes later with an 8.23 ride, sparked by a huge vertical snap.

“I couldn’t ask for a better opponent,” Slater said. “I think Mick passed one up that ended up being my best wave, but you never know on a day like this.”

Slater, who won $30,000 and a soapstone-carved trophy of Nobel Peace Prize winner Nelson Mandela’s bust, was carried off the beach.

“This is a huge honor, just amazing,” said Slater, regarding the trophy which honors Mandela’s 90th birthday today.

Slater now has won $125,400 this season to boost his career record earnings to $1,713,205.

In the first semifinal, Slater faced Parkinson in a battle of the world’s top-ranked surfers. After opening with a 3.33 score, Slater stormed back with an 8.00 ride, turning what looked like an average wave into a big score with an “alley-oop” aerial.

But Parkinson opened his heat with a 9.17 score and added a 5.00 with a couple of smooth floaters to grab a 14.17-11.33 lead with less than 19 minutes remaining. Slater, with 9:30 left, turned a small wave into a long, speedy ride, good for a 7.00 to take back the lead 15.00-14.17, which held up in the closing minutes as Parkinson could not land a 5.83 ride.

“I think he got me the first four times, but I’ve caught him three of the past six now,” Slater said. “Obviously, we’d like to be on the opposite side of the draw. But even if I had lost, it wouldn’t have been that horrible because I already had such a good result. But winning is just a bonus.”

In the quarterfinals against Brazil’s Adriano de Souza, who came in as the world’s fourth-ranked surfer, Slater opened with a quick 7.67 ride and never trailed in a 15.17-9.84 victory. Slater sealed the win with a 7.50 ride, capped by a huge layback snap.

Satellite Beach’s C.J. Hobgood, who came in as the sixth-rated surfer, knocked out Fred Patacchia 14.76-10.33 to set up a quarterfinal showdown with Fanning, the 2006 J-Bay champion, who eliminated Burrow 16.84-11.83 in the semifinals.

Hobgood, the 2001 world champion, had beaten Fanning in the previous event in Fiji, but this time the Australian scored a 7.67 ride that began with a huge bottom turn with 5 minutes remaining to claim a 14.27-9.60 triumph. Hobgood scored just three waves in his 30-minute heat, a high of 5.93.

But the day belonged to Slater — again.

He was asked several times in South Africa how he feels about being in the same company as great athletes such as Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant and Roger Federer.

“For someone even to be mentioned with those guys just one time in your career is a nice thing,” Slater said. “It’s what you aspire to do to get to that level, like Valentino Rossi or Lance Armstrong. Those guys all inspired me. There’s no bigger honor because those guys have all been heroes to so many people, so many generations, and I’ve been lucky enough to meet some of them. To be considered in that category . . . I don’t know what to say.”

Well, he still can say he’s the only one with a beer named after him.

To watch video of Kelly surfing, go to this link: 

 http://gannett.a.mms.mavenapps.net/mms/rt/1/site/gannett-brevard-028-pub01-live/current/launch.html?maven_playerId=articleplayer&maven_referralPlaylistId=playlist&maven_referralObject=795178915

Someone asked surfing superstar Kelly Slater about being in the same company as Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant and Roger Federer.

“For someone even to be mentioned with those guys just one time in your career is a nice thing,'’ Slater said. “It’s what you aspire to get to that level, like Valentino Rossi or Lance Armstrong. Those guys all inspired me.'’

Thursday morning in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, the 36-year-old eight-time world champion from Cocoa Beach probably inspired thousands of surfers by extending his points lead on the ASP World Tour by defeating reigning world champion Mick Fanning of Australia 16.73-9.40 in the final of the Billabong Pro.

Incredibly, it was the fourth win in the first five contests on the 11-event tour for Slater. It also was the 38th career victory for Slater, who now has won 75 percent of all his heats in his 14-year career.

The top eight ranked surfers in the world all advanced to the quarterfinals, a rare feat on a tour that often springs surprises by competitors surfing in familiar waters.

Competing in 6-foot “freezing'’ waves off the southern coast of South Africa, Slater and Fanning surfed in a rematch of the season-opening final in Australia, where Slater won.

