Skateboarding is what you would call an extreme sport. Skateboarding all began in the 60s. The idea of skateboarding started from surfing. That is why surfers and skaters looks are almost the same. The surfers wanted to see if they could do the same things on the street like they did on the waves.

It all began in California in the Santa Dogtown, which is really known as the Monica/Venice Beach area. California is where skateboarding became popular, and then grew to be all over the U.S. One of the most known groups of skateboarding this toy was called The “Z-Boys”. The group began in 1973. The first Z-boy was 14-year-old Nathan Pratt. Nathan Pratt worked in a surf shop owned by Jeff Ho. The shop was called “Zephyr Productions” where Pratt worked as an apprentice surfboard … Read More »

FAST FACTS

AKA: Parko
DOB: April 10, 1981
Born: Nambour, Queensland, Australia
Resides: Coolangatta, Queensland, Australia
Hobbies: Fishing and spending time with the family
url: www.joelparko.com

VITALS

Height: 6’0′ (183 cm)
Weight: 185 lbs (84 kg)
Stance: Natural
Sponsors: Billabong wetsuits and clothing, Von Zipper eyewear, Kustom footwear and JS Industries surfboards
Shaper: Jason Stevenson
Magic Stick: 6’2″
Training Ground: Snapper and D’Bah
Favorite Wave: Long ones
Favorite Maneuver: Big ones
Inspirations: Kelly Slater, Mark Occhilupo and Matt Hoy

2010 Rating: DL
2010 Points: 10500
2010 earnings: $20,000.00
Career earnings: $1,141,226.00
Highest Rating: Runner-Up in 2009, 2004 and 2002
Elite Inception: 2001
Years on Tour: 2011 will be Joel’s 11th year on the ASP World Tour
Sabbatical: None yet

Rating by Year:
2009: 2nd
2008: 4th
2007: 4th
2006: 6th
2005: 12th
2005: 2nd
2003: 5th
2002: 2nd
2001: 21st

Filmography: Still Filthy (2009), Stranger Than Fiction (2008), Trilogy (2007), Free As A Dog (2005)

Honor Roll: Two-time ASP World Junior Champion, ASP World Runner-Up in 2009, 2004 and 2002, Perfect 20 … Read More »

Known for his distinctive designs and innovative style, Jeff Ho has been a seminal force in the surf and skateboarding worlds for more than three decades. After creating his first skateboard at age 8, he went on to craft his first surfboard at age 14 – but he perfected his design with a board he made two years later. His passion for surfing and desire to find a board that performed to his standards led to a new obsession – designing and building custom surfboards.

He began building surfboards in his garage, re-making old boards he found on the beach. But Jeff had his own theories about how a surfboard should look and perform, and his ideas were far from mainstream. In 1966, Jeff found a new home at Robert’s Surfboards in Playa Del … Read More »