Some students come to campus to study math, English or history. Some come up to learn parkour.
Sean Keil, the founder of Renaissance Movement Parkour, a group that teaches a parkour class on campus, said parkour is nothing like the YouTube videos posted on different social networking sites. Those videos, which show individuals doing dangerous stunts, are not at all what Keil says he is trying to teach.
Keil described parkour as an exercise system that stresses using the body in conjunction with the surrounding environment.
“Either moving through the environment quickly while overcoming obstacles or creative movement. To go along with that there is a mental side of training. Learning to overcome fear, gauge and asses risks and avoid improper risks. If you’re OK with small victories, this is a way to meet your desires,” Keil said. “I think parkour can be very dangerous if practiced improperly. I’ve been training for 15 years and have had no major injuries. One of the really important aspects of parkour is learning progression. Your body adapts to the stresses you’re putting on it.”
Natalie Kyle, the group’s second-in-command, said the architectural diversity of campus is a perfect place for different age groups and skill levels to practice parkour.
“The U’s campus is magnificent because there are a plethora of spots up here. We have at least twenty spots that we rotate through. As far up as the medical center down to the west end of campus. The different spots suit the different skill levels very well. You can have the beginners comfortable, the intermediate comfortable, as well as the advanced students comfortable,” Kyle said.
Keil said he has seen many U students in the past work through his classes. Whether they are current students, graduates or even future U students, his classes have great variety.
“We do get a lot of U students. I’d say probably a third of our clientele come from the U or they’ve recently graduated,” Keil said.
Brandon Shiel, a junior in political science, started parkour to stay in shape while training in the National Guard.
“I needed a way to do exercise other than regular push-ups and sit-ups so I figured I’d do this because it looked fun and it is working,” Shiel said.
Both Keil and Kyle have aspirations for the class that go beyond the physical aspects of parkour.
“Parkour isn’t so much about training yourself physically, but training yourself mentally. Parkour has a very strong group mentality,” Keil said.
Kyle said each individual experiences a general progression in these classes.
“The central message that I personally try to convey is patience and discipline. We have a lot a people come in and they’ve seen all the flashy stuff on YouTube and they’re wondering why they aren’t doing back flips off of buildings their first day and instead I try to get across to people that these movements might come fairly simple to some and for others it comes as a long journey. You’re still progressing but at a different rate,” Kyle said.