Joel Parkinson
Joel Parkinson
Joel Parkinsonis an Australian surfer who competes on the ASPWorld Tour. 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...
NationalityAustralian
ProfessionAthlete
Date of Birth10 April 1981
CountryAustralia
I stay away from big chunks of carbs and try to keep it lean, even when I'm competing.
I've been on the tour for 12 years, and the big dream has always been to get a world title.
I used to be tense or nervous before heats. But I've learned to get rid of the negative stuff and just stay relaxed and positive - and it seems to be working for me.
You have to prepare yourself physically as much as possible for a bad wipeout.
It definitely takes a fair bit of experience to know what's the right kind of wave and which is the wrong wave.
Having so many close calls in my career, it was such an awesome feeling to get that first world title.
Losing one grounds you a bit. I learned a lot after losing the title in 2009, learned that I was probably too intense that year, and when I didn't win, I just felt horrible.
My favorite meal to make is seared ahi, and my wife does the most amazing pear salad.
I had plenty of invites and chances to party when I just started on tour, but I knew partying would prevent me from achieving my surfing potential.
For me, I like to keep it real simple; I just worry about myself, the waves, and my surroundings.
It's the way surfing is - you grow up surfing together, and then you're thrown into a heat at Pipe or a world title bout against one another.
When I enjoy my surfing, I get good results, and I've always had fun in South Africa.
As long as I'm getting waves and having fun, the results tend to take care of themselves.
You only need two waves in a heat, so I try and keep my surfs short and sweet and not too draining. Keep them intense and try and get the two best waves I can.