Joel Parkinson puts CJ Hobgood out of his misery in Round 5 of 2011 Billabong Pipe Masters
Riding the firing mammoth-sized waves of Banzai Pipeline at the famed North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, is something that the elite Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) surfers anxiously look forward to throughout the year. The stage not only tests their
capacity to control a wave of a height twice their size, but also highlights their endurance and ability to hold their own while faced with demanding conditions and situations.
Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons, the final stop of the 2011 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour as well as the last leg of Vans Triple Crown of Surfing, was doing exactly that; putting the surfing elite in a battlefield where
every minute of the contest tested their ability to survive and progress. The competition continued to feature thrilling battles as the surfers squared off with each other in Round 5 on Friday, December 9, with the first of the four Round 5 heats pitting Australia’s
Joel Parkinson against America’s CJ Hobgood.
The 30-year-old Parkinson, also known as Parko, had been simply sensational throughout the 2011 ASP World Tour and was continuing to exhibit a promising form in Hawaii. After getting a solid start, the Australian made it through Round 3 without a scratch,
though he stumbled in Round 4 and thus was forced to take the long road to the Quarter-finals.
Standing between Parkinson and the Quarter-final spot was Hobgood, the 12-year veteran of the ASP World Tour. The 32-year-old Floridian had trouble with consistency, but did well to stay alive in the competition so far.
As the battle for the Quarter-final slot got under-way, both the surfers got off to a slow start as the Pipeline pushed them on the back-foot. A few minutes into the heat, Hobgood paddled towards a wave and tried to pull off a few manoeuvres on it, but failed
to pull it off cleanly and only managed to post a 3.17 off it on the score-board. Not getting any more comfortable with the conditions as the heat progressed, the American added yet another mediocre wave-score of 4.57 to his account, finishing with a heat-total
of 7.74 points as a result.
While the Floridian was having a real field day, Parkinson seemed to be much more relaxed as he carried out the hunt for a set of competitive scores. Though the search was a lengthy one, it sure proved to be a fruitful. The Australian caught his first business-wave
to unload a string of stylish manoeuvres, posting a 7.83 on the board to take a lead over his rival already. He widened the gap between the scores even further after scoring a 5.00 off his final wave to finish with a two-wave total of 12.83 points.
The splendid performance by Parkinson served to secure his place in the Quarter-finals, bringing him a step closer to the event-title. While he held little chance of retaining his Vans Triple Crown of Surfing title for the fourth consecutive year, winning
the last leg of the series was indeed going to be a consolation for him. A good result in the current event was also going to affect his standing on the ASP World Title rankings.
Hobgood, on the other hand, was finally put out of his misery after the Round 5 loss. He had not looked comfortable in the deadly barrels that were on offer at the Banzai Pipeline and though he had recovered from a blow earlier in the competition, this time
the blow turned out to be pretty critical.
With his exit from the Billabong Pipe Masters, the current season of the APS World Tour came to an end for Hobgood. The former ASP World Champion finished the season at the No.31 spot on the ASP World Title rankings. The current year may not have gone his
way, but the experienced American surfer is very much capable of making a strong return next season.
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