“That incident in Brazil ended my career.”
Readers of BeachGrit have long become familiar with the passionate, as it has become euphemistically known, behaviour of Brazilian surf fans.
A brief primer:
Read,
and
And on and on.
Earlier today, and thanks to the Quiver Podcast, the surf fan was reminded of Florida pro surfer Todd Holland’s experience with Brazilian surf fans in 1993 that left the Floridian with PTSD.
Holland, who was trying to prequalify for the tour in a regional WQS event in Sao Paulo, needed one result to get him back in the game. He got a paddle interference on local Victor Ribas and then the crowd went nuts after the commentator whipped ’em into a frenzy of righteous anger.
Holland was chased in the water, punched in the head, and only escaped with his life when armed police, guns out, got him to the safety of a jail cell. He was advised to shave his beard and get out of the country, which he did, hidden on the floor of a car that raced him to the airport.
Unable to ever go back to Brazil, his pro career was done.
In a classic surf journalism move, Holland’s interlocutor on the podcast is made uncomfortable by an actual story unfolding before him and so quickly shifts the conversation, but the moment is interesting for a couple of reasons: the way Holland’s voice drops and goes quiet, the pain, and the interesting fact Brazilian surf fans were nuts long before the keyboard jockeys could get into a foreign surfer’s DMs or light up on the WSL’s otherwise lightly used IG.
Commented on Disqus? Log out, tap the Disqus button, and your old name and comments come back. The box is ours.
Your comments are still here. Every one of them.
Twelve years of BeachGrit comments came across from Disqus. Connect and we will show you how many are yours. We get your username, nothing else.
Connect Disqus to reveal.
Holland joins the victim list of the Brazilian storm (including girl surfers in Bali not wanting to get punched, surfing an uncrowded spot anywhere in the world, WSL judges not properly scoring airs, people calling Fil scared to charge big reef waves, deforestization of the Amazon, white dudes doing ju juitsu, Italo’s chin)…frankly too many victims left in the Brazilian Storm’s dust.
Teco padaratz needed police escort after winning the sunset pro against a local. Makua Rothman punched Paulo Moura during a heat after Moura used his priority then had to be escorted out of Hawaii.
picuruta Salazar, Peterson Rosa had similar situations.
Mate you keep writing about Brazil and their fans because it’s the only way you get clicks in this shittie garage blog.
Beach Grit bringing something from the past because it has nothing better to publish. You are one sad, racist publication.
Yet here you are, reading, posting, supporting from Brazil.
Yeah, drop in on Josh Moniz or Mason Ho at the Pipe Masters and expect nothing from Da Hui, right?
Considering it’s now more of a brand than enforcer of the North Shore, wouldn’t expect too much from them for a drop in during a contest. Learn about it.
Todd Holland was the EC Dino Andino. A nice, boxy stance and a hack that would make your Momma’s knees go weak!
Brazil was the last western hemisphere nation to abolish slavery. So they have like a 20+ year span where they kept not evolving compared to their neighbors.
Classic surf journalism.
Julian Wilson and Kolohe also left the Tour, after years of abuse by the Brazilians…
BG Brazilian Tour, hosted by Barton Lins;
We will show you-
– the place were Occy was arrested and released, after smoking a joint before his heat and becoming World Champ.
– RCJ former house in Guaruja, were lots of fun happened
– Jiujitsu classes with Renan Rocha, where he will tell stories about Peterson Rosa
– The office were Fast Eddie had coffee in São Paulo
– Adriano de Souza neighborhood where he grew up
– Ítalos grandparents fish store, up North
– How to get good cocaine without getting screwed
– HHOur with 10 KS former girlfriends
– Surf shop stop, where you can buy a box of FUWAX
– A weekend in Floripa… Girls evexrywhere, specially if you are a blond Gringo
– Mandatory Football game, where you will see that NFL is absolutely ridiculous.
– You will have more fun than EVER. And meeet some REAL people.
I really think you should make this a real tour and a real business – you could do very well with gringo visitors who are interested in Brasil but do not know anything – where to go or what to do and cannot speak three words of Portuguese Brasileiro.
You can be his first client JSC, as you are likely the only person in the world who would give a flying fuck about those “tour” stops (except maybe HHOour and Floripa). Can’t imagine spending 30 seconds with this insufferable cunt.
I already know all this from several extended visits to Brasil, from Bahia to Santa Catarina, thanks – it is ignorant idiots like yourself that need to do this tour
Barton Lins’ Brazilian Surf Travel Agency:
Book trip to land of shit waves and local surf culture that equates surfing with soccer hooliganism!
You will like! Much great REAL peoples!
