Joel Parkinson
Australian surfer and co-owner of Balter Brewing Company.
via Wikipedia: Joel Parkinson · see source
Joel Parkinson (born 10 April 1981) is an Australian surfer who spent twelve years on the elite ASP World Championship Tour. Over that period, he won eleven top-level ASP World Title Events and nine other ASP tour contests. He finished as runner-up for the world title four times before finally claiming the ASP World Championship Tour Surfing Title on 14 December 2012 at the Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii, during the Billabong Pipeline Masters, the final event of the season. His first world title came after a tight contest with eleven-time champion Kelly Slater, who lost his semi-final to Australia’s Josh Kerr. Parkinson then beat Kerr in the final, securing his first event win of 2012 and his seventh top-five finish that year. He later retired from the World Tour, leaving behind a reputation for surfing that was both beautiful and powerful.
Quick Facts
- Birth name
- Joel Leslie Parkinson
- Born
- 10 April 1981
- Birthplace
- Nambour, Queensland, Australia
- Height
- 1.83 m / 6 ft
- Weight
- 80 kg / 176 lb
- Career earnings
- $2,133,720
- Sponsors
- Billabong
- JS Industries surfboards
- Von Zipper
- Stance
- Natural (regular) foot
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- Parkinson is co-owner of Balter Brewing Company with Mick Fanning, Josh Kerr, and Bede Durbidge.
- He had a share in the National Rugby League club Gold Coast Titans.
- Parkinson's cousin Mitch Parkinson is also a professional surfer.
Early life
Known as Parko, he was born in Nambour, Queensland, and grew up on Queensland's Gold Coast with fellow surfer Mick Fanning. 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 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. Parkinson has won eleven elite ASP tour victories including the Pipeline Masters in December 2012 Sherry Singh. Another career highlight came for Parkinson during a December 2008 Pipeline Masters 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 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, 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'.
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