presents

Barton Breaks Big
October, 2093
by: Opal Mainwaring

Local boy Benjamin Barton has taken the skateboarding world by storm since his tour debut eight years ago. Known for his ability to pull tricks seemingly out of nowhere as well as his trademark look of dreadlocks and heavily tattooed torso, Barton met with me recently while preparing for his next gig in London.

I find Barton in a local skate shop in East London, where he’s helping a kid upgrade from their first setup. It’s clear he knows his stuff, easily offering advice on the best value kit available on limited funds. He nods in acknowledgment to me, before taking out his own board and going for a test run with his customer on the pedestrianized street outside - this is someone who lives and breathes for his skateboarding and can’t help but want to pass that on. He returns with one satisfied customer and seals the deal with a smile to end his shift. “Thanks for waiting,” he says, leading me out the door and towards his usual training haunt less than two blocks away. “I used to have my own ramp in the garden,” he admits, “but it’s more fun here...so much more inspiration.” It’s easy to see what he means; despite its less than perfect condition, the ramp is teeming with people - young and old, rookies and masters alike.

For some, this would be a distraction, but for Barton it feels like home. He had a troubled youth; his dad died when he was just nine years old and left him with a difficult relationship with his mum. He attended Hogwarts from age 11, but he came back to long summers spent on the ramps near his house. “I just fit right in there, could do my own thing...I spent hours every summer trying to master tricks before my cousin Garrick.” Garrick Ogden has since switched his summers of skateboarding for the boardroom, taking on the family business that now sponsors Barton - Ogden’s Finest. “I couldn’t have done it without my cousins,” he says, noting that it was them who allowed him to move out as soon as he left school and encouraged him to follow his dream of turning professional. As well as giving him somewhere to live, cousin Kalla Vorpatril even let him build a ramp in her back garden.

It took him nearly a year of work on that private ramp to feel like he was ready to face the critics, bursting on to the scene late at the final qualifiers at London’s South Bank. From the get go it was obvious Barton had the ability to shine, even if he didn’t believe it himself. “I didn’t really know what to expect in that arena,” he says, despite starting out with a completely fearless bigspin heelflip. His second run was almost as big, marked down by wiping out from the 360 hardflip. “I was indecisive about the rotation,” he comments wistfully. “I should have gone bigger, and tried unsuccessfully to rein it in.” He now has the steely disposition of someone who won’t be letting that happen again. More successful runs followed in the semis, but the finals didn’t quite go to plan, with Barton dramatically collapsing just seconds after the judges gave their scores.

“Yeah, I don’t know how I even finished my second run,” he admits quietly, “I was holed up the whole following week with food poisoning. It really knocked me for six.” Despite that, Barton still qualified and the rest, you might say, is history. He’s been a solid part of the tour ever since. So what about his chances on his home turf in London’s Trafalgar Square? “I’m looking forward to getting back out there and showing what I can do. I know I’m in the best shape ever, mentally and physically. I’m nailing tricks consistently that I wouldn’t have dreamed of this time last year.”

And that means big things indeed for someone with a self-identified reckless streak, never afraid to push his boundaries. His improvement, in part, he puts down to his sports psychologist, Neil Couch. “Best investment ever,” Barton says about their relationship. “He helps me put everything into perspective; training phases, injuries, results... And I didn’t realize the value of that in this game.” The other party stood firmly in his corner is, of course, his wife Char, the beautiful brunette that works with werewolves by day and is Barton's number one fan by night. “Char’s my rock, and she isn’t afraid to whip my butt into gear when I need it,” Barton tells me with a grin. The pair have matching tattoos, his being the wolf covering the left side of his stomach that appeared a few summers ago. Char was also the designer of Barton's more famous ink, the bright blue dragon that adorns his spine and shoulders. Apparently, it took two full days in the chair to complete. "Totally worth it, though." His fans agree, the dragon regularly appearing on banners of support from Muggles and Wizards alike.

And after London, what next? He looks coy for a moment, the barest hint of a blush coming to his cheeks as a smile spreads across his lips. “The X Games won’t come as a surprise, but I’m thinking I might have a go at that Olympic half pipe snowboarding spot.”

See Benjamin Barton in action this Saturday in Trafalgar Square, 10am until late. Tickets available on the gate.