Rumor: Joel Parkinson Set To Bail On Surf Ranch!

The world’s gone wave pool mad! There’s ones in Texas, Lemoore, and soon to be a whole bunch of pulsing lumps around the waveless inlands of downunder. 

With this hype, comes competition, and in the WSL’s case, the inaugural CT event at the Surf Ranch in September – the first ever championship tour event held at an artificial wave. 

Joel Parkinson, however, might not be in attendance. 

It’s no secret Parko’s no major fan of that artificial spot, and his rail-heavy approach back at the Founders Cup didn’t exactly suit the ranch’s train-propelled walls either. The waves at the Surf Ranch are soft and tend to pull away from the surfer rather than bowl towards them, as a standard point break might; this makes the wave pool less than ideal for surfers who thrive on rail and rely on critical sections to score points.

Let’s be honest, the barrel’s pretty much obsolete scoring wise, and no-one wants to watch the T-Mobile tube timer. 

“I don’t care how good Kelly’s wave looks, everybody I’ve talked to who’s ridden it said it’s boring after one wave,” Bobby Martinez told Stab filming for a recent project, “what they’re trying to use the wave pool for is wrong…it’s cool they made the concept and it works, but going further and all the shit that comes with it is ridiculous, that’s my opinion.” 

And while there’s no other surfers we can definitively name, rumour has it Parko isn’t the only CT competitor less than excited for the pool comp scheduled later this year.

Pulling out of events however isn’t easy on the CT, it’s not as simple as announcing your non-attendance. Unless you’re injured, or a have a legitimate excuse, surfers receive a fine for skipping out on events; particularly when their excuse is based on their own prejudices against a spot – take Parko’s absence from Brazil for example.

At this stage, as expected, there’s been no official announcements nor statements from any surfers against the wave pool or the holding of an event there. Just don’t be blown away if a number of ‘injuries’ and excuses sprout up around the start of September. 

xoxo 

Gossip Gal.