Calgary Scooter Jam riding high

WATCH ABOVE: Calgary hosted what organizers are calling the biggest scooter event in the country. Carolyn Kury de Castillo reports.

CALGARY – To most of us, scooters are something kids use to get to the park and eventually grow out of.

But now, riding them has become the latest extreme sport.

Saturday Calgary hosted ‘Scooter Jam’, what organizers are calling the biggest scooter event in the country.

Move over my little pony scooters. These aren’t your five year old’s wheels anymore.

‘Scooter riding is the fastest-growing extreme sport in the world right now. It’s massive in Australia and Europe it’s just exploded and places like California and now it’s in Calgary,” said Dave Grant from Calgary Scooter Jam.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: 'Scooter riding is the fastest-growing extreme sport in the world right now. It's massive in Australia and Europe it's just exploded and places like California and now it's in Calgary," said Dave Grant from Calgary Scooter Jam.

Shaw Millennium Park was the site of the Calgary Scooter Jam. Competitors from all over Canada, the U.S and Australia are there to show off their skills.

“It’s crazy. I am so excited to see all these people out here and watching it grow in Canada. It’s crazy how big it’s getting,’ Zach Fleming said.

16-year-old Zach Fleming started skateboarding and BMX riding but the Airdrie teen says Skateboarding is limited compared to the thrill of the scooter.

“I like the scooters they are super easy  you can do grinds and tricks and big air  you can do it all on a scooter,” Zach Fleming said.

“Most of the tricks come from BMX’ing. They will do tail whips, they do flips double double flips will do flares the tricks that these pros especially in throw down is absolutely amazing,” Grant said.

His parents say the sport is a great way to keep kids active but it hasn’t been easy being a young trailblazer.

“You’re going to go through a lot of shoes. He goes through two pairs of shoes a month,” said Angela Fleming, Zach’s mom. ‘He got made fun of a lot. He got called names, he’s been literally run out of the park.”

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "You're going to go through a lot of shoes. He goes through two pairs of shoes a month," said Angela Fleming, Zach's mom. 'He got made fun of a lot. He got called names, he's been literally run out of the park."

But Zach rode it out and now he competes as a pro, complete with sponsors.

Event organizers say the scooters used now are a lot more durable and they’re catching on among the less daring crowd as a way to get to work.

“Considering it’s half the weight of a bike usually and probably a third of the size a lot of them fold up. They are fun to ride. you can get up and down curbs really easily. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ll see them in the bike lanes in Calgary,” Grant said.

Like any sport, it doesn’t come without risks, but scooter fans say it’s all part of the fun.

“I roll my ankles all the time, my heels are always bruised and my hands are always bruised,” Dave Fleming said.

“Don’t knock it until you try it. Let them try it why not? It’s getting bigger and bigger everyday,” Angela Fleming said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "I roll my ankles all the time, my heels are always bruised and my hands are always bruised," Dave Fleming said.</p><p>"Don't knock it until you try it. Let them try it why not? It's getting bigger and bigger everyday," Angela Fleming said.

The scooters aren’t cheap either.

They start at around $100, while custom models go for up to $800.