Joel Parkinson (born 10 April 1981) is an Australian surfer who used to compete on the WSL (

World Surf League The World Surf League (WSL) is the governing body for professional surfing, surfers and is dedicated to showcasing the world's best talent in a variety of progressive formats. The World Surf League was originally known as the International Prof ...

). After twelve years competing at the elite level on the ASP World Championship Tour, a stretch that saw him win eleven elite ASP World Title Events, plus nine additional ASP tour events, and achieve runner-up second place to the ASP World Title four times, Parkinson won the ASP World Championship Tour Surfing Title on 14 December 2012 in Hawaii at the Banzai Pipeline during the ASP World Tours' final event for 2012–the

Billabong Pipeline Masters The Billabong Pipeline Masters is an event in surfing held annually at Banzai Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii. It was established in 1971, and has been sponsored by Billabong since 2007. The event attracts the top 34 surfers from The World Surf Lea ...

. Parkinson hung on in a back and forth battle with eleven-time ASP World Title holder, Kelly Slater, to get his first World Title, as well as go on to win the Pipeline Masters, only after Slater lost his semi-final heat to Josh Kerr, of

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...

, Australia. Parkinson beat Kerr in the finals of the event, which was his seventh top-five placing for the year, and his first event title win for 2012. Parkinson left the World Tour and left a legacy of a beautiful and powerful surfing.

Early life

Known as Parko, he was born in

Nambour Nambour is a rural town and locality in the Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Nambour had a population of 11,187 people. Geography Nambour is north of the state capital, Brisbane. The town lies in the sub ...

and grew up on Queensland's

Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...

with fellow surfer

Mick Fanning Michael Eugene Fanning (born 13 June 1981) is an Australian professional surfer who was crowned champion of the Association of Surfing Professionals/World Surf League (ASP/WSL)'s World Tour in 2007, 2009 and 2013. In 2015, he survived a shark ...

. He started surfing as a child, with his father's board, then he started competing with his friends Dean Morrison and, especially, Mick Fanning. He and Fanning both attended

Palm Beach Currumbin State High School Palm Beach Currumbin State High School (PBC High School or PBC) is an independent co-educational public school (government funded), in the Gold Coast, Queensland, Gold Coast suburb of Currumbin, Queensland, Australia. PBC is Queensland's south ...

together. Parkinson, Fanning and Morrison became known as "The Coolangatta Kids" and it was in these formative years that he developed his own style while also winning the ASP World Junior Championship. He became the youngest surfer to win a Billabong Contest, a world event. In 2004, 2009 and 2011, he classified as number 2, making his own record. A highly successful competitive surfer, Parkinson has won eleven elite ASP tour victories including the prestigious Pipeline Masters in December 2012 Sherry Singh. Another career highlight came for Parkinson during a December 2008

Pipeline Masters The Billabong Pipeline Masters is an event in surfing held annually at Banzai Pipeline in Oahu, Hawaii. It was established in 1971, and has been sponsored by Billabong since 2007. The event attracts the top 34 surfers from The World Surf Lea ...

third-round heat in Hawaii when he matched Kelly Slater's 2005 record of two perfect 10-point rides under the world tour's two-best-waves scoring system. Parkinson went on to win the

Triple Crown of Surfing The Triple Crown of Surfing is a Hawaii a specialty series of professional surfing events that have been held annually since 1983 on the North Shore of Oahu, a coastline whose winter swells can reach in height. The Triple Crown was founded by f ...

for 2008 and then again in 2009 and 2010. In July 2009, while in Jeffreys Bay, South Africa Parkinson launched his new official website 'joelparko.com'. His sponsor is

Billabong Billabong ( ) is an Australian term for an oxbow lake, an isolated pond left behind after a river changes course. Billabongs are usually formed when the path of a creek or river changes, leaving the former branch with a dead end. As a result ...

, with its accessories like Von Zipper eyeglasses. He uses JS Industries surfboards. When the waves aren't high enough, Parkinson likes to fish and to watch his favourite football team matches. He also loves cars. He has recently made a biographic video, "Free As A Dog".

Personal life

Parkinson has three children, Evie, Mahli and Macy to his wife Monica. His cousin Mitch Parkinson is also a professional surfer. Parkinson is co-owner of Balter Brewing Company with

, Josh Kerr and Bede Durbidge. He had a share in the

National Rugby League The National Rugby League (NRL) is an Australasian rugby league club competition which contains clubs from New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, the Australian Capital Territory and New Zealand. The NRL formed in 1998 as a joint partnership ...

club

Gold Coast Titans The Gold Coast Titans are a professional rugby league football club, based on the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The club competes in the National Rugby League (NRL), Australia and New Zealand's national rugby league club competition. The ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Parkinson, Joel 1981 births Living people Australian surfers World Surf League surfers People from Nambour, Queensland Sportspeople from the Gold Coast, Queensland People from the Northern Rivers People from Tweed Heads, New South Wales