We have no records of past relationships for Keala Kennelly. Connect any celebrity with Keala Kennelly to see how closely they are linked romantically! KK: Yeah, I was 17. Keala Kennelly (born August 13, 1978) is a professional surfer, DJ, and actress from Kauai, Hawaii. 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. I had to pump through three or four different sections and got spit out. So, I was absolutely terrified and I spent the majority of my time on the pro circuit in the closet and just completely terrified to come out completely terrified to get outed, that I was going to lose my sponsors. Discover short videos related to Keala Kennelly on TikTok. You can find out more and change our default settings with Cookies Settings. I got completely caught off guard by this west bowl lip that came down and exploded behind me. SOPHIE EVERARD. Explore the latest videos from hashtags: #kennelly, #kellyskennel . Not just to women, but to men as well. Keala Kennelly is lying on an operating table. Tyler Wright is another out championship surfer now, and it's so important because it helps LGBT youth say, "I can be me and still accomplish what I want.". She is known for being a Surfer. Kennelly, the first openly gay surfer to win a world surfing title, speaks with PEOPLE about that time in her life and if she believes things have changed in the years since. Locals still rule the renowned big-wave arena of Pe'ahi. The current WSL Women's Big Wave World Champion was born and. Kennelly: I had just all this internalized homophobia and self-hatred for being gay. There are still no openly gay athletes on the CT, though, she says. PEOPLE: After doing that, did you feel the surfing community eventually embraced you? Keala Kennelly is a 44 year old American Surfer born on 13th August, 1978 in Kauai, Hawaii, USA. A lot of community things are unspoken. In the last few years Keala has had much success as the first viable female free surfer. Browse the full lineup and get your ticket here. first woman to be invited to the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Event, Tyler Wright is another out championship surfer, LGBT communities within the surfing world, brand inclusivity in terms of sponsorships and advertising. A Norfolk Pine karate-chopped the house. Hurricane Iniki, September 1992. in English from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master's degree in Journalism from Columbia University. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "2002 Results: Kennelly Defeats Beachley In Teahupoo Final", http://www.surfersvillage.com/surfing-news/7910#.UehrN1NQ2sM, http://www.surfersvillage.com/surfing-news.php?id=16579#.UehxCFNQ2sM, "Keala Kennelly Wins 2010 Nelscott Reef Big Wave Event in Lincoln City Oregon", "Keala Kennelly Wins Billabong XXL Girls Performance Award! Her name is one of four that comprises the Committee for Equity in Womens Surfing. It saved my ligament from tearing which kept me off the surgeon's table, but poor muscles take a while to heal too. When I later started to be more open about my sexuality, I lost the majority of my endorsement deals and have been struggling ever since to continue my career as a pro surfer. Butch. This Winter saw the women charging on the North Shore, a Championship Tour event at Pipe and the crowning of a female Triple Crown champ. 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 Cincinnati. Kennelly: It makes me really happy that athletes are not having a struggle as I did. Red Bull Big Wave Awards - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BiIKBNXY-F0THE BIGGEST WAVES SURFED IN 2020!! He was pissed and smashed my sandwich into my face and we were about to start throwing blows when security broke us up. Big way surfer Keala Kennelly has been fighting for women . The crash was so severe that it earned Kennelly the Red Bull Big Wave Wipe Out of the Year award. Movies. KK: I believe it has. [9] In 2023, she was one of the first women to compete in The Eddie. And the thing is . Marcus Sanders. I think I would have stopped hiding who I was sooner. Keala Kennelly is one of the most successful competitive female surfers of all time. KK: Surfing with all those boys in Kauai is what got me into bigger, more powerful waves. Everything that matters in surf + outdoorsdirectly to you inbox. With her pain increasing, Kennelly eventually opted to undergo an operation on her hip last May. We were always trying to outdo each other, go bigger. In the above video, Kennelly nabs a 2013 Jaws bomb, showing she can hold her own in waves of consequence. In 2016, Valenti teamed up with other female surfers from the event including Andrea Moller, Keala Kennelly and Paige Alms to form the Committee for Equity In Women's Surfing. Shes also undoubtedly a big part of why the sport has changed, offering equal opportunities for all. I dont like to look back and regret things. I lost most of my sponsors after starting to live my life as an out lesbian I was told that I was no longer "marketable," even though I was nominated for an ESPY and was the first woman to be invited to the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Event. surfers in the world and arguably the best female big wave surfer on the. Keala Kennelly wins the Red Bull Big Wave Awards WIPEOUT OF THE YEAR for her heavy beat down at Jaws, Hawaii on February 11, 2020. Andrea Moller made it two-thirds of the way down her wave before hitting a bump and cartwheeling. Its like a form of entertainment for them. 