Richard Parks
Encyclopedia
Richard David Parks is a former Wales international rugby union
player, representing Newport RFC, Pontypridd RFC
, Celtic Warriors
, Leeds Tykes
, Perpignan
and Newport Gwent Dragons
at club and regional level. In May 2009 he was forced to retire from rugby due to a shoulder injury. After his retirement, he made history to become the first ever person to stand on the highest summits on each of the world's continents and all 3 poles (The North Pole, the South Pole and the summit of Everest) in a single calendar year, and set a new benchmark in the climbing of the 7 summits.
, Wales and attended Rougemont and Monmouth School.
Richard first started playing Rugby at the age of 9 at Rougemont School, Newport, Monmouth School and Pontypool Colts progressing quickly through the school ranks playing flanker throughout, and ultimately captaining Haberdashers Monmouth School first XV.
He was selected for Welsh Schools at under 18 level and then had a brief spell with Newport youth before spending a year in South Africa in 1996 at Michaelhouse, the internationally renowned boarding school for senior boys in Durban. Richard competed for the first team at Michaelhouse whilst he studied A-level chemistry in order to gain entry to Cardiff University to study Dentistry.
Whilst in South Africa, Richard was invited to join the Natal Under 19’s academy but this would have involved committing to attend university in South Africa. Richard always had the desire to play for Wales, therefore he chose to return home to take a contract up with Newport Rugby Football Club, and sign his first professional contract as a rugby player.
Park’s fourth season with Newport RFC saw him struck down with injury. He missed most of the season after suffering a stress fracture of his spine. Breaking his back resulted in Richard missing the opportunity to gain Welsh honours at an under 21 level.
After taking longer to recover than anticipated Richard was released from his contract at Newport RFC after 62 appearances and finished the season playing University Rugby for Cardiff Meds.
for the following season, and in 2001 Parks represented the Welsh Sevens
in the 2001 Rugby World Cup Sevens
in Argentina.
Pontypridd won the Principality Cup in 2002 and reached the Parker Pen Shield final losing 22 – 25 to Sale Sharks.
Many of the Pontypridd squad, including Parks, were called up to represent Wales on a tour to South Africa. It was here on tour versus South Africa
in Free State Stadium
, Bloemfontein
that 24-year-old Parks earned his first full international cap on 8 June 2002, in a 34-19 defeat, from the bench. He became the 1001st player to represent his country Wales,
During the next season Richard was selected for the autumn international series where he gained his second cap against Fiji
.
A final season at Pontypridd continued and Parks remained in the Welsh squad. He was named in the 6 Nations
squad but was not capped.
During the summer of 2003, he was selected in the preliminary World Cup
squad and added to his 2 caps with games against Scotland and Ireland. However, Parks missed out on final section to the World Cup in Australia.
in 2003, Parks was signed to the newly formed Celtic Warriors
. He played the whole of that new look 2003-04 season
out of position at number 8 due to injuries in the squad, finishing with 19 appearances.
Following the demise of the region after only one season, Parks joined the then Welsh head coach Phil Davies at Leeds Tykes.
through injury, Parks become an influential member of the Leeds squad and was at times named as vice captain.
At the beginning of 2005 following injuries to key players, Leeds were bottom of the Zurich Premiership and some way adrift of their rivals. Despite the threat of relegation they made it to their first ever Powergen Cup final in 2005, defeating Bath 20-12 at Twickenham
to claim their first ever trophy.
Following the cup win they went on to win five straight games and avoided relegation finishing the season in eighth position. The following season saw the Tykes lose their first eight games in three different competitions, and were relegated at the end of the season. Parks subsequently signed for USA Perpignan
for the 2006–07 season. However, due to a failure to gain sufficient game time, Parks returned to Wales for the 2007–08 season with the Newport Gwent Dragons
.
, marking the start of a long line of injuries, which ultimately led to his retirement from rugby. Early in his second season with the Dragons, Parks injured his shoulder in a tackle. Unaware of the severity of the injury, Richard continued to play and then had an operation over Christmas to repair his shoulder. He returned to action at the beginning of the year but his shoulder problem reoccurred. It was at this point, in May 2009 and after of trying many different courses of treatment to repair his shoulder, Richard was advised the damage to his shoulder was irreversible and following the second operation on his shoulder that year, he was advised he should not play rugby anymore. He had made 30 appearances for the Dragons. Richard retired from rugby on 26 May 2009 aged 31.
On 12 December 2010, Parks began his journey in Cardiff on the centenary of the departure of the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition
, led by Robert Falcon Scott
, from that city. Parks was joined on parts of his expedition by Olympic rower Steve Williams OBE and Marie Curie nurse Janet Suart.
