Joel Parkinson

FEEJEE

Hope it's doing this tomorrow...

[Page grab from Parko+Friends]

CHING CHING

(An excerpt from Parko+Friends, interview recorded in 2009.)

“Andy’s beaten me twice for the Triple Crown. One time he was way ahead, but the other time he had to win Pipe to do it. I’d been knocked out in the quarters, and I sat up at the Red Bull house just going, will somebody please beat Andy! Somebody beat this guy. About 50 metres away was my $10,000 cheque and my new car I was gonna get if I won. My Triple Crown, my car, my 10 grand. I think it was the fact that it was me who was going to win the Triple Crown if he lost just made Andy surf harder, and sure enough he wins the bloody thing. He came up to me straight afterwards and goes, “Ching-ching! Joel, you knew that was never gonna happen!” It scarred me, and it took me another five years to win it after that.” – Joel

THE PIPELINE PUP

Mitty at Pipe last year. //Hilton/Billabong

An extract from Joel’s book, Parko+Friends…

“So my cousin Mitchell comes to Hawaii with us. Then, on the biggest day of the Pipe season so far, wants to paddle out and have a look. “Mitty,” I told him, “stay on the sand. Don’t go over onto the reef. Stay on the green, not the black.” It’s a fine line, but even though he’s only 13 he’s a good little surfer and he’s been out in some decent-sized waves, so I knew he’d be fine. Occ was out there too and I asked him to keep an eye on him. Occ’s paddled over and told Mitty to keep wide, which of course just made him paddle in deeper. I look out and Mitchell’s sitting deepest at Backdoor, the disobedient little pup that he is. I just didn’t want him making same mistake I made the first time I went to Hawaii; paddling for a small one and chasing it all the way in, missing it, and then wear the set of the day on the head. I did it that at Sunset when I was 14 and the biggest wave I’d ever seen broke on my head. I didn’t really coach Mitty in Hawaii. When he’s that age there’s no point trying to coach him, you just point the kid in the right direction and let him go. There’s no point in telling him how to ride a wave, that’s bullshit. Just let him do his own thing out there and let him mature as his own surfer, I reckon. That’s what Uncle Daryl, Mitchell’s dad, did with me. He never told me how to surf; he helped me more on land. That’s where the real lessons are learned.” – Joel

A JOEL AND MF MOMENT

Mick and Joel, peaking. //Jon Frank from Parko+Friends

An excerpt from Parko + Friends, Joel’s book…

“I so wanted the right. It was only me and Mick and Wade Tokoro out that morning at Backdoor, and I remember that peak coming through. I wanted that right sooooo bad, and I was in the perfect slot for it, too. I should’ve pulled in behind him, eh? Had a Shaun Tomson and MR moment? But it was Mick’s turn; I couldn’t. In the end I only took the left so I could see how good the right looked.” – Joel

MISTER SCRIBBLES

Hey guys, just letting you know Joel will be signing copies of his book on Tuesday afternoon (May 25) at 4pm outside the Coffee Club in Marine Parade, Coolangatta. Mick will be there with too, signing copies of his book. We’re sure their English teacher from Year 9 will be on hand to see how they managed to write a book each without ever showing up for a lesson.