Been noticing all the Razor scooters on campus? That’s not an invasion of elementary school kids; it’s the Colorado State women’s soccer team.
That’s right, the Rams ride scooters. Senior forward Erika Bratschun, member of the scooter crew, claims that the scooters are the most efficient way of getting around campus.
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“Our little scooter crew,” Bratschun joked. “Its just convenient. It gets us to our field a lot quicker and we have to get out here pretty early (for practice), so it gets us down quickly and they happened to catch on around campus.”
Bratschun may have a point about the scooters being the new transportation of choice for many students, as more and more scooters have been spotted rolling through campus. CSU junior Cody Marsh has joined scooter nation.
“Scooters are an easy way to get around campus,” Marsh said. “Who doesn’t want to be a kid again going to college classes?”
Scooters are on the rise, and over half of the CSU soccer team are proud scooter owners. The ones who don’t ride scooters? Mostly freshmen.
The freshmen are responsible for practice clean up duties and carrying the equipment, so scooters are not the most practical choice. Things can get tricky carrying a bag of soccer balls and a bunch of cones while riding a scooter.
Despite the challenges it may pose, freshman Lexi Swenson is still living the scooter lifestyle.
“It’s fast,” Swenson said. “And it’s easy to get off of and you don’t have to dismount either.”
As far as carrying all the equipment, it’s not an issue for Swenson.
“You just put it on your scooter, that’s what I do.” Swenson said.
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The team is looking to add on to their crew by putting CSU coach Bill Hempen on a Razor of his own. Hempen has yet to accept the bid, but the team has a plan to get their coach in the crew at seasons end, according to Bratschun.
The trend originated with former CSU soccer player Catherine Ruder, the founding member of the Rams’ scooter crew.
“Catherine Ruder, two years ago,” Bratschun said. “She is just the laziest person, but you know lazy people are very innovative. So she started that two years ago and her nieces and nephews had some extra scooters so she brought them out and it just grew from there. Now over half our team has them.”
Catherine Ruder transferred to Colorado State from San Jose State. It was at San Jose State where the scooter scene originated, and Ruder brought it with her to Fort Collins when she transferred.
“I transferred form San Jose State and they all rode scooters there,” Ruder said. “So when I got (to CSU) and realized how far we have to go to practice, and I always showed up late, I was like I’m just gonna bring my scooter so I can’t be late and just scooter to practice. That was my main thought.”
The main reason for the team using scooters is simply to be on time. Being fashionably on time is just a bonus perk.
“I did have a pink one with light up wheels,” Ruder said. “So, that was pretty cool, but it was never a fashion statement.”
The scooter crew was born with Ruder and is thriving through today’s players. But believe it or not, scooters were not always welcomed with open arms by the team.
“I think its funny, I cant believe they’re all riding (scooters),” Ruder said. “It started out with me and Jess Stauffer, and when we were the only two they all made fun of us, and now they’re all doing it. Its pretty cool.”
No one is making fun of the scooter crew now.
Razor scooters currently sell for around $60 if you’re interested in really emulating the CSU soccer players.
Collegian soccer reporter Chad Deutschman can be reached by email at sports@collegian.com or by Twitter @ChadDeutschman.
