12-year-old Burlington scooter rider dominates North American competitions

A young athlete in our area is hoping to one day compete in the Olympics, and trains everyday to make that dream a reality. Twelve-year-old Jack Dixon has only been scootering for a few years now, but has already made a name for himself by dominating North American competitions.

Jack can do things on a scooter that most people can’t.

“The feeling when I’m riding a scooter is, like, unbeatable,” said Jack

It’s hard to believe, but Jack only got his first scooter five years ago after watching videos on YouTube of other athletes.

“I bought him a scooter that was on clearance just to see how he did. And as soon as I saw him ride, I was like, I feel like he has something here. And then literally he’s been so dedicated ever since that day,” said Britt, Jack’s mother.

Jack spends countless hours at CJ’s Skatepark in Mississauga, and on other ramps around Burlington. His mom says the sport has given him so much confidence.

“So he gets to ride with people that are older than him. And it’s really been amazing for his confidence and his maturity. So it’s really amazing to see him talking to other people at the skate park and helping younger riders learn new tricks,” said Britt.

Both his parents are journalists, but young Jack is hoping to write his own story — one that includes the Olympics. There’s talk that scootering could one day be an event at the summer games.

“I think it’s going to grow. And I think in 2030 it’ll be in the Olympics,” said Jack.

“That is the goal. Obviously he’s putting in hours and hours of training every week. And we’re travelling for competitions, so the ultimate goal would be the Olympics. We hope that he ends up there or the X Games or something else like that,” said Britt.

He’s already competed in several competitions in North America – most recently last week at the U.S. National Scooter Championships in Arizona where he dominated the competition finishing first.

“I was in ’14 and under’ and I got first place. And in the intermediate category for USA, no one has ever scored above 70 per cent and I got 70.8. So it’s like a record.”

And now, millions of young scooter riders are watching videos of Jack.

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