SLO County teen wins world scooter championship in Barcelona

The city of Atascadero will formally recognize the athletic accomplishments of local teenager Claire Parks, who won first place in the World Skate Scootering Pro Tour in Barcelona in September.

Parks and other local athletes will be celebrated at City Hall in Atascadero on Wednesday at 4 p.m., according to a news release from the city.

Parks, who has practiced her scootering in elementary school parking lots and later at A-Town Park and Templeton Skate Park, has competed in many competitions internationally.

Parks competed for the first time locally at A-Town Park in 2017, going on to compete throughout California and the United States, according to the release. She won first place in competitions in Lake Havasu, Arizona and Buenos Aires in 2022, plus two more first place wins in competitions in Madrid and Barcelona in 2023.

Her next stop is Sydney, Australia, before she heads to Rome next year and plans to compete in the Olympics in 2028, the release said.

Parks isn’t the only local scooter champion who will be recognized in Wednesday’s celebration. Locals Aymee Marquez and Kennedie Baker ranked sixth and seventh in the world for scootering.

Chris Farris, who placed first in several International Scooter Association competitions, and was ranked No. 1 Men’s World Champion in 2022 and 2023, will be a special guest at Wednesday’s event, the release said.

Kevin and Andrea Campion operate A-Town Park and work with the city of Atascadero to maintain the skate surfaces to give skaters and scooter riders a safe place to ride, according to the release.

A-Town Park has 8,000 square feet of indoor space and 7,000 square feet of outdoor space, and rentals are available along with a shop.

More information about A-Town Park is available at 805-461-7606 and www.atownpark.com.