Joel Parkinson

So there was –

A lot of thank yous and a lot of people noticed and I think it was pretty good.

It definitely changed me for the better.

For sure, yeah.

I always think maybe would I love surfing, that stone would never have been unturned.

I have never even thought about competing again.

When I first retired, I was asked a couple of times for wild cards and whatnot, but I could never put a jersey on.

I'd throw up my mouth if I put a jersey on.

constant cross and t's dotting eyes just making sure you you know right all those things of just making sure your headspace is right right decisions all those things just i don't have to think about them anymore yeah i just made i'm like feeling relief just hearing yeah but i mean most most people like i guess any athletes like would probably have that i don't know but for me at this stage of my life being retired

uh eight years now it's kind of that you know you kind of look back at it still fresh enough where i think about oh how my life is after eight years and how that was but yeah just going back there i felt like i definitely was a different person was there any one thing you thought you got right that season that that year that like was the difference

Probably a little bit less, you know, giving a fuck really.

And like a letting go a bit of a stuff.

Like I just was like, look, I'm, for me, it was only, I just had a coach.

I had Luke Egan coaching me up until 2012 and I got rid of everyone.

I just did it by myself and kind of let go of all that.

Came off my, just a lot more from my like instinct style stuff, I would say.

So that would have been the only difference.

Yeah, no, definitely was separate.

Like just for instance, that year he was, it would, was separate all the way up until Mick was not in contention for the title coming into pipe.

And then he was in my corner the whole time.