Joel Parkinson

THE PHONE CALL

Photo: Shorty

I got the phone call in France. I was sleeping downstairs and I woke up to a dozen missed calls from Monica back at home. I’ve eventually woken up late, typical France time, grabbed my phone and there are all these missed calls. I called back and Mon goes, “Joel, are you sitting down? I’m pregnant.” I’m still half asleep at this stage and I go, “Pregnant? With a baby?” For two weeks I didn’t say anything to anyone. For two weeks. I went to Mundaka and then flew to Brazil still without telling anyone, and it was eating me up the whole time. I’m sitting with Mick in Brazil, been there a few days, and out of the blue he goes, “So when do you reckon you and Mon will have kids?” I’m like, “Well, I dunno Mick. Why do ya ask?” He looked at my face and he knew.

“She’s pregnant, isn’t she?”

And I go, “Yep, she’s pregnant.” He gave me a big hug and we both cracked up, even though at the time I wasn’t quite sure why I was laughing – I was 22 and it was our first child. But you look back now, years later, and you would never have it any other way. – Joel

Excerpt from Parko+Friends

GRAND FINAL WEEKEND IN FRANCE

Belly taking a dip out the front of his place in France, commiserating Collingwood's loss yesterday in the AFL grand final.

Yeah, my house here in France is more or less the Australian embassy when the boys get here from home. It’s always football finals weekend when they’re here in France every year and my place is the only place that gets the games broadcast live, so it makes for pretty interesting viewing and some interesting wagers. I’m still not sure why we let Monica Parkinson into our football tipping comp. Halfway through the year I opened my big mouth and said if I got beaten by a woman in the tipping comp I’d cook a barbecue for everyone in the nude at my place when they came to France. Mick Fanning has the evidence on his telephone of that and it’s not a pretty sight, believe you me. Monica’s not in our tipping comp anymore. I put a new rule in – no chicks allowed. We can’t get beaten by a woman at our own game. But it’s always fun and games at my place, and it breaks the ice of the serious side of it. – Stephen “Belly” Bell

Excerpt from Parko+Friends

JOIE DE VIVRE

Joie de vivre from Joel Parkinson on Vimeo.

BON JOUR FRANCAIS

Day one in France from Joel Parkinson on Vimeo.

A good day today.

We only got into Hossegor late yesterday afternoon after a day-and-a-half of flying between LA and Bordeaux, via London. The family settled into our hotel, which is a really cool set-up. We stay here most years, along with Kieren and Damo and their families, and it’s cool that all the families get the time to hang out.

I got up early this morning. Too early. Pretty heavily jetlagged and I was doing crocodile death rolls in bed at 4am this morning, wide awake on California time. I got down to the beach about 6.30 and it was so dark I couldn’t see a thing. I could hear the high tide shorebreak and knew there was a bit of swell around. When we eventually paddled out a half hour later it was actually pretty good. The tide was dropping and there were some sick sections out there, mainly on the left off the contest bank.

I drew Kai Otton again for about the hundredth time this year, as well as a French wildcard surfer who’d got in because Kerrsy hurt himself in the freesurf yesterday and had to withdraw. I knew the lefts would suit Otto, but I was also pretty frothing on them, as apart from Tahiti I reckon I’ve caught two lefts in heats all year. I got a good one early and got in a bit of rhythm, and there were a couple of turns in that heat I was really happy with. Stoked to get the win and get a day off.

There’s gonna be plenty of swell still around tomorrow, so I’m just gonna try and get a couple of freesurfs in. I’m just trying to surf as much as possible to get my surf stamina up.

Loving being back in France. Good food, good people and waves. I’ve always felt really comfortable here, and that really helps with your surfing.