Past my prime for parkour

by YankeeJim | December 16, 2011 at 05:51 am

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From skateboard to parkour

When I was a young teen, skateboards came into vogue. According to skateboard history, they may have been invented in the 1940s and 50s in California to be used when the waves were flat. Living in Central Ohio, we didn’t have waves, but we saw on television and in the movies that teens were surfing in California, and skateboards gave us a way to connect, I think.

We wore shirts with paisley patterns and three-quarter length sleeves too. Converse tennis shoes and Vans loafers were in. Of course, everyone wanted to look like Elvis with greasy hairstyles.

Anyway, the problem with skateboards included 1) they had to be purchased, and 2) they had to be maintained. You could change out the wheels when they wore out, but there was some pressure to have a board of the right style in color and other performance characteristics.

I became so attached with my skateboard that I think I forgot how to walk. Walking felt weird; I imagined a time when all human beings would be skateboarding from place to place.

Now, in less prosperous times, teens have adopted a new “sport” that doesn’t require the purchase of a skateboard and not even a helmet. It is called parkour. Teens develop athletic skills and jump, tumble, and maneuver over common objects such as steps, fences, walls, cars, and stumps. The skill is doing this with rhythm and smoothness.

The only investment required is a first aid kit.

I listened to an interview on a television program about a kid developing parkour skills. Apparently, one can excel in this sport without the ability to complete a sentence.

“Parkour is a method of movement focused on moving around obstacles with speed and efficiency. Originally developed in France, the main purpose of the discipline is to teach participants how to move through their environment by vaulting, rolling, running, climbing and jumping. Parkour practitioners are known as traceurs. They train to be able to identify and utilize alternate, more efficient paths. Parkour can be practiced anywhere, but areas dense with obstacles offer many different training opportunities. Parkour is sometimes abbreviated PK.”