Parkour: Not for the faint of heart
“You know the intro to ‘James Bond: Casino Royal’? That’s parkour.”
This is one of the ways Richard Hansen, freshman majoring in physics, introduces his sport.
“Parkour is fast, fluid movement with a purpose behind it. It’s a way to not only get from point A to point B, but it’s a way to train both body and mind to find the most efficient way around an obstacle,” Hansen said.
Hansen and Taylor Empey are co-founders of the USU parkour/free running club. They met at a Tai Kwon Do class in fall 2008 and started talking about parkour.
“When we introduced ourselves in class, we both said we did parkour/free running. So we got to talking,” Hansen said.
Hansen said from there, the next step was forming an actual club.
“At our first club meeting, with actual members, we had five people,” Hansen said.
Hansen said they sat outside on the lawn of the HPER, talking about parkour, places to practice and the history of parkour. The club then acquired a gymnasium in the HPER to practice in, and started holding regular meetings.
The first thing the club members must do, Hansen said, is sign a waiver.
“It basically states you take complete responsibility for your own actions. Any injuries you sustain are yours to take care of, and that we can’t be blamed,” Hansen said.
Then members must sign information sheets and contact information as well, he said.
Hansen said the meetings are a time when members practice, learn and teach.
“Before we go out and do parkour, we do stretches and warmups, because when you do stretches you’re less likely to be injured,” said Travis Kramer, freshman majoring in broadcast journalism.
The gym in the HPER is not the only place Hansen and Empey practice.
“We practice in the amphitheater doing just general jumping. Old Main Hill in general is a great place to practice, because it’s cardiovascular workout,” Hansen said. “Have you tried running up and down it?”
Parkour is a sport, Hansen said, but it’s non-competitive.
“It’s a teaching environment. You teach and you learn. If you’re slow, like me, it’s OK,” Hansen said.
Although parkour itself is non-competitive, parkour ball is. Hansen said he would eventually like to form a parkour ball team.
“Parkour ball is something mostly gymnasts and people who do parkour can do, and it’s a way to show off their stuff. Right now there aren’t teams around, but hopefully we can make some, and play,” Hansen said.
Right now, Hansen said he is just focusing on organizing practices.
“The next thing we’re looking at doing is holding weekly outside practices when it gets warmer,” Hansen said.
Currently the club meets on Mondays from 7 to 9 p.m. in the HPER gym 211. Their group can be found on Facebook, under USU parkour/free running club, as well as under clubs on the ASUSU Web site.
– april.ashland@aggiemail.usu.edu