The Curren vs. Occy bout highlights the importance of choosing a stable sponsor.
Despite being a lovably unstable personality, Occy has been steadily employed by Billabong for his entire career. Hell, they even stuck with him when he looked like Rosie O’Donnell-with-a-bad-dye-job, and smelled like Gary Busey. (Ironically, that gamble worked so well for Billabong that they’re now giving it a try with AI.)
Curren, on the other hand, was cast aside by primary clothing sponsor Ocean Pacific in ‘91, soon after failing to place logo stickers on his magic 7′3″ Haleiwa-winning Maurice Cole.
It’s been a rocky road for Op since then. They’ve followed the Michael Jackson path: 80s icon turned into plastic caricature of itself, only to die suddenly and then be mass-marketed after it’s death.
Granted, a few years ago, Op was on the verge of a retro-cool comeback, sponsoring Joel Tudor, Taylor Knox, and Greg Long. Op tried to reclaim it’s roots and link current California heroes to the past generations of Team Op.
But a visit to OP.com nowadays tells a different story: Click on “Team Op” and you’ll find pictures of D-list Hollywood celebutantes, and no pictures of surfers. Op now sponsors Joel Madden, the poison petifore from Good Charlotte who was stupid enough to impregnate Nicole Richie TWICE.
Last year, Op “sponsored” an impressive team that included Rumer Willis (Daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore or Mr. Potato Head and Jay Leno) and Pete Wentz. For those fortunate enough not to know, Pete Wentz is the uber-emo-douche from Fall Out Boy who was stupid enough to both marry AND impregnate Ashlee Simpson. Sensing a pattern here?
To cap things off, Op clothing is now exclusively sold at WalMart, which makes you wonder why they’re bothering to advertise in Surfer or Surfing anymore.
Just to clarify - this is not OK. Sponsoring Todd Holland was bad enough. But Pete Wentz? The man flat-irons his hair and named his cash-cow celebuspawn Bronx Mowgli.
It’s an impressive thing to leverage a brand that once aligned itself with Tom Curren, and re-align it with Pete Wentz. Third sign of the apocalypse, in fact.
I’m heading to Walmart right now.
WOOHOO suck on that bitches i’m the first to comment hahaha… wait i should probably read the post first though….
goddamnit Hugh you son of a bitch!!!
Lance shit the bed for all to see. Sorry buddy.
What’s your problem with Todd Holland, Lewis?
thats some hard hitting reporting. op sucks. and in other news, the sky is still blue. shocking.
More a collection of celebutards than celebutantes.
OP isn’t a company anymore, it is a brand that is owned by Ed Hardy parent, Iconix Brand Group (Nasdaq Ticker: ICON). As I recall, OP was obliterated in the late 80s-early 90s recession. Billabong trades on the ASX. While it has no ADR program, global trading is possible through funds-of-funds.
Meanwhile, ZQK trades at US$1.72 on the NYSE and carries a mountain of expensive debt. Volcom is doing fine with very little debt at US$11.56 per share. Then again, they don’t throw cash away by sponsoring surf contests and by sponsoring overpriced pro surfers who are little more than a loss-leader.
Volcom has bruce i and Dingo, but I’m sure their deals are a drop in the bucket compared to what ZQK throws away on Slater and Dane.
How easily we forget…yes, they have sponsored ‘the other Curran’.
OP press release from April, 2000: “The signing of Curran solidifies Op’s commitment to professional surfing…
…Dick Baker, chairman and chief executive officer of Ocean Pacific, said, “Our commitment to Tim reflects the importance of the core market and having credibility. We are very pleased to have him as part of the family.”
Earlier this year, Ocean Pacific announced the launch of the Op Pro division. Designed for generation “Y” surfers and distributed to surf and specialty retailers only.”
http://surf.transworld.net/2000/04/26/ocean-pacific-tim-curran-signs-with-op/
Wait, if you where a mid west teeny bopper cruising in to walmart to get some new duds, would you be more influenced by the other, other “Curran” (Nathanial), a top 45 under-performer who’s claim to fame is a future 8.76 heat score at Jay Bay or a trend setting pop/punk rock star who sleeps with media made wannabe hot chicks from celebrity families. No, fine. Wear your Alpine Stars t-shirt with pride, you can comfortably knock knuckles with the head to toe tattooed jackass from bakersfield and feel “core”. All brands are selling the same shit, just under different veiled marketing schemes. Cool aid tastes good.
