Scooter girl always gets there faster

Sophomore Shunterra Davis rode her scooter in front of the Academic Success Center Thursday.

Callie Burgan

Sophomore Shunterra Davis rode her scooter in front of the Academic Success Center Thursday.

Callie Burgan, Opinion Editor

Sophomore Shunterra Davis is a sprinter for the Pitt-Johnstown women’s track and field team, but many may know her by another designation: scooter girl.

“I pretty much ride my scooter everywhere. “The only time I don’t ride my scooter is if I’m leaving campus and will have a ride back to my dorm or if my hands are going to be too full,” Davis said.

“Basically, I get places faster than walking. Plus, it’s just fun.”

Davis said her motorized scooter helps her rest her legs when she’s not competing or practicing.

“I like having my scooter after workouts because my legs are basically Jell-O and need a break.

“It doesn’t matter if we practice inside or out – we have to go up a hill to get back to residential halls. Jell-O legs don’t like upward inclines.”

Davis said she received her scooter as a Christmas gift last year and began to ride it in the spring.

“I definitely have had conversations with many people that I probably wouldn’t have if not for my scooter.

“Most people on campus know me as the scooter girl, which is pretty cool.

“I like living the fast life,” Davis said.

Sophomore Hunter Gleason said once he was almost taken out by Davis on his way to class.

“She really does fly on that thing. Someone needs to get that girl a bell so that you don’t get blindsided,” Gleason said.

Sophomore Destiny Caristil, a friend of Davis, said heads are turning constantly when she walks alongside her scootering buddy.

“It’s really funny, but some people are too extra. Like, yes, we know, it’s a scooter. Get over it.

“For the most part she tries to ride at the same pace as me when I’m walking, or I just walk a little faster.

“Sometimes when we’re going down hills, she can’t help but go faster and I’m like, ‘Hey wait for me, I can’t hear you.’”

Caristil said the attention Davis’s scooter draws is not always positive, which can be aggravating at times.

“Occasionally there are people we go past and they won’t stop staring, which is kind of creepy.

“There are even people who go as far as to film her in the most obvious ways possible, which is also creepy.

“I would get a scooter too, just because she gets to places so fast, especially if you’re going to be late for class, but I’m way too clumsy for that,” Caristil said.

Davis’s track and field teammate, junior Tayler Briscoe, said she always hears people talking about the scooter girl or the random scooter parked on campus.

“I’m always like, ‘Yeah, that belongs to my teammate,’ and people are intrigued by that,” Briscoe said.

“Personally, I would want my own scooter to drive around.

“Not only would it be fun, but also handy because the walk from the track or the Sports Center to my dorm is killer on my legs, especially after a hard practice.

“Pitt-Johnstown should have rental scooters because I’d totally rent one out, not gonna lie,” Briscoe said.

Campus Police Chief Eric Zangaglia said he would not define Davis’s motorized scooter as a vehicle due to it not requiring a license plate.

“To my knowledge, there are no policies prohibiting that type of transportation on campus,” Zangaglia said.