He completed each leg of the challenge on the following dates:
On 12th July 2011 he made history becoming the first ever person to stand on the continental summits and all 3 poles in a single calendar year, finishing more than two weeks ahead of his self-imposed 7-month deadline. He completed his 737 Challenge in a record setting 06 Months, 11 Days, 07 Hours and 53 Minutes.
To find out more about Richard Parks and his incredible journey visit: www.737challenge.com
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
player, representing Newport RFC, Pontypridd RFC
Pontypridd RFC
Pontypridd Rugby Football Club, known as Ponty, are a rugby union team from Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, currently playing in the British and Irish Cup, Principality Premiership, and are the current SWALEC Cup champions....
, Celtic Warriors
Celtic Warriors
The Celtic Warriors were a regional rugby union team from Wales, who played in the Celtic League and Heineken Cup between 2003 and 2004.-History:The Warriors were one of the five original regions of the Welsh Regional Rugby Era...
, Leeds Tykes
Leeds Tykes
Leeds Carnegie is an English rugby union club, based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, currently playing in the RFU Championship. In recent years, they have bounced between the Premiership and the second-level National Division One, now known as the RFU Championship; they were either promoted or relegated...
, Perpignan
USA Perpignan
Union Sportive des Arlequins Perpignanais or Unió eSportiva Arlequins de Perpinyà , generally abbreviated as USAP in both languages, is a French rugby union club that plays in the city of Perpignan in Pyrénées-Orientales. The club currently competes in the Top 14, the top level of the French...
and Newport Gwent Dragons
Newport Gwent Dragons
Newport Gwent Dragons are one of the four professional Rugby Union regional teams in Wales. They are jointly owned by Newport RFC and the Welsh Rugby Union and play all their home games at Rodney Parade, Newport. They play in the RaboDirect Pro12, the Anglo-Welsh Cup and the Heineken Cup...
at club and regional level. In May 2009 he was forced to retire from rugby due to a shoulder injury. After his retirement, he made history to become the first ever person to stand on the highest summits on each of the world's continents and all 3 poles (The North Pole, the South Pole and the summit of Everest) in a single calendar year, and set a new benchmark in the climbing of the 7 summits.
The early years
Richard was born on 14 August 1977 in Pontypridd to Jamaican mother Lee Parks and Welsh father Derek Parks. Richard grew up in NewportNewport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
, Wales and attended Rougemont and Monmouth School.
Richard first started playing Rugby at the age of 9 at Rougemont School, Newport, Monmouth School and Pontypool Colts progressing quickly through the school ranks playing flanker throughout, and ultimately captaining Haberdashers Monmouth School first XV.
He was selected for Welsh Schools at under 18 level and then had a brief spell with Newport youth before spending a year in South Africa in 1996 at Michaelhouse, the internationally renowned boarding school for senior boys in Durban. Richard competed for the first team at Michaelhouse whilst he studied A-level chemistry in order to gain entry to Cardiff University to study Dentistry.
Whilst in South Africa, Richard was invited to join the Natal Under 19’s academy but this would have involved committing to attend university in South Africa. Richard always had the desire to play for Wales, therefore he chose to return home to take a contract up with Newport Rugby Football Club, and sign his first professional contract as a rugby player.
Newport RFC
In his first year at Newport RFC (1996–97) he was selected to play for the Welsh sevens team in Tokyo, Japan and in his second year at the age of 20 years old, Richard was called up to train with the Welsh senior team. At the end of this season (1997–98) Richard was voted most promising player of the year by his club winning the Arthur Boucher Award.Park’s fourth season with Newport RFC saw him struck down with injury. He missed most of the season after suffering a stress fracture of his spine. Breaking his back resulted in Richard missing the opportunity to gain Welsh honours at an under 21 level.
After taking longer to recover than anticipated Richard was released from his contract at Newport RFC after 62 appearances and finished the season playing University Rugby for Cardiff Meds.
Pontypridd and playing for Wales
Parks was subsequently signed by Pontypridd RFCPontypridd RFC
Pontypridd Rugby Football Club, known as Ponty, are a rugby union team from Pontypridd, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, currently playing in the British and Irish Cup, Principality Premiership, and are the current SWALEC Cup champions....
for the following season, and in 2001 Parks represented the Welsh Sevens
Wales national rugby union team (sevens)
The Wales national rugby union sevens team is the international rugby sevens side for Welsh rugby union players. They currently compete in the IRB Sevens World Series, the Rugby World Cup Sevens and in the Commonwealth Games....
in the 2001 Rugby World Cup Sevens
2001 Rugby World Cup Sevens
The 2001 Rugby World Cup Sevens or the Melrose Cup was the 3rd edition of the tournament and held in Argentina. New Zealand defeated Australia to win the tournament for the first time. This was the first major rugby event ever held in South America....
in Argentina.
