Extreme Kids, Extreme Sports

Oct. 19, 2007 — -- Faster, higher and increasingly younger — extreme sports are getting even more extreme and so are the competitors.

Tyrone Gilks broke a world record for the Evel Knievel-style motorcycle jumping at just 12 years old, when he landed a 169-foot jump on his motorcycle.

And Lauren Buress, 9, is the youngest white-water kayaker to go over a 22-foot waterfall.

Then there are the pint-size adrenaline junkies who ride in the little britches rodeo, some of them saddling up as young as 8 years old.

"You have kids who aren't starting with little league baseball, who aren't playing soccer on Saturday mornings with slices of orange wedges. You have parents taking them to skate parks, taking them surfing, taking them snowboarding and BMXing," said X Games host Sal Masekela.

Kalani David, 9, has been an extreme athlete since he started walking, now every day involves extreme sports.

"Wake up at 6, eat breakfast, go to school, when I'm done school I tutor, when I'm done tutoring I go surfing, when I'm done surfing I go skating," Kalani said, describing a typical day.

Even from age 2, his parents were supportive.

Kalani's father, David David, said, "By the time he was 2 he had his own little board and he would play in the shore break and catch the little foam end of the waves and stand up and ride them to the sand."

All that practice has paid off. Kalani emerged as a next-generation sensation when he skated next to adult athletes during ESPN X game demos.

One afternoon, Kalani took a break from his busy regimen to give "Good Morning America's" Marysol Castro a surfing lesson.

"First of all you don't want to sit too far back, you want to stay in the middle," he said as he demonstrated.

Finally, after several wipeouts, he was thrilled to see Castro get on the board, even complimenting her performance, "You're ready for the big time baby," he exclaimed as he high-fived her.

Kalani has already hit the big time. He has his own entourage: His father, sponsor and agent were all watching the lesson.

"Kalani David is 9 years old with a travel budget and other incentives for receiving products. He probably makes more money than his parents do," Masekela said. "This is a kid that is clocking in, endorsementwise, somewhere around $50, 000."

But with sponsorship dollars and athletic glory at stake, some critics say kids like Kalani are being pushed too far, too fast. But Kalani's dad, who has helped guide his career, says the key is keeping priorities straight.

"I make sure that I'm more of a dad than a coach. I focus on keeping his teeth brushed … keeping his room clean and making sure that he has the most normal childhood that I can create for him," his dad said.

Kalani knows extreme sports are dangerous, but to him the risks are worth it.

"I love what I do. When I'm in contests, I try to push myself and be aggressive so I can get waves. It takes love and more practice and turn off the television," Kalani said.

In X Games history, the oldest athlete was 63 and the youngest, 11.

Kalani still has a couple years to go, but he really hopes to be competing in the X Games by the time he's 11.