Joel Parkinson retires
It's been rumoured for a while and was announced today, 2012 World Champ Joel Parkinson will retire at the end of the year. Parko announced it while waiting for the J'Bay Open to start:
"The first time I went to J'Bay was 19 years ago. I was just a kid back then. I’d just finished last in a contest in Reunion, turned up at J'Bay with a toothache, but then got my first glimpse of the wave and the pain went away. It was six foot and perfect from Boneyards to Impossibles. I paddled out through the keyhole, caught my first wave and that was it. I was gone. I lost my mind."
"Next thing I was standing there on stage holding the trophy, not sure what had just happened, but I knew I’d found my second home."
"This is where it all started for me on tour, and that’s why I wanted to be here in J'Bay to let you know that this will be my last year on tour. The Pipe Masters in December will be my last event. The fire just hasn’t been there for a while now and I never want to surf without it, so it’s time to go look for it somewhere else."
"The tour has given me so much. So many memories, so many friends, the chance for my kids to see the world, but it’s time to move on to the next chapter. That means one last lap of the tour and I can’t wait to catch up with a lot of old friends and get a few waves along the way… starting this week at J'Bay."
Comments
One of the smoothest out there. Smoother than Gabby's pits.
Good on ya Joel. Nice bloke and one of the best styles on tour.
It was fantastic for WSL to put together a segment dedicated to Parko's retirement then have no audio for the interview and a glitchy feed where you couldn't follow the story. Another complete balls up.
2010? Think it was 12 he won.
Right you are, NS.
Best style, rail game and roundhouse in the business. Good luck in the future.
I surfed the Greenmount section of the super bank with him and the mob back in mid-02 when it was just starting to really fire up, before it got silly crowded. It was draining square and freight training down to the groyne. There was some impressive stuff happening, but he took off on one set wave so far beyond vertical that he was literally upside down and made it, no freefall, sticking to the face the whole drop. Everyone, including Mick, screamed bullshit, and Parko was frothing and could;t believe he did it either. Still the most unbelievable thing I've seen from the water.
Similar time, 2002 or so, I was surfing Rainbow Bay really late on a 2-3 ft day. Paddled for a wave but saw Parko putting in the big ones 100m up the line so wisely pulled back. Not so the hapless learner between Parko and I who was so focussed on paddling that no-one else existed, not even the pro surfer body-torquing down the line and poised to make contact in T minus two seconds.
Everyone else could see what was about to unfold so we all sat up waiting for the impact, the resultant abuse, collective umbrage etc. However, just as Mr Adult Learner was popping up there was a crisp "crack" and Parko launched into an alley oop clearing the interloper and landed clean on the other side, fins correcting his direction, before peeling off down the line again. Meanwhile, Mr Adult Learner triumphantly raised himself to full height, steering his board directly towards shore amongst the subsiding whitewash.
He had no idea what had just happened.
Classic . Great story.
Parko All Class !
and I rode that whitewash all the way to the sand.
How do you like them apples Parko!
So that was you Zen,haha say no more.
No disrespect to Parko meant by the following comment, he's one of my favourite surfers to watch and a class act to boot. So please excuse the following...
Here we go... does this explain the wildcarding of Wright? Mikey may just be the WSL's hail mary to save the rapidly declining Australian market. It's a theory that popped in my head when Mick announced at Bells, and now it feels more and more like the real reason he keeps getting the nod (yes, his performances are great, I've enjoyed them, but it's a competitive tour and he's getting quite the advantage to qualification). He was always gonna be a gamble to qualify via the QS in junkier waves (24th last year), but he's been on a branding tear for Quik of late. He pulls the numbers in a younger demographic like no one else can at the moment, and he has that Aussie Hero vibe (whether painted on or not) that everyone seems to love. Hell, even a cynic like me is 'into' it, I'm just kind of scratching my head as to how real it all is.
With Fanning, Parko and now Slater all hanging (or saying they'll hang) up the soggy jersey, the WSL lacks draw power in the Aussie market. Most are either there for John, hoping Kelly will surf again, or or waiting for something new. Don't get me wrong, Wilko and elder Wright both have their fans, but even after Wilko's Awakening & The Comeback they haven't really captured the nations hearts the way the Cooly kids did. Couple the loss of the idols with the absolute clusterf*ck in various fiascos (Pipe, Fiji, Facebook deal, embeds, judging, etc etc) the WSL badly need people to start giving a shit again. From a business sense, rolling out the red carpet to Mike is a dangerous move in my eyes, it may bring in a bunch of younger viewers, but for a lot of other people it may just be the straw that broke the camel's back. I know that for me personally, it's feeling a lot like that Wright now.
Sorry to rain on your parade Parko, thanks for all the years of smooth lines and big grins. It's been a pleasure watching you surf.
Not at all Cyl, totally relevent, astute and food for thought.
We'll see if he gets juiced through Griffin Cola heat. Griff 'aint no Hodad and there's been some rumblings that Mikey seems to be the flavour of the month. Lets see the surfing do the talking, J-Bay tends to magnify a surfers flaws.
And that Billabong "redundancy" package! 6 mill for 6 years with a conditional clause 6 photo shoots in 6 latest wetsuits, visiting 6 events giving 6 interviews. well who knows but not bad and well deserved.
In the future, great surfers will be compared to him. He's a benchmark, like Occy, and Mick.
Yep, it must be generatatonoil. Like a oil that is generational.
He reminds me of the guy that took my girlfriend when she was pregnant.
Good thing you retired.
It is like the surfing version of Poldark. Without Poldark, that fella.
Always liked Micks surfing better, but now when I think of those cooly Kids and Darren Hanley all I picture is self righteous pricks towing into four foot kirra almost running over free surfers.