Just when you thought that the tour was getting boring, with Parko
having secured his title only four event wins in with his third first
place finish of the year at J-Bay, things go and get squirrelly on us.
Rob Machado, surfing as a wildcard, takes out our thought-to-be 2009
title holder, and, numerically speaking, it's still possible that
there's a hint of a race on our hands. Just a hint, but right now,
that's enough to keep my eyes glued on France. That being said, here're
a few things to keep in mind as the World Tour invades France.
Parko will still win...probably
Joel's
had a hell of a year thus far with three wins, a third, a ninth, and
right now, a throwaway 17th-place finish. That said, Parko had a tough
run in France last year, bowing out in round 2 with an uncharactoristic
33 at the hand of Michel Bourez. But prior to that, the Land of Love
has treated the Cooly Kid quite well in the past. In 2007, Parko
finished second to Fanning (hmm) and in 2006 he won the event.
Also
keep in mind that Parko's had a nagging ankle injury in the last few
weeks. Although it's said to be minimal, Parko wasn't looking 100
percent (at least in this man's eyes) at Lowers. On his blog, following
his loss at the Hurley Pro, Parko said the following:
"I think
I'm probably a week away from full steam running on it. [the ankle] I
could beach run now, I reckon, I might go this arvo. Surfing on it has
been fine, it's just time to get it a little tougher. I'm happy with
the progress I made on it over here for sure."
When asked about his froth-factor for France, Parko seems, well...quite frothy.
"It's
all about France now. I can't wait. I always seem to get really
surf-excited in France cause I love the waves over there and I always
get pumped on surfing them. You can have three long surfs a day. Coming
here to California I don't get quite as pumped about going freesurfing.
Apart from surfing Lowers around the comp I don't get quite as excited
about the other waves nearby, whereas in France there's always a little wedgey something down the beach."
900 Points Shy of World Title Number 2
At
just 936 points behind Parko, Mick Fanning has been silently plugging
away at the ratings this year. Coming off his win at Lowers and
becoming $105,000 richer, Fanning is a very strong contender heading
into France, moving from seventh to second in the ratings. He's had
success there in the past, winning the event in 2007. In 2008, Fanning
made it to the quarters where he bowed out to Slater and in 2006,
Fanning fell victim to Parko in the final.
Pick a Hobgood, any Hobgood, Just Make Sure it's Damien
Although
both CJ and Damien are currently nestled fourth and fifth in the
ratings respectively, Damien has proven himself capable in France over
the past few years. In 2008, Damien made it to the semis, where he lost
to Ace Buchan who went on to win the event over Slater. In 2007, Damien
was forced to pull out of Trestles and France due to a knee injury. In
2005, Damo placed second to AI in the finals.
On the other
hand, CJ, placed a respectable ninth to his very own twin in 2008,
losing the heat by a mere .17. In 07, CJ fell out of the event with a
17th-place result and before that, he finished the Quik Pro France with
a 33. So if you're gonna bet on a Hobgood, the odds are with Damien
-Mull
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