Joel Parkinson

HEELING

Posted in Freestyling, Photos, World Tour

This session down the coast last week was really fun. The banks at Snapper have been pretty much wiped out so I’ve been surfing a lot down the coast in the past couple of weeks. This is just a little backbeach down the coast that we surf a lot in summer. There were some really good four-foot waves with these perfect little faces and pockets. I’m slowly starting to feel my surfing free up. I’m still a little sketchy out of the lip, but it feels good just carving around and going rail to rail and doing some big safety turns. I’ve got a bit of a stiff-legged old man bottom turn, but I’m feeling my surfing freeing up. I reckon some waves I feel like I’m surfing at 70 per cent, but other waves I feel like 20. Most of the time I’m at 50 per cent, I reckon. There’s just one little small piece of scar tissue that causes the pain, that’s all it is. I’ve been surfing a lot in the past three weeks; I’ve had probably a dozen surfs in the past three weeks and each one gets better and better.

The foot is going well. The cut itself has healed up nicely, but the worst thing is my leg and my foot are still pretty weak from having no weight on it for so long. You’ve got to remember I’ve been sitting around on it for two months doing not much, so I just need to get moving again to get the strength back in it. The specialists and the physios are all really happy with where the injury is at. They’re saying all along that it’s a serious injury and I’ve got to take it slowly, but their recovery timetable so far has been spot-on, so that’s really reassuring.

I’ve just finished a full training session with Wes today. Last week I got the flu pretty bad so I didn’t train all week, and with Mahli being born the week before I haven’t been training much in the past 10 days, but Wes has told me he’s going to work me pretty hard in the next fortnight. All my rehab for the foot is pretty much done which is great, it’s more so now the fitness side of it. Less rehab more training, which is good, because I can fully control my training and I feel comfortable getting my fitness levels up. I can really feel my body coming back to life at the moment which I’m stoked about.

I was even toying with the idea of surfing the Search event in Peurto Rico. I was thinking if I could get through a heat or two it would be a positive step, but it’s a long way to go for just a heat or two, so there was no real point. When I go to an event I want to think I can win it, not having a goal of getting through a heat or two. And I didn’t want to have to call Tommy Whitaker and tell him I wanted my spot back. That’s been one of the only upsides of the injury – the fact that Tommy got my spot and has been making heats. I’m stoked for him.

So the plan is still to come back for the Triple Crown in Hawaii. I get into Hawaii in early November and I’m so psyched on the idea of being there. Just having the waves right there in front of the house, being able to surf three, four times a day. That’s what my surfing really needs at the moment is just hours in the water, and nowhere is better for hours in the water than the North Shore. I’ll be surfing Haleiwa – that will be my first event back – and I just really want to get back into the contest groove, hopefully make it through a few heats, and try and get my surfing back to 100 per cent for Pipe.

[For more shots from the session above check out the next issue of Tracks]

HAWAII ORREADY

Posted in Photos, World Tour

This is going to be a huge Hawaiian season. There’s a lot on the line for you.

JP: There is for sure. I guess… I dunno, I’ve been thinking about it and I’m just so excited to go surfing again more than anything. That’s all I’ve been thinking about, I just want to get there and surf some good waves because we haven’t had many lately. Haleiwa and Sunset are such good warm-ups to get you in a rhythm over there. I’m obviously focused pretty squarely on Pipe, but I’d love to win the Triple Crown again, especially with the extra prizemoney. It’s typical, the year I win it I get a watch, and then it goes up to 50 grand the next year!

How’s your ankle?

The last few weeks it’s felt really good. Really good. I kind of got over that stiff injury phase, now I’m getting flexibility back in it, so it allows me to do a lot more on it. When I get home from Hawaii I’m going to have another round of MRIs to find out if it’s 100 percent. I’ve got one little test to do to find out how much movement I have between my tib and my fib, and if it has a lot of movement I’ll probably have to get a screw in it, but if it doesn’t then I should be right.

Did you consider not doing Haleiwa and Sunset and just going over for Pipe?

Only if my ankle wasn’t good. I mean, it was still a little questionable. The doctor the other day recommended I should probably pull out of Haleiwa, but I’m still surfing fine and surfing without pain. I’m fit and healthy so I said to him, “I’m doing it, mate.” I love the Triple Crown, I love Hawaii. It’s surfing. Your surfing goes up so many levels over there, and I’m going to need to be in a good rhythm if I’m going to challenge at Pipe so I need time in the water over there. You could say it’s a chance of re-injuring it, but you need to get rhythm in Hawaiian waves. There’s a risk doing the full season, but it’s far riskier not doing it. I could stay at home and train and get fitter, but I’m at the stage now where I’m fit enough already, now I need to be surf fit. And there’s no way I could sit here at home while Hawaii was on. I love the place too much. The last few years I come home at Christmas and for the first few days I’m still ringing the buoy line In Hawaii to see what the surf’s doing over there. It’d kill me to stay at home and train then see that first big swell hit. I’d be going, far out, what am I doing here? Training at home would be beneficial, but nowhere near as beneficial as standing in barrels at Pipe. You’ve got to remember that you need to feel the power over there. My first wave at Sunset every year I always feel like I’m winding up the windows and hanging on for grim death. It takes a good surf or two to remember where you ride your board from and where you turn from.

You told me the other day you’re relishing the fact you’re looking ahead, and not over your shoulder.

For sure. It means I’ve got a bit more work to do, but it means I can concentrate more on me and what’s in front of me. I’m excited about the challenge, really excited. To me there’s so much hype about the world title, but to me it actually doesn’t seem like that big a deal. I was thinking about it the other day. I was thinking I’m only 28, and I feel I’ve matured so much in my surfing and in myself. I know what I want and I know how to get it a little easier these days. It’s not the be all and end all winning the world title this year. I blew it, I had an ankle injury, there’s not much I could do about it. Next year I’ll be fit and healthy and whatever happens this year – win, lose, or draw – I’m just going to want it as bad next year. It’s not the last world title I’ll challenge for.

You’ve learned a lot of lessons this year?

I’ve learned more about myself this year than any other year, for sure. If my ankle didn’t blow out I’d be in a better position than I am now, but if you had of told me in January that going into Pipe all I needed to do was finish two or three spots in front of Mick and I’d win the world title, I would have asked, “Where do I sign?” I would’ve taken it straight away, no worries. For me, going into Pipe it’s a huge opportunity, and I’m not thinking about what’s behind me, I’m thinking about the opportunity in front of me.

How’s it going between you and Mick?

It’s fine [cracking up]. It’s funny, sometimes we can be at home and not see each other for weeks, but it seems every time I drive down the street in Cooly at the moment we keep running into each other. We both know its healthy competition, and at the end of the day I’ll be the first to congratulate him or he’ll be the first to congratulate me, whatever way it goes. There’ll be plenty of beers in it afterwards.

And Andy back for Pipe…

I spoke to him yesterday. He’s in good spirits, he’s frothing for the season. He’s been surfing heaps. He got a couple of incredible waves at Backdoor the other day. He’s fit and healthy and ready to take down some people at the Pipe Masters.

Just hopefully not you.

Hopefully not me, but there are plenty of guys in that field who could do it. It’s a big challenge what’s in front of me, having to make the final, but I’m ready for it.