"He distinguished himself from his peers with a jutting blond Sons of the Confederacy beard and an extensive country-western CD collection.
The last time the former world number eight surfer Todd Holland featured on these pages he was recounting the time he was chased out of the water in Brazil by enraged surf fans after he got a paddle interference on Victor Ribas.
Todd Holland, twenty-five in 1993, 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. Gave him PTSD he said.
Matt Warshaw describes Holland thus,
Now, Holland, who is fifty-seven, is facing a long recovery after falling from a ladder while doin’ a little pruning in his backyard.
“I have an open book pelvic fracture, broken ribs, sternum, neck, back and have severely dislocated my elbow,” Holland writes on his GoFundMe page. “I have already been through four surgeries since my arrival. Having another one on Tuesday to help relocate my elbow that keeps popping out of place regardless of surgeries. No movement in my left hand and after my last back surgery I have a bit of weakness in my leg. Hoping to be out of hospital by next weekend.”
It was Kelly Slater’s big brother Sean who alerted BeachGrit to Todd Holland’s plight with a post on Instagram.
“Lifelong friend, neighbor, and surf buddy all over the world together as young and older people, Todd needs our help at this moment to heal,” Slater wrote.
View this post on Instagram
Want to help? He’s got twenty three gees out of the hundred needed. Donate here.
I shit you not, I fell off my ladder/roof on Saturday. Shit you not.
yeah, the Obama “AFFORDABLE CARE ACT” didn’t go so well, but if US taxpayers didn’t spend $400 billion on illegal immigrant subsidies (2022-2024), $200 billion on Ukraine (2022-2024), $80 billion annually on non-military worldwide foreign aide, and billions in waste, fraud and abuse, the top 50% (64 million people) who pay 97% of the taxes would probably be able to cover the other 340 million people in America that pay the remaining 3% of taxes.
That’s right, the American work force is 164 million people and the top 50% of wage earners (64 million) pay 97% of the taxes, so that means with socialized healthcare, the 64 million working citizens would have to pay for 340 million people.
How many people live in Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Canada, and Scandinavia? 168 million people combined.
I’m not great at maths, but it appears that the entire combined population of the countries you mention is 172 million people less than the population of The U.S..
Considering Oz has a population of 27m, of which 15m are employed, I’d say the lift is not as heavy as the U.S. 15m AUS taxpayers to support the non-employed 12 million as opposed to 64m to support 260m, but yeah we could probably do it if we weren’t paying to take care of and protect the rest of the world.
Sadly Obama’s Affordable Care Act increased insurance costs and fees significantly, and a lot of citizens out their health and media insurance because of it.
I am not opposed to universal health care. I just think it needs to be properly scaled and provide options.
My personal opinion is that social services, health and medical services should be a States issue, as every state has diffenrt needs and population structures.
sad you didn’t read the links I sent re: USA per capita spends 2 1/2 times more on Health cover than Europe /Australia …yet we and Europe have free medicare…..hmmm….the griftere are winning!
As the other guy said, students have to get health insurance as part of the visa. No insurance, no dice.
Its the useless findian students who come here for the PR, then bring their family over who rort it.
Its always a gaggle of the idiots, always driving a Camry or Honda Accord, mum hovering around in her sari with a limp and dad nowhere to be seen. They are fucking clueless.
Looks like the utter sadness that is the health care system in the U.S. was covered here already by Gila… pulling for Todd Holland and family no doubt…who here is old enough and likely a U.S. East Coaster (or wisely, a former East Coaster) to remember when the Holland family (basically Todd’s mom ran the show if I recall correctly) ran the surf travel agency, Surf Express? If you’re 40ish and up, chances are good your first trip as a clueless American kid to Central America was because of the phone call you made to Carol to the number in the quarter page ad in an ESM you thumbed for free at your local surf shop, and the paper packet you got in the mailbox with your plane tickets from TACA Airlines… Todd and his mother live in the hearts and memory (no matter how far gone) of old crusty 80’s-90’s nostalgia-inflicted East Coasters from Florida to Maine.
