Western sophomore Max Wilbert swings around a chain-link fence post onto a stairwell. Photo by Otis Sherman.
Run. Jump. Repeat.
This is how Eric Weinberger, a member of the WWU Parkour Club, trains.
Parkour is an athletic discipline that requires overcoming obstacles quickly while only using the momentum of your body.
Sprinting down a staircase, jumping over the guardrail and landing with a somersault five feet below in one fluid motion is all part of parkour.
“A lot of times we just go to our little spots and see what we feel like doing,” Weinberger said.
Seattle resident Tyson Cecka said it is difficult to determine if parkour is a sport or an art.
“It depends on whom you’re asking,” said Cecka, who has been practicing parkour for three years. “It’s athletic enough to be a sport, but there are no rules, no boundaries.”
Parkour began in France in the early 1990s and has been featured in Nike and K-Swiss shoe commercials and the opening scene of the 2006 James Bond movie, “Casino Royale.”
Western sophomore Greg Jones practicing Parkour around Bellingham. Photo by Max Wilber.
Frenchman David Belle, one of the founders of parkour, can be seen in a number of online videos, which is how Western sophomore Greg Jones said he became interested in the activity.
“I had seen videos of people doing [parkour] and it appealed to me because it combined two of my passions, the running from cross-country and the acrobatics and precision from dance,” Jones said.
Jones said he has trained with the WWU Parkour Club a few times.
“Usually we just focus on flow and drills,” Jones said. “We’ll work an area for awhile and move on; working lines over and over for practice.”
Jones said no real criteria exists when looking for a place to train.
“It just comes down to exploring and finding places yourself,” Jones said.
Rafe Kelley, a 25-year-old Bellingham resident, also discovered parkour from online videos approximately three years ago. Parkour isn’t as dangerous as one may think, Kelley said.
“It’s one of the safest sports that you can do,” Kelley said. “There’s nothing that makes you go really fast like a skateboard, and you’re not interacting with other humans. The only real danger is falling.”
Western sophomore Greg Jones practicing Parkour around Bellingham. Photo by Max Wilber.
Kelley organizes “sprints,” which are runs that use four to five different techniques, at parks such as Whatcom Falls or Larrabee State Park to make sure he doesn’t fall.
“You have to start slow, get confident in a few things, then start expanding your bag of tricks,” Weinberger said. “It’s a lot of fun even without a huge trick vocabulary.”
Weinberger said Western’s Parkour Club doesn’t have any regular meeting days right now, but he hopes to set a schedule once the weather improves.
The Western Parkour Club is not an official club, but Weinberger said he has plans to make it one in the future. For now, Weinberger said he encourages people to come out and try parkour.
“You’ll be motivated to work on it, because the results are pretty tangible,” Weinberger said.
Vocabulary
Traceur: Someone who practices parkour Run: Stringing together different techniques to move through an environment Jam: A gathering of many traceurs to train Flow: The ability to perform many techniques without a pause Roulade: A roll done after landing to minimize injury Saut de Détente: Jumping across a gap Passe muraille: A wall hop Lache: Swinging from one object to the next
Upcoming Parkour event
For those interested in parkour: •Rafe Kelley hosts a weekly class at Mt. Baker Gymnastics in Burlington. •On Jan. 19 Mt. Baker Gymnasium will also be hosting Gym Jam, were traceurs from around the area gather to practice tricks and moves. •Call (360) 757-7565 for more information.
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