The small wheels of a scooter knock hard against the concrete. Xzavier Long, just 11, hops and twists on the device near the top metal edge of the O’Brien Skate Park bowl, diving, rolling and flying when he shoots up at the other end.
His buddy, 14-year-old Sean Dauss, is never far off, catching more than a yard of air on his scooter. City Scooter
The two boys often ask the ever-watchful Mark Osborne, 73, to pull his camp chair close to examine their tricks.
Tapping into his lifetime of either doing or coaching freestyle tricks, they ask: What did they do wrong? He only responds with what they did right.
"When I met Mark, I wanted to ride even more,” says Xzavier, who started coming here in March just to ride with friends. “He can make me a pro one day.”
“Yeah, 100%,” Sean adds, having spent two seasons here.
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Osborne mentors any young scooter, BMX bike or skateboard riders who show interest at the city park on South Bend’s south side. But in these two inseparable local lads, he sees focus, determination, hard work and character — plus hours of practice. Xzavier, he says, spent nearly eight hours here on a 90-degree day. Just to get better.
The dedication is mutual. Osborne appointed himself as a volunteer at O’Brien Skate Park in spring 2022, and he’s typically here from about 1 to 9 p.m. seven days a week to mind the typically well-behaved, young talent and pick up litter. Each week, he takes a kid to the nearby Culver’s restaurant for lunch and brings $50 worth of water on ice for any rider. All on his own dime. Even though, he admits, he’s on a tight budget.
“I’m trying to keep O’Brien clean,” he says, noting a recent increase in riders.
Early Parkinson’s disease makes his voice light and raspy. At home, tremors make his hands shake more than they do here. His daily hours at the park prove therapeutic because, he says, “It keeps me focused.”
Parents ask if he ever tires of watching the kids.
“Nope,” he responds. “They’re always progressing. That’s why I never get bored. I don’t care if they’re beginner or expert.”
Ever take a day off?
Yes, only to take the kids from the park to another skate park in the area.
O’Brien’s 13,000-square-foot concrete park boasts quarter-pipes, half-pipes, bowls, steps, ramps and rails that the city opened in 2002. Osborne claims that, although it isn’t the biggest, it has one of the best skate bowls in Indiana, Michigan and Illinois.
He points out a rail that Sean’s dad, a welder, had added for riders. Sean’s dad had competed on a BMX team that Osborne coached many years ago. Sean notes that his dad still rides, though “not like he used to.”
Parents trust Osborne. It’s key. When parents get involved in their kids’ sports, he quips, “Things get done.”
Sean has "got to build his competitive range so that, by the time he’s 17, he’s ready," Osborne says. “By the time he’s 18, he wants to be in the pro ranks.”
Osborne wants to get Sean into a regional competition, though it’s likely too late this fall. Regardless, Osborne hopes to host a just-for-fun “ride fest” at O’Brien next summer.
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Potential sponsors want to see the youths progress first. One Elkhart business owner bought new scooters for Sean and Xzavier.
Another business supported Osborne when he started the nonprofit Team Unity Productions four years ago to develop young athletes in scooter, skateboard and BMX bike riding, though it doesn’t have a board.
Osborne started skiing at age 4, with a dad who ran the ski patrol and mom who ran the ski school at Little Switzerland, later renamed Swiss Valley Ski & Snowboard Area in Jones.
He was a teenager in the 1960s when he and buddies built ramps at Swiss Valley to try tricks, such as 360-degree spins in the air, in what became freestyle skiing. He went on to build Swiss Valley’s terrain park for eight years and, off-and-on from 1966 until the early 1990s, he taught tricks to young skiers who competed nationally.
He later coached at local BMX star Brett Banasiewicz’s indoor skate park in South Bend, The Kitchen, which has since closed.
Osborne emphasizes the straight and narrow to the youths at O’Brien — don’t do drugs, go to church and get good grades.
“If you don’t have a good education,” he advises, “you can mess things up in your life.”
Sean, who mostly gets A’s and B’s in school, says scooter riding keeps him focused.
“If I’m mad or something is going on, I just come out with my scooter and forget about it,” he says. “It feels awesome. I know I can do all this stuff.”
A 6-year-old boy, Liam, rides into the bowl on his bike. It’s immediately clear that he’s a buddy of the boys and a regular at the park. In fact, Sean and Xzavier sometimes stay overnight and play at Liam’s house in South Bend, says Liam’s mother, Karly McDonald, as she watches from a nearby picnic table.
Liam takes a tumble. No injuries. But Sean and Xzavier both come to check on him, attentively waiting until the boy rises to his feet.
“So cute,” McDonald observes, saying that the boys always check on each other when one of them falls. She’s amazed that, despite the age difference, “Sean is super helpful, like his brother.”
