Carpentersville teen a giant among skateboarding's best

At 5 feet tall and 100 pounds, Chaz Ortiz looks like a typical kid in his oversized T-shirt, dark jeans, loosely laced sneakers and iPod.

But the 14-year-old Dundee-Crown High School freshman from Carpentersville quickly has become a giant in the world of professional skateboarding.

Last month, Chaz became the youngest competitor to win gold in an AST Dew Tour event, a performance that vaulted him into second place overall in the action sports tour's standings for the Skate Park event.

"My goal was to win one going in," Chaz said. "I am pretty happy and just psyched that I did that."

To win the event Chaz pulled off a rarely seen kickflip-board slide-kickflip out. Translation: he kickflipped onto a railing, slid down the railing for a moment, then kickflipped off the end of the railing.

A year ago, Chaz was competing in the Dew Tour's amateur Free Flow tour. Since then his rapid rise to the top has taken him to skate parks across the globe. He also is featured on MTV's "The Contenders," a program that follows the top sports stars on the 2008 AST Dew Tour.

"It's been crazy," Chaz said during an interview at the indoor MB Warp Skate Park in Lake in the Hills, where he spends most afternoons practicing. "I never thought it would be like this."

Chaz grew up watching his older cousins skateboard around his neighborhood. His dad, Mark, bought Chaz his first deck when he was 6.

"It looked cool and I had to do everything they were doing, so I tried it," Chaz said.

Though he plays other sports such as basketball, skateboarding hooked Chaz early on.

"It was different," Chaz said. "I liked the feeling you get when you're riding it. When you learn a new trick it's the best feeling ever."

Those tricks have taken Chaz to Mexico and Canada and across the United States.

"I love to travel," he said. "It is fun to see how people live in other countries."

Next up for Chaz is the final stop on the AST Dew Tour, Sunday, Oct. 19, in Orlando, Fla.

Despite the fame and sponsorship deals with companies like Zoo York and DC Shoes, Chaz remains grounded thanks to his parents, Mark and Natalia, said Rob Mutert, who operates the Lake in the Hills skate park.

"He has more discipline as a 14-year-old than a lot of adults I know. That really comes from the family structure," said Mutert, who has watched Chaz develop for the past five years.

Mark Ortiz says while thousands of fans might yell and cheer for him at the skate park, Chaz is just Chaz at home.

"He has to take out the trash, clean his room and do his homework," Mark Ortiz said. "That good work ethic keeps him levelheaded."

Chaz also has a benevolent side, donating his barely-used skateboards and accessories to other local skateboarders.

"I give away everything I'm not using," Chaz said. "They need it more than I do. I am not going to do anything with it so I might as well give it away."

But one thing Chaz is not giving away is how he landed the kickflip-board slide-kickflip out.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Video</h2> <ul class="video"> <li><a href="/multimedia/?category=9&type=video&item=249">Clips of skateboarder Chaz Ortiz </a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>