1 week Ago
Wild moment 'Karen' mum clashes with pro scooter rider after he asked parents with little kids to move off the skate park in New Zealand's Tauranga Pro scooter rider demanded kids clear off skate park One parent fired back for him to 'wait his turn' READ MORE: Wild moment local soccer referee is chased off the field By Brett Lackey For Daily Mail Australia Published: 00:43 EDT, 5 September 2024 | Updated: 03:23 EDT, 8 September 2024 e-mail 9 shares 52 View comments A skate park argument between an adult scooter rider and a parent supervising young children about who gets to use the park has set off a debate online. Scooter Brad, a 'retired' YouTuber who is 'chasing the Olympic dream scootering style' said he went to Gordon Spratt Reserve Skate Park, outside Tauranga on New Zealand 's North Island, about 9:30am to find it busy before returning an hour later. The footage shows him asking the group of more than a dozen parents and young kids if they could 'just all hop off the park' as he will be 'blasting' through shortly, prompting one mum, who he labelled a 'Karen', to tell him to 'wait his turn'.
'Hey team, just a heads up I'm going to be blasting through here super quick in 15 minutes if you could all jump off the obstacles,' he said on the video. Scooter Brad told Daily Mail Australia he doesn't get paid by social media platforms and makes videos for the love of the sport, which has seen a surge in popularity and calls for it to get an Olympics spot after the success of skateboarding in Tokyo and Paris. 'Are you asking us to move? You said that to me two weeks ago at the other park,' the woman replied.
'These kids were here before you, so you can sit and wait till they leave...
They are under five and they're having a turn.' He explained in the video caption he thinks 'kids are more then welcome to ride at skate parks but they should not run, play, slide and snack over the course', as they had been doing. The war of words continued on as the pro skater repeatedly swore in front of the kids and then proceeded to tear through the park doing jumps, flips and rail slides within inches of the parents and toddlers, prompting the woman to call a police officer.
An argument between a parent and a professional scooter rider about who has right of way to use a skate park has sparked a debate online The woman told him she pays taxes and the skate park is a public place that she and her children are just as entitled to use as he is. He responded by pointing out a sign which says younger children are 'encouraged to use the pump track or the main skate park at quieter times of the day'. However, the sign also reads that 'the skate park is for everyone to enjoy' and to 'be cool and wait your turn'.
At one point the woman told him to 'get a job'. 'This is my f***ing job,' Scooter Brad replied. The woman also warned him there would be trouble if he ran his scooter into a child, to which he fired back: 'If I hit someone I have warned you how many times'.
When the police officer showed up, Scooter Brad explained that he encounters this situation often and that he was politely asking the kids to move for their own safety as his handlebars are roughly at the height of their heads. The officer agreed that the kids can be 'unpredictable' when they move across the skate park and told him he had talked to the group of parents and they were leaving soon anyway. YouTuber Scooter Brad said he frequently runs into this situation and was asking the kids to clear off the park for their own safety The woman also had an issue with the scooter rider filming, but this is allowed at public skateparks and sports grounds where there is no reasonable expectation of privacy.
Many commenters took the side of Scooter Brad. 'Those kids were sitting around with bags and scooters lying all over the park making it dangerous for everyone there,' one said. 'They can use the park, sure, but you can't sit on obstacles,' added another.
'It's like having lunch in the middle of a basketball court when people show up to use it and saying it is public,' a third said. 'Over entitled people..
. there is a huge park nearby for little kids, this is for proper scooter and skateboard riders,' added a fourth. But some also sided with the parent and argued the children have a right to use the facility.
'I have to agree with the lady, let the kids play. Remember when you were eight and adults stopped you having fun?' 'What is an adult doing at a skate park on a Monday morning anyway,' said another. 'You edited out the part where you were standing in one place screaming swear words and made two kids cry? The video was posted last night,' a third said.
New Zealand YouTube Share or comment on this article: Wild moment 'Karen' mum clashes with pro scooter rider after he asked parents with little kids to move off the skate park in New Zealand's Tauranga e-mail 9 shares Add comment.
