Kie Willis (UK) st<strong>and</strong>ing pre at Box Cat. www.youtube.com/kieparkour Photographer: Ez www.urbanfreeflow.com
getting started in Parkour is to meet with other people in your area <strong>and</strong> train, well that’s pretty much impossible for me living <strong>here</strong>. I’d even like to see or hear <strong>of</strong> a local gymnasium/leisure centre holding some kind <strong>of</strong> Parkour seminar/community training program, etc. But alas, probably won’t happen so excuse me whilst I climb up a tree…” Thus, though one should be able to train <strong>and</strong> practice in solitary, it is at least necessary at times to venture into a larger community in order to progress in the sport, if not for other more important reasons. Community <strong>of</strong> Many “Community cannot for long feed on itself; it can only flourish with the coming <strong>of</strong> others from beyond, their unknown <strong>and</strong> undiscovered brothers.” – Howard Thurman As anyone who has been on the Parkour scene for more than five years can attain to, the community-at-large is growing at an ever-increasing rate. As the sport emerged into popular films, television advertisements, <strong>and</strong> news snippets, more people began to take notice. Follow that up with established teams, excellent internet sites (none better than <strong>Urban</strong> <strong>Freeflow</strong> though!), forums, <strong>and</strong> community training programs; <strong>and</strong> the sport <strong>of</strong> Parkour/ Freerunning became a solidified presence in the world community. Now, it is spreading at the grassroots level more than ever before. And though it all starts with one person getting out <strong>and</strong> practicing among the people, Parkour becomes a lasting sport <strong>and</strong> philosophy thanks to small communities forming <strong>and</strong> growing. Take Callum Aitchison from Shetl<strong>and</strong> for example, who states: “We have one <strong>of</strong> the biggest scenes for the population! I’m one <strong>of</strong> the longest ongoing practitioners, <strong>and</strong> have watched the team grow from 6 in <strong>20</strong>09, into about 60, from the ages <strong>of</strong> 9 to 25! We are hugely recognized for our training, we do workshops <strong>and</strong> classes for schools <strong>and</strong> youth clubs, help anyone wanting to learn, regularly travel south to jam <strong>and</strong> train, <strong>and</strong> are in desperate need <strong>of</strong> more people traveling to the isl<strong>and</strong>s <strong>and</strong> seeing our home!” I don’t know about you, but Callum makes a great case for me wanting to go visit him in the Shetl<strong>and</strong>s. He also makes a great case for how communities can succeed at spreading the word about Parkour <strong>and</strong> how to gain more members. It is truly the sign <strong>of</strong> a healthy community when it can grow from 6 to 60 within two years, <strong>and</strong> Callum provides the proper diet for this healthy community – teach, share, <strong>and</strong> travel. A community, whether it has one member or thous<strong>and</strong>s, must be willing to teach others. All community members must be willing to answer the outsiders’ questions, <strong>and</strong> a little patience goes a long way for the sport! And remember, one does not need a coaching certification in order to teach. Sometimes being willing to listen to a concern <strong>and</strong> to help a person find the proper resources are all the traits that a teacher needs. Simply sitting next to a newcomer as you both watch YouTube videos can convert a citizen to a community member for life. However, exp<strong>and</strong>ing to organized training camps <strong>and</strong> academies can help grow a community greatly. Sharing can also greatly develop a community. As Alex Jolly describes his California Central Valley community, sharing is key: “Each city has its own group but we <strong>of</strong>ten come together to train <strong>and</strong> hang out…We’re one big family.” Christian Bavuso, also from California Central Valley, agreed with Alex completely, saying, “It’s amazing! We’ve got some extremely talented people to the very beginners. Love them all!” It appears that Georgia has the same mentality, according to Chase Johnston, who states, “Atlanta, Georgia has a strong community <strong>of</strong> over 100 people <strong>and</strong> multiple groups that unite Georgia’s Parkour community as a whole.” Thus, the willingness to share territory <strong>and</strong> talent with other small communities can help grow all communities involved, which helps the sport grow in a healthy way as well. And when teams close their doors <strong>and</strong> refuse to share, it hurts everyone involved. Konstantin Chernyshov can attest to this fact, as he states, “In TX we have two communities, TX Parkour community <strong>and</strong> Lone Star Parkour community…Instead <strong>of</strong> working together, they prefer to work separately <strong>and</strong> it sucks! Because together they could do a lot more!” Konstantin’s point rings true throughout the sport, <strong>and</strong> we as members <strong>of</strong> the world community should take notice. But we can never take notice if we are not willing to travel to other Parkour/Freerunning communities. Aaron Brown, <strong>of</strong> Oklahoma, describes how OKPK travels between three cities every month in order to provide training to as many people as possible <strong>and</strong> to grow the community. OKPK gets noticed because they take notice <strong>of</strong> the needs <strong>of</strong> the people. However, travel allows much more than just an introduction to new communities. I know when I traveled to a jam in Washington DC, it changed my view <strong>of</strong> the sport forever. I met such great people <strong>and</strong> learned so much more in just a span <strong>of</strong> two days. T<strong>here</strong> was also a greater, deeper lesson hidden within the group. When one moves through the environment as a large body <strong>of</strong> people (instead <strong>of</strong> just one or two), the whole feeling <strong>of</strong> Parkour changes. Daniel Lutsker describes this beautiful change as follows: “When I go to Manhattan to check out a big jam, the almost 100 people t<strong>here</strong> change my mindset from careful conformity to friendly anonymity. Sure, I don’t know these people, but they are my age <strong>and</strong> likely to
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