@pobby:
stock tips on postsurf? im gonna smash my piggy bank and run down to scott trade and buy two shares of volcom.
It cracks me up how predictable, and hypocritical, Lewis is.
Todd Holland was a classic example of a real surfer. Down to earth and shunning the limelight while charging Backdoor like a mutha despite his home of record. He is the exact opposite of the ball licking world that Lewis demonizes.
HOWEVER. Since Todd is a good old conservative southern boy that doesn’t fit the Lewis Samuels vision of cool he is tossed a side jab in Post Surf.
Hey Lewis if this Post Surf thing never gets going financially I suggest that you get a job writing for the New York times or reporting for MSNBC. Those guys get paid killer dough for bad mouthing good, solid Americans who happen to have a conservative outlook.
I remember ditching school to go watch the O.P. Pro down at the harbor…
Nailed it. And wow, pit e full.
P.S. Todd Holland is a fucking wanker. Did charge a few Backdoor sets though.
I would like to marry and impregnate Ashley Simpson some day.
One time in grade school my helmet escaped the bottom of my Op cord shorts, pretty embarrassing thing to happen when you’re in third grade, nowadays that would be fine, except my legs are too fat and fill the shorts too tight to let my trouser-snake peak out—anybody got a pair of Jimmy Zs shorts? I miss playing pocket pool through the side with the velcro belt—the direct access was awesome.
http://calirally.transworld.net/
@ Occy’s Mum
Your son is going DOWN to Curren.
The first obvious point here is that Karina Petroni had better call OP, and fast — that young lady is a gold mine. Secondly, unless i have missed it while idly perusing the other posts, it seems that we have neglected to mention that a certain Mr. Slater also rode for OP, though I would be hard pressed to come up with the years. Now, we should all honestly ask ourselves a very simple question: What do Kelly Slater and Pete Wentz have in common?
Answer: They both make a lot more money than we do for doing things that are less important.
I really like to watch Kelly Slater surf. It’s impressive, awe inspiring, aesthetically very agreeable, but essentially useless outside of the realm of entertainment. So, OP goes from paying young men who surf, to paying young men who make shitty music — does this mean that OP and the greater surf industry has sold out to the evil “mainstream”. No. They did that long ago, the second they started a surfwear company and provided us with those swim trunks and t-shirts that I can safely assume every man and woman who frequents this site wore at one time or another. The only surfer I can think of off the top of my head who aren’t currently “selling out” live in Gaza. And with all due respect, I don’t envy them. Check’em out:
http://surfermag.com/features/onlineexclusives/god_went_surfing_with_the_devil/
OP is now at WalMart, and Channel Islands has a “Flagship” store on Melrose Ave. Smack in the middle of tinsel town? Very near the Ed Hardy store and Fred Segal?
Sellout is a whips and leather bitch!
@Mark, you’re correct. Its very typical with lewis to take jabs at FL (or anyone from FL) any chance he can get.
Todd Holland rips. Fact. Wanker? hardly. Thats just a word brits and aussies use instead of actually thinking.
I think this lewis guy was burned by a floridian once and never let it go. It’s rather obvious.
The entity that sponsored Tom Curren no longer exists. It’s like comparing the Canyons shaped by Rusty & co to the ones shaped in China.
i love my OP shorts from walmart. they fit great and help me look uber cool when i cruise to the beach and go for a surf. i love to ride waves and play volleyball at the beach. i like to get nice and tan so my white puka shells contrast nicely on my golden skin. OP makes great shorts and sells them for a great price. I love walmart and i love surfing. i love life. i love love. i wish walmart sold surfboards. then they would be so gosh darn expensive. walmart prices their products at a fair price. i purchased my golf clubs from there also. i love being from Fresno. central valley ROCKS. we have good produce. i love our produce. i think i will head down to pismo this weekend. or maybe i will cruise to santa cruz. seems like they might have a bit more swell. see you guys out at the lane this weekend :)
ooops i meant that if walmart sold boards they wouldn’t be so expensive
why you gotta mess with Todd Holland, Lewis?
and why, dear God, why Mark do you have to equate Lewis’ slam of Todd with the latter being a “good old conservative southern boy”?
two idiotic comments, albeit from different ends of the idiot spectrum, a mediocre blog post comment does not make….
I still have this neon-pink OP Tee back from 89′… OMFG it’s still so gay !! OP ruled, but now seems as core & legitimate as Von Dutch or Christian Audigier…fucking shame i tell ya.
