PENOLA’S young scooter superstar Nathaniel (Nate) Oakley has successfully qualified for the Australasian Scooter Association nationals in Sydney this year after topping the South Australian qualifier at Flagstaff Hill.
Competing in the seven and under age group in April, Nate’s father Brendon Oakley said his son had a great chance of gaining a second or third position at the competition.
“Around 20 children will compete in his age group, so it will be fantastic for Penola to have the town represented among the competitors,” Mr Oakley said.
Mr Oakley said his son always enjoyed the sport and excelled at a young age, and two years ago, he was the youngest competitor to enter in an Australasian Scooter Association competition.
“I think he will be able to land a back-flip before the age of 12,” Mr Oakley said.
Not only does Nate shine in the sport, but his father said travelling to the many competitions was a great social activity for him to take part in.
“Wherever he goes he seems to make a lot of new friends, which is great,” Mr Oakley said.
At times the sport can be confronting for the seven year old, as he had a scare in a Geelong competition when facing a large drop.
“However, he always manages to get back up and try again,” Mr Oakley said.
He said he was very proud of his son as he had achieved a lot for a seven year old.
In his short career, Nate has already accumulated one trophy and eight medals.
The family is hoping to engage in crowd funding to help with the finances of travelling to the competition in New South Wales.