In a slow-starting heat, Slater’s best wave halfway through the 35-minute final was just 3.90, while Fanning’s best was 4.67.

But Slater, who finished second in this event a year ago to Taj Burrow, put together a huge floater, vertical snap and tail slide for an 8.50 to re-take the lead with 16 minutes remaining.

With 7 minutes remaining, Slater led 14.10-9.40, meaning Fanning would have needed a 9.37 ride, and Slater sealed it moments later with an 8.23 score with a big vertical snap.

In the first semifinal, Slater faced Joel Parkinson in a battle of the world’s top ranked surfers. After opening with a 3.33 score, Slater stormed back with an 8.00 ride, turning what looked like an average wave into a big score with an alley-oop aerial.

But Parkinson opened his heat with a 9.17 score and added a 5.00 with a couple of smooth floaters to grab a 14.17-11.33 lead with less than 19 minutes remaining.

But Slater, with 9:30 left, turned a small wave into a long ride, battling through wind-blown whitecaps, good for a 7.00 to take back the lead 15.00-14.17, which held up in the closing minutes as Parkinson could not get a 5.83 ride.

“I think he got me the first four times, but I’ve caught him three of the past six now,'’ Slater said. “Obviously, we’d like to be on the opposite side of the draw. But even if I had lost, it wouldn’t have been that horrible because I already had such a good result. But winning is just a bonus.'’

Against Brazil’s Adriano de Souza, who came in as the world’s fourth-ranked surfer, Slater opened with a quick 7.67 ride and never trailed in a 15.17-9.84 victory in the quarterfinals. Slater sealed the win with a 7.50 ride, capped by a huge layback snap.

Satellite Beach’s C.J. Hobgood, who came in as the sixth-rated surfer in the world, knocked out Fred Patacchia and then erased Bruce Irons to set up a quarterfinal showdown with Fanning, the 2006 J-Bay champion, who eliminated Burrow 16.84-11.83 in the semifinals.

Hobgood, the 2001 world champion, had beaten Fanning in the previous event in Fiji, but this time the Australian scored a 7.67 ride that began with a huge bottom turn with 5 minutes remaining to claim a 14.27-9.60 triumph.

Hobgood scored just three waves in his 30-minute heat, a high of 5.93.

The Borens

1745 N. Merrimac Drive

Merritt Island FL    32952

If Kelly Slater is the Tiger Woods of surfing, then C.J. Hobgood must be, uh, Rocco Mediate?

Hey, he said it first.

After finishing second to Slater a few weeks ago in Fiji, Hobgood flew back home to Satellite Beach, where he sat back and tuned in to the U.S. Open golf tournament.

“Seeing Woods keep coming back, I really felt for that guy (Mediate),” said Hobgood, trying to analyze Tiger’s dramatic putt on the final hole of regulation to tie it. “I wanted (Mediate) to win so bad. It was like I knew what he was feeling, because I had just got through living that (with Slater) again.”

This season — like most — everyone on the Association of Surfing Professionals Tour has come up short, just like Mediate, against the eight-time world champion from Cocoa Beach. In the first four contests, Slater has won three events, not once losing to a member of the 45-man world tour, and has earned $95,400. The only contest he didn’t win was in Tahiti, where local Polynesian Manoa Drollet sacked him twice (leaving him in 17th place) before losing to fellow wild-card entrant Bruno Santos in the final of the Billabong Pro Tahiti.

Now, heading into Thursday’s Billabong Pro at Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, Hobgood and the remainder of the field are wondering if anyone else can stop his early-season dominance.

“My brother (Damien) came close at Bells Beach (Australia),” said Hobgood, who turned 29 Sunday. “He’s surfing well, but between injuries and having to face Slater twice already, that’s hard luck. I’ve been super-stoked with my surfing, but you’re never satisfied unless you win.”

Slater did pull out a few “miracles” so far this season. For instance, he slid past Jeremy Flores 16.47-16.17 in Gold Coast, Australia, on the final wave in the closing seconds; edged out Damien Hobgood 16.03-15.60 in Bells Beach with a remarkable backside move late in the contest; and then held off C.J. 16.67-13.27 in the final in Fiji.

