Scootering to Success
by Cate Murway
"Anything the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve." -Napoleon Hill
Some of you may remember the rising skateboard movement of the 70's, right?
When did scootering get so popular?
Freestyle scootering is a growing extreme sport and scootering is more popular than rollerblading, probably because it is so much fun.
You only have to visit any skate park to see that scooters are taking over as the kids latest must have toy. This fantastic emerging sport is definitely one to watch.
With new technology, cool styling, and lots of riders performing amazing stunts, the scooter movement is taking the world by storm.
Daniel Charles Barrett, BCTHS ’10 took something very simple - a scooter and then goes and does all these amazing tricks and stunts with it that require skill, creativity, and lots of practice.
Dan is part of the Phoenix 5 who qualified for the International Final. He is a well traveled rider who’s been many places –Switzerland for the Montreux Contest and at the Barcelona Street Jam. He qualified for the ISA final in the UK [on behalf of his sponsor, Phoenix Scooters].
Scooter riding is where it’s at and Dan is loving it!
“ I’m making a living off of what I love, are you?”
The International Scooter Association is a non-profit organization that has been set up to promote, develop and create a sustainable future for the sport of stunt scooter riding. It is dedicated to the development of the sport worldwide on all levels from the professional competitions to grass roots and street riding.
Dan left for London this week as a Phoenix team Pro Sponsored Rider.
“Since I've been on Phoenix I've been able to look at scootering more as a career and live a little bit easier. I can say they're one of the only teams that take care of their riders the way they should be.”
The Scooter Championships develop the sport on a global scale and there were only 20 qualifying places available to be won for 2012.
The International championships consist of top competitors from across the world coming together for the sport, creating opportunity for the riders to showcase the sport to the world. Flintshire Leisure Center and Deeside Skate park UK will host the European London world championship event this Saturday October 27th. The European finals culminate the day before.
The competitors are judged on difficulty, style in the air and use of the park.
“There are three minute-runs. The best of 2 of the runs is the score and the worst is thrown away.”
The first skatepark in the world, the six-acre Carlsbad Skatepark, in Carlsbad, CA was conceived, designed and built by inventors Jack Graham and John O'Malley. It opened March 13, 1976 on a fallow fringe of what was then the Carlsbad Raceway and is generally regarded as the first skateboard park in the world. They also consulted and designed a dozen skatepark projects including Concrete Wave in Anaheim and Shady Acres in Long Beach.
Public skateparks have had resurgence throughout the USA.
Unlike organized sports, like basketball or football, skateboarding/scootering has no set arena or rules and skateparks have no standard design template. Each skatepark is designed specifically to provide unique challenges to its users.
High end manufacturers are busy making scooters that will stand up to the abuse that a day of stunts at the skate park requires, incorporating high quality alloys, precision machining, and name-brand parts.
Why does Dan ride? “It’s fun!”
Dan lost his father, George Barrett to cancer when he was just 5 years old. He and his brothers live in Bristol Township with their mother, Lori.
His older brother, George Lawrence is involved in photography and silkscreen work at Delta Orator Production and his younger brother, Nicholas Joseph “Nick” is a laborer/apprentice cabinet maker and his hobby is BMX freestyling.
It was because George had won a scooter on the boardwalk that younger brother, Dan had wanted one. A scooter was a holiday gift from his mom in 2003 and the dream was born.
Dan is a professional who relished the competition in the local skate parks in Newtown, Middletown, and the Franklin Mills. “Every competition is fun.”
When you show respect to others, you earn respect for yourself.
“Being good is one thing but being a good person is important. You just keep growing. There’s no level where you know everything. I can be creative in tricks and either trick in or trick out.”
He watched and emulated the scooter legend himself, Martin Kimbell on a video forum.
“I enjoyed the way he rode.”
Dan is one of a kind in the sport when he exhibits his host of razor sharp stunts on his seriously tough Phoenix scooter. He is the proud owner of the Guinness World Record
for the most kick scooter tailwhips in one minute.
“The most tailwhips on a kick scooter in one minute is 57 and was achieved by Daniel Barrett [USA], at X Games 18 in Los Angeles, CA, USA, on 29 June 2012.”
[A tailwhip is a trick involving spinning the scooter underneath yourself while in the air.]
TCO Extreme Sports markets a Phoenix Reventon Deck 4.25 Dan Barrett Signature wide scooter.
Dan is sponsored by the Barking Spyder Board Shop.
According to USA Today, skateboarding is the number one youth activity in the US.
Steven J. “Steve” Corleto is the proprietor of that Mill Street retail store, as well as Steve’s Tees, Awards and DeSigns.
“Steve and Susan Corleto are the nicest people I ever met. There should be more people like them in the world.”
There is mutual admiration.
"Dan is an all around great guy, he is intelligent, talented, athletic and benevolent, but on top of that, he is passionate about the sport of freestyle scootering and embraces the opportunity to mentor the youth he encounters. The Barking Spyder Board Shop is proud and fortunate to have him not only on our Team but as our friend."
Magray Scooter Company carries top quality scooter products that allow riders to perform at their best and is sponsoring Dan.
Dan is proud of his friend. “The owner, Eric Magray is pretty much like a genius. He orders products from all over the world and distributes them.”
McKenzie Matthew Small, owner of Yogurt Cup, a self serve frozen yogurt store in Levittown is also planning on sponsoring Dan. This is where he gets a healthy energized snack. “Dan likes supporting local businesses.”
McKenzie added, ‘He thinks big by thinking simply, not with grandiose plans. Dan is very secure, confident and level-headed.”
Dan is an avid reader. He enjoys autobiographies and a recent read was the story of Warren Buffet, widely considered the most successful investor of the 20th century.
Rich Dad Poor Dad, a book by Robert Kiyosaki, advocating financial independence, written in the style of a set of parables also made his book list.
Success is his mission.
Dan Barrett is a man with a plan, not a flash in the pan.
Recommend a “Spotlight”. E-mail vjmrun@yahoo.com
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Barking Spyder Board Shop -
USA's Dakota Schuetz takes first in the International Final Deeside UK,
Big shout out to our own Dan Barrett taking 7th place and our friend Jon Reyes scoring in the top 10!
Dan Barrett performs 57 tailwhips in a minute -
receiving his certificate from X-games' Dan Barrett !
[the meeting of the two Dan's is captured in this image]
ISA Interview