Pontypridd won the Principality Cup in 2002 and reached the Parker Pen Shield final losing 22 – 25 to Sale Sharks.
Many of the Pontypridd squad, including Parks, were called up to represent Wales on a tour to South Africa. It was here on tour versus South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
in Free State Stadium
Free State Stadium
The Free State Stadium , also known as Vodacom Park, is a stadium in Bloemfontein, South Africa, used mainly for rugby union and association football...
, Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State Province of South Africa; and, as the judicial capital of the nation, one of South Africa's three national capitals – the other two being Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Pretoria, the administrative capital.Bloemfontein is popularly and...
that 24-year-old Parks earned his first full international cap on 8 June 2002, in a 34-19 defeat, from the bench. He became the 1001st player to represent his country Wales,
During the next season Richard was selected for the autumn international series where he gained his second cap against Fiji
Fiji national rugby union team
The Fiji national rugby union team is a member of the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance formerly along with Samoa and Tonga. In 2009, Samoa announced their departure from the Pacific Islands Rugby Alliance, leaving just Fiji and Tonga. Fiji are ranked sixteenth in the world by the IRB as of 26...
.
A final season at Pontypridd continued and Parks remained in the Welsh squad. He was named in the 6 Nations
2003 Six Nations Championship
The 2003 Six Nations Championship was the fourth series of the Six Nations Championship. Including the previous incarnations as the Home Nations and Five Nations, this was the hundred-and-ninth series of the northern hemisphere rugby union championship...
squad but was not capped.
During the summer of 2003, he was selected in the preliminary World Cup
2003 Rugby World Cup
The 2003 Rugby World Cup was the fifth Rugby World Cup and was won by England. Originally planned to be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, all games were shifted to Australia following a contractual dispute over ground signage rights between the New Zealand Rugby Football Union and Rugby World...
squad and added to his 2 caps with games against Scotland and Ireland. However, Parks missed out on final section to the World Cup in Australia.
Celtic Warriors
Following the Introduction of regional rugby union teams in WalesIntroduction of regional rugby union teams in Wales
The introduction of regional rugby union teams in Wales occurred prior to the start of the 2003/04 rugby union season. From this date, Wales was represented by a smaller number of regional teams in both the Celtic League and European Cup competitions, where previously the top club sides were...
in 2003, Parks was signed to the newly formed Celtic Warriors
Celtic Warriors
The Celtic Warriors were a regional rugby union team from Wales, who played in the Celtic League and Heineken Cup between 2003 and 2004.-History:The Warriors were one of the five original regions of the Welsh Regional Rugby Era...
. He played the whole of that new look 2003-04 season
2003-04 Celtic League
-Week 2:-Week 3:-Week4:-Week 5:-Week 6:-Week 7:-Week 8:-Week 9:-Week 10:-Week 11:-Week 12:-Week 13:...
out of position at number 8 due to injuries in the squad, finishing with 19 appearances.
Following the demise of the region after only one season, Parks joined the then Welsh head coach Phil Davies at Leeds Tykes.
Leeds and Perpignan
After a difficult start to the 2004-05 season2004–05 Zurich Premiership
The 2004-05 Zurich Premiership was the 18th season of the top flight of the English domestic rugby union competitions.Harlequins were relegated, to be replaced by Bristol.- Table :-Week 1:-Week 2:-Week 3:-Week 4:-Week 5:...
through injury, Parks become an influential member of the Leeds squad and was at times named as vice captain.
At the beginning of 2005 following injuries to key players, Leeds were bottom of the Zurich Premiership and some way adrift of their rivals. Despite the threat of relegation they made it to their first ever Powergen Cup final in 2005, defeating Bath 20-12 at Twickenham
Twickenham Stadium
Twickenham Stadium is a stadium located in Twickenham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is the largest rugby union stadium in the United Kingdom and has recently been enlarged to seat 82,000...
to claim their first ever trophy.
Following the cup win they went on to win five straight games and avoided relegation finishing the season in eighth position. The following season saw the Tykes lose their first eight games in three different competitions, and were relegated at the end of the season. Parks subsequently signed for USA Perpignan
USA Perpignan
Union Sportive des Arlequins Perpignanais or Unió eSportiva Arlequins de Perpinyà , generally abbreviated as USAP in both languages, is a French rugby union club that plays in the city of Perpignan in Pyrénées-Orientales. The club currently competes in the Top 14, the top level of the French...
for the 2006–07 season. However, due to a failure to gain sufficient game time, Parks returned to Wales for the 2007–08 season with the Newport Gwent Dragons
Newport Gwent Dragons
Newport Gwent Dragons are one of the four professional Rugby Union regional teams in Wales. They are jointly owned by Newport RFC and the Welsh Rugby Union and play all their home games at Rodney Parade, Newport. They play in the RaboDirect Pro12, the Anglo-Welsh Cup and the Heineken Cup...
