Joel Parkinson is a 17-year veteran of the Championship Tour. He is regarded as one of the most naturally gifted and stylish surfers to grace the sport, and his authenticity brings people even closer to him. The legendary surfer from the Gold Coast of Australia has 12 CT victories to his name. The first came at Jeffreys Bay in 1999, where competed as a wildcard. His latest came at the Oakley Bali Pro in 2013, where he earned one of the few perfect heats seen in history - masterfully pairing two 10-point rides. Parkinson’s remarkable career includes four runner-up finishes to the World Title (2002, ’04, ’09, ’11). In 2012 he finally nabbed the title he so deserved, edging 11-time World Champion Kelly Slater to get it done. It was sweet redemption after his stinging loss in 2009. That year, Parkinson had what appeared to be an insurmountable lead thanks to three wins during the first half of the season. But during the mid-summer break, he injured his ankle, and it showed. He suffered three early-round losses while his longtime Gold Coast sparring partner, Mick Fanning, won three events of his own. Fanning snatched the World Title (his second) in the final event of the year at Pipeline. Amazingly, Parkinson has never taken a year off since joining the Championship Tour full time in 2002. In 2018, however, Parkison graciously made his retirement announcement at Jeffreys Bay to commemorate his 1999 wildcard appearance at the peeling right-hander. Ultimately, parko decided to put his competitive surfing career to rest at the Pipe Masters so that he could cherish each Tour stop one last time in a jersey. Despite bowing out in Round 4 at Pipe, Joel finished his last year as runner up for the Vans Triple Crown. It goes without saying that Joel Parkinson's career will be cemented into surfing's history as one of the greatest of all time. And while he openly states he doesn't have a fire to win anymore, all he wants to do now is surf.