Lewis Samuel, we want the fucken POWER RANKINGS !!!
As far as I remember, Todd Holland was the first and the last pro surfer to have a mullet. That’s the problem with Todd Holland as far as I’m concerned.
And by the way, Op was always gay. I dare anyone to wear a pair of those tight fitting, hip-hugging corduroy shorts nowadays.
@Mark
When does being a conservative and surfing go together? Get the fuck out of the water, if it was up to conservatives the ocean would be made a big pile of shit in the name of economic development.
@Ronald Nixon:
Fair enough. However, I will say that in the realm of ’80’s era fashion mistakes, the unironic mullett is a pretty minor offense (see, e.g. Richie Collins). Especially if you’re a genuine redneck from a place know for gutless waves who charges on the North Shore without hesitation.
Maybe it was my own unironic mullet and East Coast provenance, but Todd Holland was my favorite surfer of the era.
Funny seeing what’s happened to these old surfwear companies. Sundek is now an Italian company, Maui & Sons’ entire line consists of 3 t-shirts, Hang Ten is on sale at Kohl’s, Victory wetsuits make rash guards. Anybody interested in reviving the Catchit license? Target?
@ Bubba: does that make the ironic mullet a major offense? How do you tell them apart?
power rankings. let’s go.
Indeed they did sponsor ‘the other Slater’ as well. So, could that be the connection to Todd Holland, which is the connection to Florida, which is the connection to Lewis Samuels’ love/hate relationship with The Goods Brothers, which is the connection to Christian surfers, which is the connection leading to the drinking problem?
“…The company has sponsored more world surfing champions than any other brand, including Tom Curren and Kelly Slater.”
http://coolspotters.com/brands/op-ocean-pacific
@ Not a Conservative
Hi Stu.
@ Nick
I figured since Todd is a good ole mud bogging Molly Hatchett listening southern boy that he is most likely conservative by nature. It is called profiling. Kind of like I figure you to be a hybrid driving patchouli wearing stinky frickin hippy. Understand now?
Posted on insurfnews J-Bay:
By this afternoon, the surf picked up a tad but it was still pretty meager. So, the rumor of a swell may have been more of a myth. And, the next rumor of swell isn’t supposed to hit until the 12th. If that proves to be true it could have major implications for the contest.
It’s no secret that many of the WT surfers dislike the new seeding format. Billabong has pledged to utilize the new format for all of its WT events, J Bay included. However, the surfer’s union, the ASP Board, and Billabong came to a compromise that they would utilize the old format if they are able to run within the first three days of the waiting period. So, if the swell comes in on the 12th, the fourth day of the waiting period, we’ll see the dreaded new do or die format come into play. So, keep in mind when your making your fantasy surfer picks, the top-16 surfers are seeded into the second round. And, the 17-20th and possibly 21st seed will have wildcards. That being, Kekoa Bacalso, Timmy Reyes, Dayan Neve, Dustin Barca, and Chris Ward respectively. But, this is the ASP so anything could change without notice. So, stay tuned.
You suck Lewis! Todd Holland is cool as shit!!
Ban Nick!!!
Ban Nick!!!!
Ban Nick!!!!
good one. a friend was commissioned by Ashley Simpson to do a painting for Pete wentz’ birthday and was very distraught over the matter. they named their kid bronx mowgli? thats fucked up. also i back todd holland. and it looks like slater is going to win the world title this year. you heard it here first. from me.
@ CaliGirl
So another one-and-done event for Dane “I’m not the next David Eggers or Nicky Wood yet” Reynolds?
Gidget and Moondoggie have the same haircut. Yeah.
Tom carroll misjugded how hard todd holland charged and it cost carroll a world title. I got to watch the 88 billabong contest at pipe. Holland was way to deep and way to late on a monster in his heat with carroll. Carroll, believing no one in there right mind would go where holland was sitting, took off, got an interference as holland pulled in to a near close out behind him. Barton Lynch ended up with the crown.
Skatelab. http://www.theextremescene.com/blog/skatelab-joins-op-selling-out-walmart
Please, Mark…do you think I’d post with grammar like that?
Todd Holland is from Emerald Isle, North Carolina.
No heats on demand means no Power Rankings after Brazil. Parkos 3rd is huge also and hasn’t been mentioned at all in the press releases. All Slater hype which is understandable. Did Rabbit take all the dream surf with him this year? Huge loss but at least they still have Fatty Al. The Icon clash is the best idea in a long time and Curren will smoke him unless Occy really has been training like he says. If he is any where near the old 1000 sit ups routine then it’s game on.