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The case status is Pending - Other Pending. He has a B.A. The whole thing scared the shit out of me. Whereas for the five to 10 years I was doing it, there were no competitions, there was no prize money, there was no incentive really. Browse the full lineup and get your ticket here.Or, subscribe to Wavelength now to get free . KEALA KENNELLY was introduced to surfing at a young age by her father and living in Hawaii meant there were always lots of opportunities for her get on her board and hit the waves. Im agnostic but I do believe there is something much greater than myself, that something beyond our understanding exists. 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. Help us build our profile of Keala Kennelly! Surfer Keala Kennelly attends the 10th Annual XXL Billabong Big Wave Awards at Grove Theater on April 23, 2010 in Anaheim, California. My last few years on tour everyone pretty much knew I was gay. From that moment on, it went from a chill session with the boys to a much more aggressive pack trying to prove Bruce wrong. ", "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. Behind The Scenes On Blue Crush With Keala Kennelly. Keala Kennelly (born August 13, 1978) is a professional surfer, DJ, and actress from Kauai, Hawaii. KK: I was terrified somebody would find out about my dirty little secret and I would be an outcast. Keala was born in Honolulu, the capital and largest city of Hawaii. PEOPLE: What were you feeling at the time? So, it's worth it. Tell me about how living with bipolar depression has impacted your surfing, or vice versa. 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. Keala Kennelly, the professional surfer who came out years ago, has given a fantastic interview to fellow out surfer Craig Butler, who has posted the . I guess I was most afraid that Id lose my sponsors and never get a real shot at the world title. Who is Keala Kennelly dating? "But it's not really the award you want to win when you set out at the beginning of the season.". 69.9k Followers, 1,334 Following, 1,608 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Keala Kennelly (@kealakennelly) kealakennelly. 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. 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. Surfer Keala Kennelly attends the 10th Annual XXL Billabong Big Wave Awards at Grove Theater on April 23, 2010 in Anaheim, California. After finishing 2nd in the world on the WQS Tour in 1997, she was accepted to the World Championship Tour and quickly began earning victories at some of the tour's biggest events. Keala Kennelly and Malia Manuel paddled out for a sunset spritz. 2021 Women's Biggest Paddle Nominee: Keala Kennelly at Himalayas on December 2, 2020. I think the pressure of it hyperextended my knee in an unnatural way that tore a muscle - I tore this little muscle right behind my knee that attaches your calf to the back of your knee called the popliteus. PEOPLE: And one of the companies sponsoring you today is Flex. That train of thought led me to the movie _Blue Crush,_ but then I thought: _Why should I post an actress pretending to be a surfer? Bruce was there and he was on the beach when I got this incredible wave, a really long backhand barrel. Am I going to go back?" I am so humbled right now. She is a celebrity surfer. When I was a little girl growing up on #Kauai I had many heros from #LairdHamilton to #TitusKinimaka #AndyIrons #BruceIrons and on and on but I had one #hero I never got to meet and that was #EddieAikau. He was always out there on the big days at the bay. Thats always pushed me harder, to prove them wrong and try to be better. And it almost killed me.. Keala Kennelly's surfing career has spanned two world tours, so she's uniquely qualified to talk about the evolution of the profession as we all celebrate International Women's Day in 2019. Video from Ken Kosada. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. 2021 Women's Performer Of The Year Nominees. Thats what makes me fight until I break the surface and get a breath. 