“I’m a little bummed because I had an opportunity in Tahiti and Fiji to win,” said C.J., the 2001 world champion who is sixth in points. “I could be sitting on two wins right now, you know?”

In Tahiti, Slater rallied in Tiger-like fashion to score a near-perfect 9.8 ride to finish second in his opening heat, knocking Hobgood to the third and final spot.

“But Slater can be touched,” C.J. said. “It’s still early and someone can get on a roll like he has. But, like I told him, if someone was to come back, it would be one of the greatest comebacks in surfing history. It’s really his to lose now.”

Jeffreys Bay represents the fifth stop on the 11-event tour (surfers can throw away their worst two results), and the reef break in winter-time waters has been kind to Slater. He has posted three of his 36 wins (1996, 2003 and 2005) there and finished second to Taj Burrow a year ago. It’s also where Damien lost to Slater in a final.

“J-Bay has been one of my best events,” said Slater, who leads runner-up Joel Parkinson by 938 points in the standings. “I’ve had three wins out there, but it’s obviously a good event for Taj, a good event for Parko, a good event for Andy (Irons) and it suits Bede (Durbidge) really well.”

Slater, 36, has been enjoying life — maybe more than usual — on this year’s tour, despite nearly calling it quits just before the season opened.

“He is definitely getting better, but it’s like in a different sense,” C.J. said. “He’s surfing more like a kid and acting like a grom. He’s just enjoying himself. You can see it in his interviews. He just has that more-free, more-loose go-for-it attitude. I wouldn’t know if he’s actually surfing better than he ever has, but he’s certainly having more fun.”

When Slater defeated C.J. in Fiji, both talked with each other in a subdued manner for several moments before Slater finally thrust his arms in the air.

“I just talked to him about that heat, telling him how I blew a big opportunity,” C.J. said. “He did, too, saying he let the heat get away from him. We were both trying to take it all in. He was trying to think about all that was going on. I’m trying to tell him he hasn’t lost to anyone on the tour, and he’s really the only person who’s won this year. I’m telling him it would take the greatest comeback in history to beat him now, and that would be a cool story. I also told him it’s not over, that someone still could come back.

“All the while, I’m telling him this, but trying to motivate myself at the same time, you know?

“And then, I go back home and watch Tiger Woods and that other guy . . . wow.”

Eight-time world surfing champion Kelly Slater, 36, scored a near-perfect 9.8 ride, above, in Tahiti, site of his only loss this season, but he’s won the other three contests on the ASP World Tour. Thursday, the tour heads to Jeffreys Bay, South Africa. (ASP World Tour)

Kelley Conroy, CBHS Class of 2000, has graduated from the Unifersity of Florida College of Medicine on May 17, 2008.

Following her graduation with honors from CBHS in 2000, she earned her B.S. in Microbiology & Cell Science in 2004 at UF.

Kelley will complete her residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts.

Congratulations, Kelley!!

Here is the link for Mr. Boren’s obituary:

http://www.legacy.com/floridatoday/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=112667500

If you wish to post your memories of Mr. Borens, please send them to CBAA President, Juli Tucker and they will be posted immediately …

julicb68@cfl.rr.com

Thank You.

Good afternoon Minutemen, The following letter/request is from Mr. Mark Provancha, a parent and devoted volunteer of our football facilities. He is a gentlemen who has the utmost respect from me for him energy, passion, and work ethic towards our program. He is one of the main reasons our stadium and practice facilities are one of the best. He has asked me to send this out to you, our alumni, asking for help. 

Please take the time to read his whole letter when time allows. 

On behalf of Coach Piccalo: 

For the past several years we have been battling the Brevard School District to pay closer attention to maintaining our playing field and practice field.  Our emphasis has been the playing field.  We have experienced conditions that have been totally unacceptable many times.  From mowing the field when the grass is several inches tall with a cheap rotary mower leaving the grass clumped throughout the field to scalping areas of the field again with a rotary mower.  I have personally gone on the field at these times and raked the entire field and trucked off no less then 8 truck loads of cut grass as a result of such practices.  My email to Bea Fowler at that time seemed to get some folks at the District concerned and a visit to the field was conducted. 