Why don’t they bring back any of the cool companies…like Hot Tuna.
I’m starting a grassroots effort to have a heat between Jason Buttonshaw and David Eggers during the Hurley/OP/Bluetoch/Gotcha Pro.
Weird you wrote about this, as I was just pondering the fact that during the height of Curren’s popularity, OP was already pretty much dead as a surf brand. Think about it, by ‘83, Gotcha and Quicksilver were what all the kids were wearing, despite the fact that Curren was their favorite surfer. Don’t get me wrong, I love Curren, but was anyone buying OP because the best surfer on the planet had their logo on his board? From my perspective, no. Which brings me to previous debates over why some surfers get sponsored over others–because it fits their brand, not because they are the hottest surfer on the tour.
OP initially watered down their brand back in the 80’s. They got greedy and expanded outside of surfshops via Kmart and lost their “cool” overnight. This is actually their second fuck up depending on how its viewed. After Mossimo got boring with the hip crowd Target bought the brand and has made a killing.
@ Mark. I agree. Todd Holland was a solid surfer and character. Had a mouth but it never seemed flap without warrant…like ol’ knucklehead Sunny did/does/will.
First!! You grimy little snaggletoothed sons of motherless goats!
@ not a conservative….. confronting Mark with hypocrisy is useless. Your analysis is spot on, your analogy rings true and Mark CAN’T hear you….. The myopia of salvation means it’s cool to trash the earth because you are special and have a different destiny.
Cote, aren’t you already married? Impregnating Ashley Simpson might not be such a good decision, pull out and spray the bitch instead.
Hot Tuna, then Platt’s, Beach Towne and the recycled to death T&C.
Oooops!
My bad.
Nug, Hot Tuna isn’t dead: http://www.hottunaint.com/
Erik,
thank you for your biographical knowledge of obsolete former pros. We are all better people now knowing that Holland is from a slighyly more northern southern state.
Also, you may not use “Erik” as your ______ says: name. It took me a long time to earn my “K” (thanks Mike) and I don’t want to be confused with your Todd Holland Fan Club self.
Thanks again,
Erik
Todd Holland is actually from a little place called I Don’t Give a Shit.
fuck both you erik’s, i’m the real erik and i think it’s funny to steal other people’s names. har har har. i can be blasphlegmy or mike or smearnajeff or peterperfect anytime i want too. and, it’s sooo funny too.
Lol @ My Mum 5:13pm
Hammy doesn’t like stale. Occy vs. Curren…strictly back of the refrigerator. Would be better to remember them when they were fresh and crispy.
I not only am going to jump start the umpteenth resurrection Of Maui & Sons, but also I am going to have a surf-off grudge-match-for-the-ages against Vice de La Pena at the Hurley Lowers contest this summer. If you don’t believe me, ask Dan Kennedy, he’ll be there with Craig Melia and George Hulse as 1st, 2nd, and 3rd alternates!
Why is everyone ignoring Chris Cote’s shameless plug? His hyping of TWS’s Calirally is weak. The whole thing kind of reminds me of the Rush Hour movie series. The first was pretty funny, but the 2nd and 3rd were just uncomfortable to watch.
Fake Eric, you don’t even know how to feign a masters degree, how do you expect to produce like Erik.
Jamon is close, but that’s a sign of how desperate the ASP is, Occy and Curren.
Dave Mailman called last night and confirmed that negotiations for a Seniors Tour found a blanket sponsor that is outside of the current industry. The new tour will allow competitors over 25 and will be based solely on TV distribution…. no beach presence. New format allows the surfing to build over a 4 day period with scores accumulating. Every surfer will scramble two hours of judged surfing a day with the winner announced after the 4 rounds. Thanks to Dave for the inside info, good on ya.
Oh Boy, Belanger v De la Pena….. I guess your wives will watch. What’s wrong with Robbie Todd? Or is he in a new weight class now.
Oh Why did I ever find this site, WHY? I try to stay away…but I can’t, I keep coming back for more. It’s like that guy you have hot, naughty sex with, but would die if your friends found out. You know you shouldn’t, but you do any way.
I am waiting for the new SUP power rankings to be published. Ratings can be based on self righteousnous, surfer dude image, ability to carry multiple waterpacks blah blah blah….perhaps an elaborate piece of fuckery http://watermanleague.com but if it was real imagine the joy of watching instant replays via webcast. Oh boy fast times.
