Urban acrobats lift off
MURFREESBORO — Some local teens are leaping off buildings — and jumping over railings, flipping off walls and scaling poles or scaffolding.
The high-flying, tumbling youth are part of the newest craze in urban exercise — parkour.
“Parkour is a method of getting from point A to point B in the quickest and most efficient way possible,” explained Ethan Gailey, 17.
Well, sort of.
That is the simple explanation, but there is so much more to the world of parkour, which has made its way to Murfreesboro. Practiced in Europe for many years before gaining popularity in the US, now there are tournaments from the neighborhood level all the way up to national championships.
According to AmericanParkour.com, “Parkour is the physical discipline of training to overcome any obstacle within one’s path by adapting one’s movements to the environment.”
In letting you choose how to get past obstacles, parkour frees you from unnecessary limits, like sidewalks and railings, by letting you choose for yourself the path you wish to take. How practitioners of parkour achieve getting past these obstacles can range from a simple leap over the object to “urban acrobatics,” with flips, rolls, wall scaling and gymnastic-like barwork.
Unlike other extreme sports such as skateboarding, snowboarding or biking, no helmets, pads or other protection is used.
“It’s all about seeing how far your body can go,” said Christian Gonzalez, 17, who has practiced Parkour for more than two years.
Gonzalez heard about parkour from a friend, Nathan Nix, who has been working on the discipline for about four years. The two of them, along with a few others, created the Middle Tennessee Parkour Team.
They don’t necessarily compete — yet — and there aren’t any uniforms or team dues, but the group does get together to practice and share experiences and moves.
The team is comprised of high school and college students. There are about 10 altogether.
“It’s a way to expend energy positively,” said Nix. “We aren’t destroying or damaging anything. In fact, we need the obstacles. If we break them, then we wouldn’t have anything to work with.”
Mostly the group meets at MTSU’s campus due to the varied types of obstacles from 10-foot staircases, 4-foot railings, retaining walls and other structures that are sturdy enough to be jumped, flipped or rolled on.
“I love practicing parkour. What really appeals to me is seeing what the human body is fully capable of,” Gonzalez said. “The way I train for parkour expresses ‘me,’ and teaches me how to overcome anything.”
Is it safe?
The team emphasized that the members are not looking to harm anyone or anything.
They do not trespass on private property, and they encourage others to join as a way to burn excess energy, stay in shape and “stay off the streets.”
“With parkour you are free to move how you want, when you want and where you want. Of course, as it’s within the limits of the law,” Gonzalez said. “We do not trespass, always ask for permission and are very careful where we train.”
The group also made rules about not using memorials and anything possibly breakable that could be damaged or changed in their practice to keep their environment exactly as it was when they arrived.
Despite being careful and being aware of when your own body and mind are ready to tackle a particular trick, move or obstacle, injuries can happen. Nix is a testament to that.
“I just pushed myself. I knew it was too soon, but I did it anyway,” he said, lamenting the fact that if he had listened to his intuition, he would not be hopping around campus with his friends, lagging behind because of crutches and his foot in a compression boot.
When asked what his mom thought of his injury, and parkour, he answered: “I think she understands why I do this. And if I hadn’t broken it this way, well, I would have done it some other way.”
Beyond parkour
“People often ask me why do I do parkour, and I say, ‘Why did you stop?’ We all did it when we were younger as kids, climbing, walking and jumping across things,” Gonzalez said.
In essence, as children, individuals test their boundaries set by parents and the elements. As they grow older, they learn what can and cannot be done.
For the Middle Tennessee Parkour Team, the practice of the discipline lets them re-examine what they know of their own abilities and grow beyond their predetermined limits.
“I feel others should try it because it helps show how there is more than one way to solve a problem, which is just like how there is more than one way to get over an obstacle,” Gailey said.
“I’ve learned that if I put my mind to it, I can do it,” Gonzalez added. “Fear is just a mental obstacle that holds everyone back. I’ve learned to push past that and to never let it control me. I’ve also learned just what I can do with my body.”
That makes the practice of parkour not just a physical training exercise, but a mental one as well, and one that encourages creativity, confidence and critical thinking skills.
It’s also free, as participants need only comfortable clothing and a pair of tennis shoes to start.
Anyone interested in learning more about parkour, its history, or wishing to join in the fun and activity may e-mail the local parkour team at middletennesseepk2@gmail.com.
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