Eaton and his brother Jett (two years his senior) are the sons of Geoff Eaton, owner of the Kids That Rip (KTR) Skateboard School, a school that trains a number of junior X Games competitors.[3] Both brothers started skateboarding under their father's tutelage at a young age, with Eaton commencing at four years of age.[4][5] He is the son of Shelly Schaerer, a member of the United States national gymnastics team from 1985 to 1989.[citation needed]
Career
Along with his brother Jett and fellow junior skater Tom Schaar, Eaton was sponsored by DC Shoes as part of their 2012 initiative, the "DC Youth Division".[6]Transworld Skateboarding magazine's Blair Alley called the brothers "the future of vert skating".[7]
Eaton was featured in the Esquire Magazine: Life of Man 80th Anniversary edition that was published in October 2013.[8]
A number of regular skateboarding commentators have been critical of Eaton's participation at professional-level skateboarding events, including Bob Burnquist who believes that separate junior divisions should be established for competitions.[9] David Daniels of Bleacher Report suggested that Eaton's entry (and that of others his age) in professional competitions harms the credibility of skateboarding in the sporting context.[9]
At age 11, Eaton competed at the 2012 X Games in Los Angeles, United States, becoming the youngest ever X Games competitor breaking the record set by Nyjah Huston at the 2006 Games[5] (Gui Khury later broke Eaton's record at the 2019 X Games, competing at the age of 10 years, 7 months[11][12]). The previous year, Eaton had competed at Bob Burnquist's Dreamland MegaRamp Invitational and tied for 3rd place in the amateur division.[13]
In December 2014, Eaton won Tampa Am, in Tampa, Florida, U.S. Aged 13, he is one of the youngest skateboarders to win the competition.[14]
In February 2015, Eaton won the BoardrAm, in Houston, Texas, U.S. This win earned Eaton an invitation to the BoardrAm finals at the X Games 2015 in Austin, Texas.[15]
In July 2021, Eaton won the bronze medal for the United States in Men's Street Skateboarding at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan.[16]
In July 2024, Eaton won the silver medal for the United States in Men's Street Skateboarding at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France.[17]