@CaliGirl
Could it have anything to do with my mega member?? (just kidding)
@CaliGirl,
Erik knows the feeling too…
@Magnum Q Meatwhistle
So does Smyrna….I hear he’s a virtuoso on the Meatwhistle.
@ The Nug
Eggers in his prime rolls Buttonshaw up like a Puna Butter Doobie and SMOKES him.
I want to know if, now that Michael jackson is dead, my signed poster of Glen Winton surfing Pipe wearing one glove is worth something.
Here are my dream quarters. Stuart bedford-Brown vs. Jim Hogan, Brian Mcnulty vs. Robbie Page, Shane Herring vs. Bryce Ellis and Chris Gallagher vs. Adam Repogle.
Who would win? I say the finals are Gally vs. Herring. The winner would be Gally. And hackey sack sales would go through the roof.
Does anyone remember a heat between Curren and Dave Parmenter in the 80s at the OP Pro in Huntington? I recorded it on ESPN and watched it over and over as a grom…learned how to do a roundhouse from watching Parmenter. Would appreciate a link if someone has it.
@Mark: Don’t write off the NY Times entirely. Check out David Brooks (a conservative leaning journalist) article from today… http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/07/opinion/07brooks.html?em
I am having slight reservations about my call for Jordy to win J-bay.
Only reason is you KNOW that Mick is chomping to win an event now that Parko, Bobby and Slater have all done so. White Lightning is probably pacing around his room in J-Bay dressed like Rabbit when he was in his Ali phase. Boxing robe, sunglasses and headphones on. Just VISUALIZING himself on the podium drenched in champagne with Parko sitting off to the side with his arms crossed in deep meditative contemplation.
All of you pro surfing naysayers have to admit one thing. The three guys who have won events this year are all absolute freaking World Class surfers. Top 5 in the world for sure.
Pray for surf!
@Mark
Lmfao @ your unearthing of Stewart Bedford-Brown’s corpse!
Good on ya mate!
P.s.
Please pass along Blasphemy’s XOXOXO’s to your mammie.
I learned to roundhouse by watching Chuck Norris movies. By the way, in the beginning there was nothing…then Chuck Norris Roundhouse kicked that nothing in the face and said, “Get a job”. That is the story of the universe.
In the spirit of generating support for the upcoming Curren/Occy battle, I would just like to say that I hate all Australians. Little known fact…the continent of Australia was created by a Chuck Norris roundhouse kick. This is the same way it will be destroyed.
Unfortunately, Chuck Norris was undone by his own inability to make sweet love to Donny’s Brother’s mom’s post-hysterectomy birth canal without first resorting to eight tabs of Viagra, a satchel filled with Damien Hardman’s bone marrow, and a hemp leash fashioned by twelve neurotic Namibian midgets.
Chuck Norris doesn’t understand A.I’s Dealer. But he does understand that anything + anything is equal to 1. One roundhouse kick to the face.
@ A.I.’s dealer
Damo’s bone marrow?
And I am pretty sure there are no midgets in Namibia.
Just like there are no gays in Alabama.
If Chuck Norris delivered a single round house kick to Nambia, it would be filled with midgets.
I love all the Wahlberg’s… but that Mark is one crazy S.O.B.
Is Jeff a brother too??
I was surfing Town last week and an older woman was paddling out in front of me. She appeared to be unsure of herself and, possibly, drunk.
A guy next to me cringed and said ” brah no get right behind dat wahine. Stay SCARED brah! Dats Mrs. Abrahambone!”
It was too late as I was 5 feet directly behind her as she went to duck dive. Right as her boot pointed skyward I noticed an ENORMOUS bulge in her bathing suit.Then when the whip came down the crotch of Mrs. Abrahambones suit stretched and out popped something that still haunts me to this day.
Please do not ask me to ever repeat this story.
I googled it.
There are only 7 midgets in all of Namibia.
So once again A.I.’s Dealer is full of shit.
Mark…
You sir, are on FIRE!!!
Lmfao!!
@ABrahambone…. yeah, they are so cool…!! Smyrna confirmed, no gays in Alabama, but AI’s boner is up Mark’s ass. So to speak. Smyrna is “confused’……… again.
White lightning prancing around in a bath robe…. thanks Mark for your fantasies. It’ll help Smyrna get a good mental picture and pop goes the cork……..