.
Newport Gwent Dragons
Parks tore his knee ligaments in the Boxing Day derby against Cardiff BluesCardiff Blues
Cardiff Blues are one of the four professional Welsh regional rugby union teams. Based in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, the team have played at Cardiff City Stadium since the start of the 2009/2010 season and are owned by Cardiff Rugby Football Club....
, marking the start of a long line of injuries, which ultimately led to his retirement from rugby. Early in his second season with the Dragons, Parks injured his shoulder in a tackle. Unaware of the severity of the injury, Richard continued to play and then had an operation over Christmas to repair his shoulder. He returned to action at the beginning of the year but his shoulder problem reoccurred. It was at this point, in May 2009 and after of trying many different courses of treatment to repair his shoulder, Richard was advised the damage to his shoulder was irreversible and following the second operation on his shoulder that year, he was advised he should not play rugby anymore. He had made 30 appearances for the Dragons. Richard retired from rugby on 26 May 2009 aged 31.
737 Challenge
Following his retirement from rugby, Parks embarked on an epic challenge to climb the highest mountain on each of the world’s continents (the Seven Summits) and venture the last degrees to The South and Geographical North Poles within seven months. He hopes to raise £1 million in aid of Marie Curie Cancer Care.On 12 December 2010, Parks began his journey in Cardiff on the centenary of the departure of the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition
Terra Nova Expedition
The Terra Nova Expedition , officially the British Antarctic Expedition 1910, was led by Robert Falcon Scott with the objective of being the first to reach the geographical South Pole. Scott and four companions attained the pole on 17 January 1912, to find that a Norwegian team led by Roald...
, led by Robert Falcon Scott
Robert Falcon Scott
Captain Robert Falcon Scott, CVO was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, 1901–04, and the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition, 1910–13...
, from that city. Parks was joined on parts of his expedition by Olympic rower Steve Williams OBE and Marie Curie nurse Janet Suart.
He completed each leg of the challenge on the following dates:
- Leg 1: The South PoleSouth PoleThe South Pole, also known as the Geographic South Pole or Terrestrial South Pole, is one of the two points where the Earth's axis of rotation intersects its surface. It is the southernmost point on the surface of the Earth and lies on the opposite side of the Earth from the North Pole...
- 27 December 2010, 6.10 am GMTGreenwich Mean TimeGreenwich Mean Time is a term originally referring to mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London. It is arguably the same as Coordinated Universal Time and when this is viewed as a time zone the name Greenwich Mean Time is especially used by bodies connected with the United... - Leg 2: Mount Vinson - 8 January 2011
- Leg 3: AconcaguaAconcaguaAconcagua is the highest mountain in the Americas at . It is located in the Andes mountain range, in the Argentine province of Mendoza and it lies west by north of its capital, the city of Mendoza. The summit is also located about 5 kilometres from San Juan Province and 15 kilometres from the...
- 5 February 2011, 5.54 pm GMT - Leg 4: Kilimanjaro - 27 February 2011, 4.57 am GMT
- Leg 5: Carstensz Pyramid - 15 March 2011, 11.28 pm GMT
- Leg 6: The North PoleNorth PoleThe North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
- 11 April 2011, 2.20 pm BSTBritish Summer TimeWestern European Summer Time is a summer daylight saving time scheme, 1 hour ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. It is used in the following places:* the Canary Islands* Portugal * Ireland... - Leg 7: EverestMount EverestMount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
- 25 May 2011, 2.57 am BST - Leg 8: DenaliMount McKinleyMount McKinley or Denali in Alaska, United States is the highest mountain peak in North America and the United States, with a summit elevation of above sea level. It is the centerpiece of Denali National Park and Preserve.- Geology and features :Mount McKinley is a granitic pluton...
- 30 June 2011, 8.08 am BST - Leg 9: ElbrusMount ElbrusMount Elbrus is an inactive volcano located in the western Caucasus mountain range, in Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia, Russia, near the border of Georgia. Mt. Elbrus's peak is the highest in the Caucasus, in Russia...
- 12 July 2011, 8.53 am BST
On 12th July 2011 he made history becoming the first ever person to stand on the continental summits and all 3 poles in a single calendar year, finishing more than two weeks ahead of his self-imposed 7-month deadline. He completed his 737 Challenge in a record setting 06 Months, 11 Days, 07 Hours and 53 Minutes.
To find out more about Richard Parks and his incredible journey visit: www.737challenge.com