We have rich surf history here where famous surfers are have been robbed, abducted, and/or threatened with MUCH good violence!
Free jiujitsu arm bars if you want roll around on ground with another grown man’s balls in your face!
You will eat ALL the açaí and have ALL the funs!
You been there?
Ive lived there and ive loved there, was a great experience!
Dude, this is such a half way told story!!! Todd was a complete dick in this occasion, everyone knows that. Do your research Rielly!! Besides, HB has proven time and time again that Americans are the real counts! What about hawaii, when contests were decided over intimidation?!? Ozzies busting down the doors?? I mean, this clickbait here is just shameless…
Forget it amigo. Os caras fazem de proposito
If you need the locals in Hawaii as a point of reference to justify a behavior…
Just another Brazzo telling bullshit stories. Fuckers keep referring to HB as if its some actual surf destination as opposed to a piece of shit area with horrendous waves.
Why do you hate Brasileiros so much?
It is rather obvious –
He refers to HB because y’all love to call us violent but the most violence to take place during a surf contest was at HB and it happened more than once. A man was literally murdered during an event. He’s merely calling out your hypocrisy, mate.
No, I called out Americans and ozzies too… 🤷
Thats like calling out the nazis in ww2. Doesnt make it ok, whatever youre up to:)
Oh thank you for calling me out Mr. Right
No worries, any time bro. Anything for another human, especially one born in the golden year of 1976. They sure dont make em like us any more:)
ya should hear RCJ’s story about Todd and a killer crowd takes on a literal meaning…Froth CJ actually went to the police station and drove him to the airport……and from memory Todd was a collegiate wrestler- great guy!
BANANAS, BANANAS AND A SUNDAY~
I remember the Brazil section of a ‘sarges surfing scrapbook’ volume, it was fucking nuts. the local fans were in a frenzy.
can’t remember the ins and outs, but it may have been the year of the todd holland incident?
I did lol at that “In a classic surf journalism move” line.
RESEARCHING THE OLD TESTAMENT. IN OR OUT?
The QuiverCast.. hilarious
Classic. Always liked Holland.
charger
A DANISH…
Victor Ribas is local to the Cabo Frio area, north of Rio – not the litoral Paulista near São Paulo.
https://www.instagram.com/ribassurfschoolcabofrio/
Cabo Frio is awesome
You are no one in the surf world until a brazilian threatens to kill you.
or perhaps you are no one in Brazil until you threaten to kill someone, with the intent to actually follow through.
Yes… with automatic rifles in Schools… Like it happen monthly in the ‘states’
yet you can’t provide a single example of that actually happening.
don’t to have a mass shooting to worry about instead?
That was heavy. Dedicated his whole life to the sport and it’s ruined by some macho idiot fans, Renato Hickel and Graham Cassidy at the ASP. Shameful.
The only thing softer than Brazilian surf fans is Filipe little lion heart
Don’t worry, that Barton Lins fool says Brazil and Brazilians are the greatest of all time. Everything negative you hear about Brazil and Brazilians is a lie. He is a Brazilian-Israeli so he must be Wright.
Yes! And I’m not Israeli, I am a Brazilian Jew. Oy vey, this California boy just don’t get it. VIVA! We are not the greatest, we are what we are. Come visit us! GRINGOS WITH a GOOD ATTITUDE will have the time of their life’s. Just ask Kelly, Ross Clark, and people who know how to travel. Pro Surfers here are treated like Gods. Todd was an idiot. Go visit the world, Cali boy. Get ou of Beachgrit
Imagine deciding to spend one’s hard earned savings on a surf trip to Brazil tho😂😂😂
You can get very good waves in Brasil, if you know where to go and when to go there – https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
I got bashed on panama beach in broad daylight. It sucked but makes for a good story now.
I didn’t do anything wrong, just a bunch of punks wanted my cheap but shiny rip curl watch.
I don’t hold it against anyone except the bustards that robbed me. But they got caught, so I hope they got fucked up the ass in jail.
My apologies, couldn’t recall if it was Jewish or Israeli. BTW, you do realize Kelly has skipped every Brazilian tour stop for the last many, many years? So, I agree that he knows how/where to travel.
Todd was an idiot because he hassled a brazzo in the water during a heat? It’s a contest FFS. And hassling, even interference is a part of the game. By your standards, I guess that makes Medina the biggest fuckin idiot on earth then. What would you be saying if Medina came out of the water after a heat with Jordy in South Africa and got assaulted by some Zaffas and had to be snuck out of the country?
Kelly hates Brazil and Brazilians. it’s high time brazzos started treating him like the asshole he is.