Damn! I should have known it was our sweet Lord Laird’s perfect number.
C’mon Mike,
White Lightening prancing around in a robe just means he’s following Kekoa’s thunderous thighs as they pound the pavement each time he squats another shish-kabob impaled by Rosie O’Donnell, Al Roker, and Andy Irons’ rotting corpses.
Correction. Chuck Norris just informed me there are now 1,820,916 midgets in Namibia.
You heard it here first. Kekoa will blow fucking DOORS at Jeffreys! Remember his Winki Pop performance? Look for not only a repeat but a possible upgrade.
By my calculations a semi-final appearance might put him in the top 12 or higher.
Go Kekoa!!!
One Chuck Norris roundhouse kick to Kekoa’s midsection would cause the earth to rain donuts for 3 weeks.
I would agree Smyrna Mark, but what will Kekoa do when he finds out his baluga bacon strips get confiscated by the South African customs?
How will Sampson respond without his lovely locks?
I feel a 17th may be in the works for our dear Kekoa.
I’m sorry, my dear JeffSmearMark.
Actually a semi-final for the Pride of Mililani would give him a third, a fifth and a ninth with 2 throwaways ( 17th and 33rd ).
That happens with Lowers coming up and things could get interesting.
And BTW. I bet Lewis doesn’t have the balls to comment in his OWN name RIGHT NOW!!! Not an alias but as Lewis Samuels.
Also my family is on the mainland for 2 weeks and I am alone with my dog Eddie and ready for J-Bay!!!
Mark,
Please don’t do anything to Eddie that I wouldn’t do.
In other words, Eddie doesn’t ALWAYS go.
And by that, I mean please refrain from using too much Astroglide. That shit will give you some wicked-ugly batwings.
@ Blashemy Rottmouth
Thanks Lewis! I can’t believe you really commented in your own name!
@Mark
Lewis will never comment. He’s just like the guy that starts the big bar fight then is crawling under people’s legs out toward the front door.
colin orourke and sarah beadmore for hot tuna pro team wtf?
pro as in professional? as in getting paid to do so for a living.
they would be better of pissing their cash away on a old has been super model…. wait they did that with elle mcpherson as a director.
HOT TUNA ARE FUCKWITS and burnt Drew Courtney for one.
@Seaman Staines
Great name!!!
@ Trauzersnake,
What abject irony. And you’re like the loser with one shtick who posts on the guy’s blog who crawls out the bar.
Don’t call me Midget.
Is Lewis Donnys Brother also? I can’t take it man. I can’t deal with the changes.
im gay, im gay, im gay. i had to write it three times because when i wrote it just once, it told me my comment was too short. once again. im gay
That wasn’t me. It was lewis. He is jealous . And drunk. And bitter.
And Gay. I’m serious.
when can we get the new POWER RANGKINGS??
After Jbay you fuck-wit. Read shit and you might know something you cock and balls.
Donnys brother is a troll who gets paid 5 cents everytime he mentions chucklehead norris. Ban him!
Hey now Hugh G.rant, calm down. It was just a simple question, obviously I missed the line where Lewis stated the timing of the next P.R. Maybe you should not TRY so HARD to impress the other posters who use wit and sarcasm to belittle an opponent. Is there any chance you surf like you post comments - short chops with an angry persona and appearing slightly retarded??
Maybe one Chuck Norris roundhouse and nipplegate will be a thing of the past.
A win at JBay may do little for a man who’s nipples must be photoshopped outwards in order to sell boardshorts. Imagine you had to walk the world knowing that even a drunk BR could draw two straight lines from tip of the nip, to tip of the nip, and they would cross paths mere inches from their point of origin.
I tested mine. The lines run perpendicular.
Listen to any country song and you’ll get a feel for Todd Holland. Growing up in the sticks, racing cars, falling in love, driving trucks, having kids, working hard and loving mom — he’s done it all. Without ever yielding to fashion, his workman’s ethic made him — in his time — the most successful surfer the East Coast had ever produced.
Michael Todd Holland was born in a log cabin in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Okay…he wasn’t born in a log cabin, but he did live in one. The son of an electrical contractor father and a realtor mom, Todd and brother Dack grew up five miles from the nearest paved road, riding and rebuilding go-karts and hunting local vermin. The family relocated to Emerald Isle, North Carolina, a small beachy community where the local hotshots soon had the Holland brothers in the water on a board salvaged from a nearby junkyard. At age 11, another move landed them in Cocoa Beach, a booming hub of East Coast talent.
