No other country has mastered the pipeline of talent that America has built.
That's why investors in Linn Energy demand an 8 percent yield compared with just 4.7 percent for Enterprise Products Partners, a $50 billion pipeline master limited partnership.
Each December, surfers compete for the coveted Pipeline Masters surf title.
At the prestigious Pipeline Masters on the North Shore of Oahu in 1999, Slater attempted a rodeo flip.
It was the 17th time Slater has competed in the Pipeline Masters, which is the longest running event in competitive surfing, at 38 years.
It was the 17th time Slater had competed in the Pipeline Masters, the longest-running event in competitive surfing at 38 years.
"Right now would be a great time to retire and just watch from the sidelines," Slater, 36, said Friday after winning his record sixth Pipeline Masters.
The wider surfing community first became aware of the tensions at the 2007 Pipeline Masters contest, when Brazil's Neco Padaratz became involved in a fight with North Shore regular Sunny Garcia.
Now, without a rival or anything to prove, Slater faces questions about his possible retirement after the season's final event in December, the prestigious Pipeline Masters, which he has won a record six times.
Hawaii's Pipeline Masters is the last stop on the world surfing tour and that scheduling, combined with Pipe's standing among the most dangerous waves on the planet, have conspired to produce extraordinary drama over the years.
The Pipeline Masters will run from Dec. 8 to Dec. 20 and will feature the world's top surfers, most likely including Kelly Slater and Andy Irons, above, ranked first and second on this year's championship tour.