She also trusts Osborne and his selfless efforts.
Osborne adds, “Everybody out there is important.”
∎ How to help: To reach Osborne, your best bet is to find him at O’Brien Skate Park, generally from 1 to 9 p.m. seven days a week, unless he’s taking kids on a trip. The park is at Michigan and Walter streets in South Bend.
∎ Outdoor Escape Room: An evil villain plans to destroy the St. Joseph River at St. Patrick’s County Park in South Bend. The Great Lakes are in peril, too. That’s the story in a new outdoor escape room called “Defeat the Eradicator” that groups can play on weekends through September and October. You defeat the villain by solving riddles and puzzles in two hours. Naturalist Hannah Branchik explains that she’ll start the group off by showing a video story of the villain, who gives a hint, which leads to the first of multiple locked boxes that are hidden along trails. The group must unlock the boxes, which harbor puzzles, clues and materials like bird calls recordings that teach you about nature. It’s for ages 13 and older in teams (best if four to eight people). An adult must accompany anyone younger than 18. Cost is $15 per person. Registration is due on the prior Thursday. To register, or for more information, call 574-654-3155 or email Branchick at hbranchick@sjcparks.org.
∎ Indiana wilderness: A place-based poet, writer, designer and social practice artist will lead a free, public talk from 2 to 3 p.m. Sept. 17 in the Jernegan Lodge at The Mishawaka Res as he explores big questions about Indiana’s wilderness. Participants will use storytelling, maps, and imagination as the poet, Kevin McKelvey, ponders: How can we find more wilderness in Indiana and in our everyday lives? What is wilderness? How do we think about it and experience it in the 21st century? He’ll focus on wilderness philosophies from pre-settlement to today and offer an in-depth look at the creation of the Deam Wilderness near Bloomington, Ind., in 1982. McKelvey teaches at the University of Indianapolis, directs the masters program in social practice art and wrote a poetic trail guide for the Deam Wilderness Area. His talk is provided by the Indiana Humanities Unearthed Speakers Bureau. Register via a link at mishawakares.org. The Res is southeast of Lincoln Way East and Capital Avenue at 13950 Scout Lane.
∎ Potato Creek prairie maze: The annual prairie maze is open through Nov. 4 at Potato Creek State Park in North Liberty with a story walk. Wear good, solid, closed-toe shoes for the lumpy path. Get a map at the front gate, nature center or office and then park at the West parking lot to begin.
∎ Nature drawings: Stop into the Potato Creek nature center to see 498 posters that North Liberty, Walkerton and LaVille elementary school students drew for a contest through Friends of Potato Creek State Park. On display until Sept. 23.
∎ Forest bathing at Lydick Bog: Learn about the history of forest bathing and experience it on a free guided hike from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Sept. 15 at Lydick Bog Nature Preserve, 25898 U.S. 20, South Bend, offered by Shirley Heinze Land Trust.
∎ Beach hike: The Harbor Country Hikers will hike Lake Michigan beaches between Cherry Beach and Warren Dunes State Park in Sawyer at 10 a.m. Sept. 16 to seek fossils, beach glass and natural features. The more than three-mile hike will be followed by a bring-your-own picnic lunch. With three streams to cross, wear water shoes or plastic bags on your shoes. Meet in the parking lot near the beach house at Warren Dunes.
∎ Indiana’s youth deer season: Youths ages 17 and younger must be accompanied by an adult who’s at least 18 in this deer hunt in Indiana Sept. 23-24. The youth hunter can take an antlered deer and one or more antlerless deer. The limit varies by county. Each hunter must have a hunting license and wear hunter orange. For details, link here in this column online.
∎ State park deer hunts: Applications for early deer hunts Nov. 13-14 at select Indiana state parks are open through Sept. 24. Parks include Chain O’Lakes, Indiana Dunes, Tippecanoe River, Turkey Run, Shades and others. For details, link here in this column online or call the Division of State Parks at 317-232-4200.
∎ Guided kayak trip: Ferrettie-Baugo Creek County Park in Osceola will host a naturalist-guided paddle on Baugo Creek and Baugo Bay from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Sept. 27. Cost is $20-$25 per kayak. Register by Sept. 20 at 574-654-3155.
∎ Love Biketober Fest: This ride+feast returns Oct. 8 with 24- and 32-mile gravel routes and 25- and 51-mile road options at Love Creek County Park, plus a meal and Evil Czech beer. Cost is $65 by Sept. 27, $70 by Oct. 7 and $80 at the event, to benefit the park and Bike Michiana Coalition. Register at lovebiketoberfest.com.
Scooter Shop Find columnist Joseph Dits on Facebook at SBTOutdoorAdventures or 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.