PHOENIX — Jagger Eaton skated into the public eye in 2021 when he won the bronze medal in men's street skateboarding at the Tokyo Olympics. Now he's hoping to take "center pipe" in Paris.
"The village, the spirit, there's no contest like the Olympic games," Eaton said.
But before he was shredding at the Olympics, Jagger was training at a Valley sports center. The park where it all started is at KidsThat Rip, or KTR, in Mesa.
"I'll never be able to thank my family enough for building this place for me, look at it, it's a sanctuary," Eaton said. "I think what really called me to it, was the freedom of it, the fact that I could do it anywhere."
Eaton's dad, Jeff Eaton, was overjoyed by his son's performance in Tokyo. Jeff Eaton trains young athletes in Arizona — kids not unlike his own son just a few years ago.
"We created this really neat environment that allowed these kids to have a place for 6 or 7 hours a day, where their parents could drop them off and not worry," Jeff Eaton said.
Jeff Eaton also provided a way for kids to beat the heat and practice their skating skills: An indoor skatepark.
"My dad saw a huge missing market in skateboarding, especially an indoor skatepark in Arizona that hasn't been hit and my dad put everything into this here in Arizona, to continue to fund the dream," Eaton said.
Keep an eye out for this Valley local in less than 100 days at the Paris 2024 Olympics!
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
Sports
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