But the problem remained and that is not having the field cut at a frequency which was highly recommended by several athletic field turf managers.  The field should be mowed no less then 3 times per week at the appropriate height.  Height is another issue.  For us to be able to do what we need to do to make the field the best it can be is to have greater control over the mowing practices.  That means we have to do it ourselves and do it with our own piece of equipment…which we don’t have and that is the issue here.  I have spent a considerable amount of time researching turf management practices and have spoken with some key folks on turf management.  For example, last summer I spent an afternoon with Wayne Zurburg at the University of Florida and took a look at this shop and what he does for all the fields at UF….32 total.  I came away with a good understanding of what we need to do.  We can’t rely on the District unless you want something less then what our kids deserve.  We get the hand me downs eg the portable bathrooms. So, let’s take matters into our own hands and make things much better for the kids.  BTW, I have already tried getting funding from some of the soccer parents last year and that met with no success.  I wasn’t totally surprised but nevertheless disappointed.  So, Coach Piccalo and I believe we need to get our own quality REEL mower.  Several of us can become proficient at using it and carry the burden of cutting the field on a set schedule, at least 3 times a week. 

But we have to come up with some funding….additional funding.  I’d like for everyone to chip in not just a few folks.  It has to be a total commitment by all of us and we are doing it so the kids will have perhaps the best grass facility anywhere in Brevard cty and it will be SAFE.  No more butchering of the field by folks who are on a tight schedule.  

I have done my research and have located several mowers.  The best one that I came across is a TORO REEL MASTER 3100 D located in NAPLES Florida.  It is a 2001 model and was used at a EQUINELINE facility.  They mowed their field 4 hr/wk.  From the photographs the mower looks in great shape as good as I have seen for a used TORO and I have seen many.  The original cost was $7900.  I emailed the person who has the mower up for sale and pleaded my case to her.  I did everything except get on my knees.  It short, she is sensitive to our situation…a school with little or no funding and a District who when helps complains about helping.  She provided me with a little more information and asked if we could handle $4500.  I again, reiterated our situation and she asked if $4000 was too much.  If everything works like it should this would be a remarkable buy…a great opportunity.  My last email to her was asking if the powers at be would consider $3500….unbelievable if they accept it.  About 30 minutes ago, I got off the phone with Laura, the person, selling the mower and she had informed me that she has not yet gone back to the group to see if they would consider $3500.  So that is still on hold. 

What I am asking for is help through alumni contributions.  Please don’t look at this like the chocolate fund raiser.  That will turn everybody’s head away.  Look at it just like I presented it here.  If most of you can contribute at least $50 that puts us in a position to make the purchase if the deal is good.  By that I mean, we get the good price, from a maintenance perspective it is in great condition, and it isn’t sold before we make the move. 

When I looked at the field on Tuesday afternoon it looked like it had managed from the mowing…only because they let it get too high.  Now I hear they are back mowing again as I write.  One last note.  I have been told by powers that be, that Cocoa Beach was going to get a TORO high speed rotary mower.  That certainly would be ideal although most folks in the profession prefer REEL mowers for athletic fields but it would be nice.  I haven’t seen that and the person I spoke to with TORO, the sales person, who deals with the District said the district has 5 high speed Rotary mowers and they use them on the Astronaut field and Titusville field.  FYI, those are 2 new fields. So, where does that leave us?  My gut, which is usually right, tells me we aren’t getting any high speed TORO rotary mower in the near future.  So, we have to move on our own.  Even if we make a good buy and eventually get the Rotary mower we are in just better shape.  The REEL mower is best for the playing field….no argument there from any good professional.  

Ok, I’m done.  I think we simply have a check list who is in and who is out.  No hard feelings.  If we don’t make the “weight” we simply don’t make the purchase and we deal with what we have dealt with up to this point.  Believe me this would make things much easier on many of us and would be best for the boys. If you would like to help us in our purchase, you can contact me through my email address listed below. 

Thanks for the time, 

Mark Provancha 

mark.j.provancha@nasa.gov 

Tony Piccalo 

Head Football Coach 

Physical Education 

321-783-1776 ext. 7003 

“MINUTEMEN PRIDE!”