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| 2006 O‘Neill World Cup of Surfing |
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Parko’s Perfection
Australian ‘CT star Joel Parkinson used the ideal conditions to dominate the final of the second jewel of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. This was Parko’s second win at Sunset. The Aussie won this event four years ago. With this year’s victory, Parkinson put himself in contention for the 2006 Vans Triple Crown of Surfing title. He caught the only perfect score of the comp in the 35-minute final. The 10-point ride came in the form of a 10-foot bomb. Parko soul-arched the bottom turn, snapped it off the top and proceeded to drive through a gaping West Bowl barrel. Smooth. “Finding the best waves is usually the hardest part,” said the 25-year-old Aussie. South African Jordy Smith followed Parko’s lead and claimed runner-up. He was also awarded the SurfCo Vans Triple Crown Rookie of the Year Award for his efforts. The most impressive part of Jordy’s Sunset campaign was the 10 stitches and painkillers. “I was surfing out at Backdoor and I tried a turn and my fin ran into my foot,” said the Rookie of his fresh injury. “There was just a little bit of pain out there, but I just kept pushing on.” While Smith could attribute his second place finish to his foot, the two Hawai‘i surfers in the final didn’t have a nagging injury to blame. Andy Irons, who surfed with raw power throughout the contest, fell victim to Sunset’s washing machine wipeouts during the final. The Kauaian fell on his first two rides and found himself out of breath and comboed by the midway point of the heat. AI surfed gutsy, pulling into any hollow section out there, probably because he knew that a win at Sunset would have sealed his 2006 Triple Crown title. Unfortunately his waves kept shutting down, and Andy landed in third place, setting the stage for the final jewel and a chance to earn the title at Pipe. Fellow finalist and Sunset local, Fred Patacchia, Jr. fell victim to the waiting game and finished fourth place. While Andy seemed to run out of steam, Freddy P. never really got rolling in the final. Patacchia patiently sat out on the point waiting for set waves that never came. Parko on the other hand, never really adhered to one lineup at Sunset. He got his perfect ride out on the peak, but grabbed his second high scoring tube, a 7.67, in the middle of the lineup while paddling back out. That just goes to show how sick the waves were at Sunset that day. You didn’t even have to be the farthest guy out to score a juicy one. Vans Triple Crown directors Randy Rarick and Bernie Baker made a gutsy call to wait until 12:30 pm on the last day of the holding period. It paid out large for contestants and spectators. As the 2006 O‘Neill World Cup of Surfing champion put it, “It was perfect Sunset and I couldn’t ask for a better day.” —DI Results: 1) Joel Parkinson (AUS) $15,000 2) Jordy Smith (SAF) $7,500 3) Andy Irons (HAW) $4,000 4) Fred Patachhia, Jr. (HAW) $2,300
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