After being asked to play the role as a contributing blogger for the Surfers Candy I was eager to get started right away. I set up my account, updated my profile, and added some photos but when it came to publishing my first post my process came to a halt. What was I going to write about?? I could write about my contest in Virginia Beach this weekend or post a new video but you can find results and videos on any surf info site. That’s whats so awesome about surfers candy. Living up to the words on the “about page” it really does feature content that you can’t find anywhere else on the net and that’s the direction I want to keep my blogs on this site. If you want to know what contest or trip I’m at, how I’m doing, or where I’ll be next that’s fine. Just follow me on twitter or look on any other surf site. Then after you do, come back to surfers candy and see whats going on behind the scenes.

As not to contradict myself, this post is going to be about the Rob Kelly that you might not know (considering the fact that your on this site right now and more then likely are a surfer). I’m going to talk about my shoobie/weekend warrior days. I was born in Pennsylvania and lived there for 80% of my life thus far. I don’t think even the slightest knowledge of the existence of surfing came into my head until I went out to Hawaii to visit my family when I was 10. My uncle, who is an avid surfer and northshore local, took me out that summer and I fell in love with surfing. I wouldn’t shut up about my 30 minutes of glory getting pushed into Waikiki rollers all summer. When my family went to Ocean City for our yearly labor day weekend vacation I made sure to stop at 7th Street Surf shop when I found out they gave surfing lessons. I remember being told my instructor Matt was outside and to go out and meet him. Little did I know that my instructor would be me travel partner and competitor almost a decade later. I just want to “surf”.
I bought a board, started collecting all the gear and I eventually reached full weekend warrior status. I did that for the next five years until one day Jason Arnold from Vonzipper and Billabong approached me on the beach after encouragement from Larry Friedel the surf shop owner I started to be associated with. When I came home with a box full of stuff and pictures with Benji Weatherly and the other team guys on the tour bus, my parents decided to move my brother and I down into our vacation home full time. We enrolled in OCHS just in time and were officially locals.
From there I devoted all my focus on getting better and doing what I needed to do to climb the ranks as grom and eventually turn pro after high school. From being a non-surfer to a 1 lesson a summer kid then a weekend warrior to a full time pro, Ive known and experienced all lifestyles of surfing. And I respect each and every one of them all the same. So whether your also a traveling pro or have taken a lesson with me, come down to surf when ever you can get a ride to the beach or don’t even surf at all – check back and see whats going on here at surferscandy.com. There will always be something you can relate to or will find interesting. I encourage you to comment on anything and I’ll do my best to interact and answer any questions you might have. Thanks for keeping up! -Rob