LACHLAN Whiteley handles his scooter with the poise of someone who has been riding them for years, even though in June he turned two.
The Bowen Mountain toddler needs someone to hand his scooter to him after he has scrambled up ramps at skate parks, but he needs no help once he hops on his scooter and goes down the ramp.
Despite the fact Lachlan’s mum, Cherelle, gets butterflies in her stomach every time he does this, Lachlan rides like a seasoned professional.
He has become so adept at it, he will even enter a scooter competition next month, even though he is only in it for fun.
The Australian Scooter Association will host an event starting on October 5 at Monster Skate Park at Homebush, where Lachlan is also a regular.
Cherelle said she had no allusions of pushing Lachlan into a career of riding scooters, but said it was great to see him enjoy something so much.
Lachlan drags his mum down to Clarendon Skate Park every afternoon to ride, and he has earned himself the nickname “Little Shredder” among the regulars at the skate park.
Cherelle said even though it was packed with school children skating, riding their bikes or scooters, they all respected each other, and when Lachlan had the inevitable fall every once and a while, they all picked him up and made sure he was alright.
“The boys are all beautiful here. They call him the ‘Little Shredder’,” she said.
Cherelle said she became very nervous whenever he hopped on his scooter.
“I get butterflies and feel sick every time but we can't wrap them in cotton wool,” she said.
“We are in a generation of technology so I think we need to encourage our kids to be outside and off their Xboxes and iPads.
“So even if I have to drive all around Sydney, I would much rather that.”
Cherelle said Lachlan’s passion for scooters came after watching one of his older brothers ride.
“His brother Mitchell is 10. His brother rides scooters for fun and Lachy just wants to keep up with his big brother,” she said.
Cherelle said his scooter had been specially made by Jessica Boland, a well known scooter rider in Australia.
She said there was no way he could ride them otherwise, because the handle bars would go over his head and they would be too heavy to lift.