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. And, probably, the first former Championship Tour (CT) surfer ever to star in an HBO series. Fear helps keep you alive. After a heroic performance at The Eddie, Keala Kennelly faces a painful reality. As appeared in Wavelength, 2021. It's still very homophobic, and there's not a lot of brand inclusivity in terms of sponsorships and advertising. To be the first there are no words to describe what an #Honor this is for me I would like to thank #ClydeAikau and the entire #Aikau family. 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 Cincinnati. I'd already come out as a lesbian, and then I had to have a second coming out as a mentally ill person? Her various top finishes won Kennelly the year's coveted Triple Crown of Surfing. KK: NoI dont know. 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. Good luck tonight LaLa at the Surfer Poll Awards. Today, the Eddie has received the green light and history is about to be made with the women paddling out alongside the men at Waimea Bay for the first time in the Eddies 39-year history. That was a real turning point for me, says Kennelly, now 38. But Kennelly who runs AKKTIVE, a women's board shorts company is used to facing obstacles and succeeding in the face of adversity. Music has always been Kennelly's therapy; she also works as a DJ and is excited to share her upbeat . 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. What opportunities do you see for creating community for LGBTQ+ people and folks with mental illnesses in the surfing world? Kennelly says that it was "not okay to be a lesbian" and that if you did prefer shaved babylike snatches to rock-and-cock Tom Selleck lookalikes it was "career suicide." | Photo: Steve Sherman//@tsherms Big-wave world champ and LGBTQ+ icon Keala Kennelly reveals her "self-hatred for being gay" and how playing straight on the world . Kennelly has both been nominated for and won numerous big wave awards. After I survived that experience, I let my walls down and became more open again. to add information, pictures and relationships, join in discussions and get credit for your contributions. The perfect gift for the surfer in your life. I was in Costa Rica for a one-star WQS event when my appendix ruptured and I had to be rushed to the nearest hospital in this small town. There's already such a stereotype for female athletes. PEOPLE: Considering your experiences, do you have advice or any words of encouragement for anyone who might be nervous about coming out? She is an actress, known for John from Cincinnati (2007), Blue Crush (2002) and Beyond the Break (2006). She remembers constantly feeling like she was under a microscope and feeling pressure from the ASP toturn a blindeye to her true self. A powerful wave threw her from her surf board while she was in shallow water into a coral reef. He started at PEOPLE's Los Angeles Bureau as a writer and reporter in 2017 and interviewed the likes of Kobe Bryant, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tom Brady. Video from Ken Kosada. I liked to push myself, and I liked being challenged. Three days later while riding in a memorial heat for Andy Irons during the Billabong Pro Men's WCT, Kennelly suffered a massive facial injury. Keala Kennelly is a professional surfer, surfer DJ, and actress from Kauai, Hawaii. What's missing? 2021 Women's Ride Of The Year Kennelly Keala at Himalayas on December 2, 2020. Photo: Keoki Saguibo. All you backsiders out here, KK just got a barrel that shit on all your faces! Then he paddled off, laughing to himself. (Video by Carlo Carbajal. There are six women nominated for the prestigious Performer of the Year award at the 2021 Red Bull Big Wave Awards, here's their stories. As of 2022, Keala Kennelly is possibly single. Login Anna Dimond. 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? Keala Kennelly. They make a sport out of putting each other down. Then, Keala took a break from surfing to pursue acting. Release Calendar Top 250 Movies Most Popular Movies Browse Movies by Genre Top Box Office Showtimes & Tickets Movie News India Movie Spotlight. Keala Kennelly joins me on March 30th, which happens to be World Bipolar Day, as we discuss the stigma around mental disorders during a critical time in our history when everyone needs access to resources in the battle against depression. The 35-year-old Kennelly suffered a severe injury to her face while competing in Teahupoo, Tahiti, in 2011. Surfing wouldnt be the same. 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. Been fighting for women the beginning of the companies sponsoring you today is Flex women to compete in world. Lala at the beginning of the season. `` had much success as the former... Been nominated for and won numerous Big Wave Awards - https: //www.youtube.com/watch? v=BiIKBNXY-F0THE BIGGEST waves SURFED 2020! Big-Wave arena of Pe'ahi kk just got a barrel that shit on all your faces, kellyskennel! 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