To The Extreme

If there's one thing that ESPN's "X-Games" have taught us, it's that sports don't have to include a ball to be fun. Thanks in part to this world-wide phenomenon, and with a little help from some dads and others, a whole generation of extreme sporters are hitting the pavement, water, dirt, etc., earlier than ever. Blake Berryhill is a 6th grader at Red Oak Elementary and already has visions of racing Formula One cars when he gets older. Having been involved in go-kart racing his whole life, he certainly has the tools to one day make it on the circuit. "I love going fast," said Berryhill, who also wrestles and plays football on the side. "My dad owns the Oklahoma Motorsports Complex (just south of Norman) and I'm there with him just about all day during the summer." Berryhill's father, Brett, along with his uncle Rodney and grandfather Dub own the track, along with the Champion Racing Team, the North American Team of the Year for the past two years in go-kart racing. The youngest Berryhill has brought home the season points championship the past two years in his age group and currently stands in third place this year as one of the youngest drivers in his age division. The fun isn't just for boys, either. Hannah Mitchell, an Owasso junior, drives drag cars at Tulsa Raceway Park, often times leaving the boys in her dust. She was the 2007 Jr. Dragster Champion and has finished third in the Central Drag Racing Association's series. Like Berryhill, she credits her dad as having a strong influence on her choice of sports and hopes her talent carries her to another level. "I never really had a sport that I played, and my dad and I wondered 'what would it take' to get involved with the junior dragsters," said Mitchell, who also works at the Tulsa track as a part-time job. "It's a lot of fun, going fast and winning; I'd like to stay in this for my whole life." While speed revs the engines of drivers like Berryhill and Mitchell, it's the thrill of the water that pumps Jesse Chesnut. Just 14 years old and a freshman at Choctaw, Chesnut is an accomplished wakeboarder who hopes to one day make it all the way to the pro tour. Success in wakeboarding is judged on the smoothness and intensity of the border while competing - "you want to look in control out there," says Chesnut. He's been able to master that strategy by placing either first or second at contests in Guthrie, Eufaula and the Kansas Riverfest, among others. "I started when I was nine; my grandparents have been skiing for a long time, and it was just something I had been wanting to try," said Chesnut. "I was attracted to it and wasn't that good at other sports. I did skateboarding for awhile, but this is more fun, without the concrete." Kids like Corey Ashley of Westmoore and Jordan Penwright of Yukon don't much care for the concrete either - it's the dirt they prefer to play in. Both compete in motocross racing, which combines the speed of the cars and go-karts with the smoothness needed from wakeboarding when hills turn into jumps. Penwright, a senior, got his start on the bikes from simply being around his dad. "He still rides some and we'll battle it out every once in a while out there. He can start out beating me, but I usually win." Ashley also attributes his start to his dad, who bought cycles for his brother and him at an early age. From there, like almost all extreme-type sportsmen, it was just a matter of time before they started following their dream. "I've never really been into any other sports, I'm just really into racing. I'm not sure what I'll be doing next, but I know I want to keep doing this," said Ashley, who just graduated. "Eventually, I'd like to turn pro and get a factory team." The dream of future glory isn't lost on Rodney Berryhill, who's seen a lot of changes in his near-lifetime affiliation with racing. It's just that nowadays, kids have something tangible in front of them that shows what the hard work could lead to. "You start with ESPN's X-Games and now you see they've added BMX racing to the Olympics," said Berryhill. "I've heard talk that go-karts could be the next 'extreme' sport that goes to the Olympics." Berryhill says Oklahoma Motorsports Complex has age divisions for 5-year-olds all the way to 16 and over. It's not uncommon for 100-150 drivers to compete in events, such as regional championships, which the track hosted in June. Across the board, a theme of "it being inside you" is common among the participants. Nowhere is that more apparent than with Penwright, who breaks it down to its simplest terms - "dirt has always been in my blood."