Former world champion Joel Parkinson announced earlier in the year that he would be retiring following this 2018 season. His reasoning for that decision included the notion that he no longer has the desire to put the jersey on.
That was not evident on Saturday, as the three-time Triple Crown champion took the early lead on this year’s leaderboard with a high-scoring victory at the Hawaiian Pro in Haleiwa.
The winner of the 2012 world title ripped off a series of big waves in the final heat, distancing himself from his opponents and setting himself up for what could be a memorable farewell tour. Parkinson tallied a two-wave total of 17.36 for the victory as Brazil’s Mateus Herdy (15.83), New Zealand’s Ricardo Christie (15.83) and Brazil’s Deivid Silva (15.36) rounded out the final foursome. The last Hawaii surfer in the field was Seth Moniz, who reached the semifinal round and finished with an equal seventh-place result.
The win puts Parko in position for what could be his fourth career Triple Crown of Surfing title. He dominated the series at the end of the last decade, winning it three consecutive times (2008-2010). Coming back to do it once again at age 37 would be much more than he’d have dreamed about when this week began. Parkinson withdrew from the prior Championship Tour event due to injury and he hasn’t finished better than ninth on the CT all season. But neither of those facts were evident at Haleiwa and the veteran now owns the winter’s first jewel with just two contests remaining in a storied career.
Parkinson is always a threat at any wave, but his competitive edge has been lacking this year, shown in his 28th-place standing on the CT. Perhaps the reality of his final stop and finishing up in Hawaii has awoken the spirit that made him one of the world’s elite for almost two full decades. Parkinson finished runner-up to Andy Irons on the world tour back in 2002 and would go on to finish second three more times and in the top five another three times before finally breaking through for the world title in 2012.
Coming up in an era of dominance by Irons and Kelly Slater didn’t necessarily provide the championship opportunities that Parkinson’s talents deserved, but he helped them define that era along with Mick Fanning. Those four comprised every world title from 2002 through 2013. Now, 17 years after he made his CT debut, Parkinson has a chance to cap it off with a phenomenal feat. Next stop in that process is the World Cup of Surfing, which gets underway Nov. 25 at Sunset Beach.
BAKER EARNS HIS KEEP AT NAZARE: The green light was given on Friday in Portugal for the Big Wave Tour’s Nazare Challenge. The breathtaking wave was charged by many and conquered by few, most notably Grant “Twiggy” Baker, who took down the event title, and Natxo Gonzalez, who earned the wave’s first ever perfect 10-point ride.
Baker showed that practice truly does pay dividends, stating that he’s been surfing in Nazare for the past six weeks. That experience allowed him to capture the title among 24 of the world’s most fearless surfers.
Gonzalez dropped in perfectly during his semifinal heat, getting deep in an enormous barrel and disappearing behind the powerful crest of water before emerging triumphantly. He celebrated by leaping off his board, throwing his fists in the air and displaying a smile that conveyed every bit of happiness within his being. He may not have come away with the event win, but that wave will probably be even more memorable.
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David Simon can be reached at dsimon@thegardenisland.com.
