Bobby Martinez (May 26, 1982-)

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Just as there is no new Michael Jordan waiting to fill the Nikes of his airness and no little Wayne Gretzky lacing into the magic skates of the Great One, there is no next Kelly Slater. He is the best we've ever seen, and in our lifetimes, we won't see his equal. But all that vacuum hype doesn't amount to a hill of frijoles for sturdy young Bobby Martinez.

Martinez is the heir apparent to the vacated throne, leading to unfair comparisons with Slater's unmatchable reign. Still a few years from ripeness at age 17, he has the foundation and talent to set him apart from the rest of Generation Y. But he doesn't dwell on the post-Slater hype. "I put more pressure on myself than anyone else does," he insists. "I don't really care about all that stuff."

At the age of six, Martinez hit the Santa Barbara surf. The mushy right-hand point Leadbetter's served as his preschool before graduating to Rincon. Soon after, he began an unprecedented assault on the NSSA, capturing seven national titles.

His so-called rivals during that stretch -- Fred Patacchia, Mike Todd and Mike Losness -- were no match for Martinez's combination of talent, focus and grooming. His stellar amateur career hints at future greatness for the compact goofyfoot -- similar to the pointbreak style and radical enthusiasm of fellow Rincon local Tom Curren.

Home-schooled for the past couple of years, Martinez graduated and set out on the ASP's 2000 World Qualifying Series. Along with the rest of his peers, he is vying for the coveted Top 44. Of course, a future world title is in the back of his mind, but he's not worried about fulfilling expectations as America's next monarch -- surfing for himself will be pressure enough. -- Jason Borte, October 2000