Todd immediately took to competition, facing off against fellow Cocoa Beacher Sean Slater and reaching the finals of the ESA Championships back in Cape Hatteras. He returned to take the ESA Boys’ title two years later, reveling in the most powerful surf he could find. In no time he was among the country’s best, being chosen for the NSSA National Team five consecutive seasons. He finished third in the Juniors’ Division of the 1984 World Amateur Championships and was the United States champion in 1986. By the time he graduated from Cocoa Beach High School, the 1987 ASP world tour was three events underway, so he was behind from the start.
Backed by Ocean Pacific, Todd wasted no time in making a statement before his key sponsor. At the Op Pro in Huntington, he took down defending champion Mark Occhilupo to announce his presence on what he calls “the turr”. By the time the “turr” wrapped up in Australia the following April, Holland had made the cut, finishing 27th.
He had no problem in small surf, but to succeed, he had to do it in Hawaii. “You’re from the East Coast, you gotta prove yourself,” he acknowledges. In 1988, he was put on center stage, facing the ultimate Pipe master, Tom Carroll, who only needed to defeat Holland to reclaim the world title. Pipeline was 10 to 12 feet and heaving, but Todd charged like a confederate soldier into battle. He took some serious beatings but gained invaluable respect in the process. By way of a paddling interference, he ended Carroll’s title hopes and nearly earned a spot in the Top 16.
Holland peaked during the 1990-91 season, rising to eighth in the year-end ratings, the highest finish achieved by an East Coaster to that point. In the biggest media event of the season, the Op Pro, he rode the “giant killer” tag all the way to first place, taking down reigning world champ Martin Potter and points leader Tom Curren in the process. (It was an East Coast sweep as Frieda Zamba won the Womens’ title and Danny Melhado took the Juniors’.) Despite his success, Holland’s origins made him a perennial underdog. He worked hard for his sponsors but refused to adhere to the rock star mentality. He was true to his roots, a certified good old boy, and if anyone didn’t like it, too bad.
1993 was a pivotal year. Todd had plummeted down the ratings, was having financial problems, and was expecting his first child, not to mention being heavily overshadowed by cross-town sensation and rookie world champion Kelly Slater. “I wanted to beat him so bad,” remembers Todd. “It wasn’t personal, but it was definitely a motivation. And so was my son.” That spring in Australia — equipped with a boldly hideous Colonel Sanders goatee — he stormed to back-to-back wins in the Coke Classic at Narrabeen and The Pepsi Edge specialty event in Victoria. The $36,000 in prizemoney and major points got him back on track, but more trouble was ahead.
In Brazil that fall, Todd needed one decent result to secure his world tour seed. He was again in financial distress, riding buses between events and landing on the losing end of many close heats. In one WQS heat that would have ensured his qualification, he was called for a paddling interference against a Brazilian surfer and resorted to hassling tactics the rest of the heat. “The Brazilian announcer got the crowd riled up and people were actually chasing me into the water,” he recalls. “A guy jumped on my back and another hit me in the head. They cleared a little area and I was escorted away by armed police. I had death threats. I ended up qualifying that year, but I could never go back to Brazil.”
By 1995 — underfunded and overworked — he had seen enough, and he settled near his family in Cocoa Beach. He still competed on the WQS and could have regained his WCT seed if not for his banishment from the big points events in Brazil. He tried repping for a while but decided instead on working as a travel agent for his mother who owns and operates Surf Express (www.surfex.com), a local agency specializing in surf trips. Todd remarried in 1999, and he and wife Cheryl had a daughter Chalee the same year. While he still gets a rush out of big waves and big trucks, the family always comes first. — Jason Borte, April 2001
@ Mark:
Your lame excuse at “profiling” is so off-base it’s laughable.
Born and raised in the South, still here, not going anywhere. No faux conservative Southern heritage bullshit posturing from the safety of the islands from me.
Understand now?
My apologies Steve. You seem so valient and I seem so rude. I will say that the only person I was trying to impress was you. Say hello to your mum for me.
aqui no Brasil teve um cara nos anos 80 que pirateou a marca Op e ganhou uma grana, o gary Elkerton chegou a competir no Rio com o logo da prancha pintado de preto. Depois ele fez um acordo com a Op americana, mas a marca também morreu por aqui. Outro dia o mesmo cara estava na televisão falando que a Op ia voltar, imagino que tão caída quanto a gringa. now, use the translator.