We’re pulling for you Todd.
I did indeed get one of those packets for my 1st Costa Rica visit in 1992. Great memories! Todd trying to pick up my girlfriend on the beach while I was in the water, not so much. She laughed at him so all good. Get well soon Todd!
This guy owns two of the gnarliest in-contest wipeouts ever. His chest first pile driver frontside floater at maxing HB during the OP Pro was one. The second and gnarlier one was him going up and over inside the lip on his backside on a massive Pipe left. Dude exemplified the uncanny trait of East Coast CT surfers who were raised on shit waves, but charged with the best of them. Hoping for a speedy recovery.
The Pipe wipeout is unforgettable. Can’t recall the HB one… anyone have the VHS tape and VCR still from when you recorded it on the 25-minute “ESPN production” of 80’s/90’s contests?
Found what I forgot all these years later… pre-Turpel commentary… the Whalebone Surf Shop sticker under the nose the only reason Todd’s board did not snap on that floater…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvkFPO1YjDU
Curren on a 6’9… at HB.
Well Todd was surfing real well but I think it might of had something to do with the board I was riding. lol.
the quintessential “Kook or Curren” for Chas and DLS to discuss on the podcast…
His Linden was going well..
That was a real radical and unusual lip ride to oblivion. Fast and smooth.
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
As always, a camera angle from above didn’t do justice for the size of the set waves at HB that day. The Curren pier shoot was more indicative of the size. In any other situation, a surfer would normally eject at the top and try and pin drop. But with recency bias in place, it almost seemed like Holland just said “fuck it. I’m just gonna see how long I can stay attached to my board ” knowing he was gonna get smashed – just as Marco Mignot did on his hail mary closeout at Margs.
Geez their boards look so long. And PT speaks so much shit.
I’ll still take him over Turps or Kaipo…
Ladders are cunts, every last one of them. It’s unbelievable how much worse they make any given fall from any given height. Sons of bitches.
get well soon dude, lousy break
So true. A rigger I knew was up a ladder (3 rungs) with a hammer drill. Drill caught, he came off and ended up a vegetable for 7 years before giving up.
hit the corner of the slab. Would have been 4′ off the ground, tops.
fucken ladders
“Lifelong friend, neighbor, and surf buddy all over the world together” needs $100k says lifelong friend who has a net worth of $40million.
“Todd needs our help at this moment to heal,” Slater wrote.”
* I was inder the impression that Australia was a constitutional monarchy.
**as a migrant to Australia, theres no free medicare to non residents. Having private health cover is a pre-requisite to get in, unless under a reciprocal health agreement (UK ect) so if the foreiign students granny turns up, they either paying cash or Bupa is civering it. (Trust me, I’m a doctor)
esit was going to cerrect the spelling, but couldnt be fucked
As much as I agree with what you write, I find it difficult to get the words of Firelipe Torpedo out of my head when I read your words.
Wouldn’t have happened if he’d watched Kaipos ladder induction
seriously – fucking bad luck and bad injuries but why does a Go Fund me happen at every turn ?
America, boss.
It’s replaced fundraisers, which used to be fairly common.
Used to get a box of chicken, but now you just help out with a few clicks.
Cause they all think it’s the right turn, but it ain’t, fools, go NASCAR!!!!!
Oh man. No bueno
i’m really really sorry about that, but you have only to blame yo self, ladders don’t kill, they merely mame, which is actually worse.
That’s helpful. Cheers.
On the subject of accidents in ya backyard.
I see on the line that an electric surfboard caught fire at Sumner beach (not exactly your backyard but closer than the rest of us) a couple of days ago.
Sounds intriguing so can ya let Derek and Chas know and suggest they do an article on the subject, they’ll just ignore me…
Cheers
Yeah I saw that! I asked on the CHCH surfers FB page, but no one came back with anything of interest.