Article by Hillard Grossman

Kelly Slater returns to Competition

Look who’s back!
Cocoa Beach native Kelly Slater returns to competition as a wildcard entry on the World Surf League’s main stage, when the 2025 Lexus Trestles Pro takes place June 9-17 at the site of the 2028 Olympics surfing event.
The 11-time world champion, 53, has competed once this year, in Hawaii’s Lexus Pipe Pro where he reached the quarterfinals, after missing the mid-season cut for the tour last summer, but said he’s “honored” to be invited to this event.
“I’m excited to surf Lowers after having a few months of downtime with family and watching the events online,” Slater said.

 

 

“I’m excited to surf Lowers after having a few months of downtime with family and watching the events online,” Slater said.

“Trestles has been an ongoing great memory for the past 35 years since I won my first event as a professional there, had a number of great wins there while on Tour, and is my girlfriend’s hometown and a second home to me. So I’m looking forward to competing as a wildcard and surf against a top seed or two straight away.”
The event will be presented by his own sustainable apparel brand, Outerknown, now in its 10th year.

 

Marks makes her mark(s)

Five years after her first appearance in Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Edition, Melbourne Beach native Caroline Marks is back in this year’s edition with a number of other athletes from other sports, such as Cameron Brink and Hayley Van Lith of the WNBA, golfer Nelly Korda, and former LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne.

Marks recently re-qualified for next year’s expanded WSL Women’s Tour, and with a Top 10 placing through seven events, she also remains in the running for this year’s Final 5 showdown to determine the world champion, a title she won two years ago.

BoardRiders Third in Nation

 

The Space Coast BoardRiders surf club finished third at the U.S. National BoardRiders Championships at Lower Trestles, Calif., getting a first-place effort from veterans CJ Hobgood and CT Taylor in their age bracket.

Mason Sapp’s team finished behind two California favorites, Encinitas and San Clemente, among the nine clubs that qualified from the continental U.S. and Hawaii. Huntington Beach was fourth, followed by Santa Cruz.
“Another amazing milestone for our club and community,” said Sapp, who called it “an awesome performance.”

 

Surfing Star Injured at Home

 

Former ASP Tour surfing standout Todd Holland, who operates the Cocoa Beach Surf School with his wife, Lauren, was recently seriously injured in a fall from a ladder at his home.

The East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame member has reportedly undergone five surgeries, in which doctors hope to fully heal a broken back, broken neck, multiple broken ribs, a fractured hip, a broken left arm and a dislocated left elbow.
A GoFundMe page has been set up by friend Keri Goff with a goal of $100,000 for medical payments and post-hospital care.