@Donny’s Brother
You are a cum stain on the giant quilt of life. Fuck YOU!!!!
@ Nick
It’s not fake.
And what do you mean ” from the safety of the islands”?
Who are you “Nick’? Seriously. Which commenter are you? Mike? Stu? Lewis?
If you are real you should be banished from the South and forced to live in one of those pathetic Liberal bastions like San Francisco or New York.
And BTW “Nick”. How is that hope and change workin out for ya? And how is your boy Biden? You proud of him?
For those of you who remember, Lewis did post as himself when there was only 4 of us on this site. Once the ball started rolling out of control, he ejected into his myriad of alias’, pulling strings from behind the curtain… some say closet.
I
Ok boys, I was “EDITED” by post surf just seconds ago. Not allowed to post suggesting I was offering up Spam.
Just to let Chris Cote know, “we’re not to big on Spam here”. That was the quote.
And the Mark and Smyrna gay “deliverance” camping joke gets barred.
@ Mark:
My name is Nick, just like I wrote it.
Why should I be banished from the South? Because I didn’t run away from it to play in the Islands? I’ve been putting up with ignorant douchebags like yourself my whole life, it’s just another added spice to our tasty Southern gumbo.
But if you want to walk like a redneck, talk like a redneck, and act like a redneck, go fucking do it, don’t whine about your hatred of all things liberal from one of the most liberal places in the entire country.
And BTW Mark, I checked with Todd Holland this morning, he says he’s more of a .38 Special kind of guy
And dude, give up on all the Obama/Biden delusions. Again, you want to bitch about our socialist government, go back to Alabama, throw on your white hood, and join your brothers in some real liberal hatin’.
As for me, I used my $9 a week tax cut last paycheck to buy some windshield wiper fluid for my wife’s car, some flowers because she had a bad day, and a four-pack of High Life tallboys…
so that hope and change is working out just fine for everyday
working-class folk like myself
Todd Holland was Merle Haggard in an INXS world.
WTF? Editing now !? Really,,,,,might as well go back to surfline
This will be surfline once money enters the equation and it’s way to much work pro bono.
Cheers Nick, tall boys mean less trips to the frig, smart man. I don’t have the patience for 12 oz any more….
But never before sundown.
This post is SOOOOOOO 2008…
http://www.thedailydrop.com/posts/view/op-is-a-legitimate-surf-brand
To Erik,
I didn’t have to slob on Mike’s helmet or anyone for that matter to “earn” my “K”.
But if you prefer, you can refer to me as Wagner Wolfhurst from now on. Eurotrash seems to get more attention these days, and I, like everyone on here for that matter, can’t get enough of myself. And my pathetic comments.
@ Mark
Gally? Are you kidding me? Gally is an Eastsider and everyone knows Eastsiders are fags. You might have something there but I would add a little HB flair and have a showdown between Bud Llamas and Colby Outlaw. Each would have to injest a gram of coke before the heat or the whole thing get called off.
@ Ballz
I remember when Parmenter paddled out on a longboard during a heat at the OP Pro and absolutley killed it. It was a classic Fuck you to the judges, the scene and the three to the beach, Huntington hop crew. The only thing more entertaining were the KNAC crew smoking joints on the Northside of the pier, dring buweiser white cans and jamming to Dokken. Leopard Thongs wore under your OP shorts were the norm. Ah the good ole days.
KNAC fucking rules!
@Erik samuels. wasn’t it fun? Vanna turns the letters, but not with your expertise.
Wagner Wolfhurst…… maybe you should give that level of effort to a power ranking. Hold on, shiny object distracti…….
The Nug at 8:22 is Smyrna Jeff.
The rumors about Me and Jeff Smyrna are gross excaggggerations. I didn’t blow him, he blew me. I’ve been totally faithful, receiving gay male sex is not cheating. It’s more like sex with a different animal than adultry.
Like a turtle, they don’t really resist as much as position themselves.
Ban Stu, he’s a dick.
@ Mark @ 11:05 pm
Weak impersonation. I am laughing at you fake Mark.
Nor am I the Nug. I will soon make a list of all aliases past and present. Then i will start fresh that day and never comment again except under my REAL real name.
As soon as I can remember it.
The decline of surf brands as we know it, this is messed up
Colby Outlaw is a fag!
Volcom has bruce i and Dingo, but I’m sure their deals are a drop in the bucket compared to what ZQK throws away on Slater and Dane.