The Bulldog Tribune

Parkour

Friday, February 13, 2009 By Spencer Brookbank

“When you parkour you get the feeling like you have conquered something; you have overcome an obstacle,” senior Daniel Fissmer said. “When you are standing on a building 50 feet in the air and you overlook the landscape you get a whole different view of things. It’s a beautiful sight.” I’art du déplacement (the art of movement) is an activity in which one moves from point A to point B as quickly and efficiently as possible. This is parkour. Parkour first originated in France through David Belle and a few of his friends. They used their surroundings to overcome obstacles in the environment. This activity has become popular among students at Stone Bridge. Students search for elements of parkour at local schools, buildings, or shopping centers. Almost anything can be parkoured. “Usually my friends and I took for ledges, rails, and buildings in Landsdowne Town Center,” junior Dylan Doggett said. “One time, Fissmer and I got caught on top of the Ashburn Library.” Although it is winter and parkour is out of season, students seem to still have cravings for the activity even if it is 30º outside. “No matter what the temperature is we always parkour because it’s hard to find something to do with an adrenaline rush,” junior Davey Alison said. Not only is parkour a fun activity, but it is a challenging exercise. It takes stamina, balance, and strength to achieve I’art du déplacement. “I like adding flips into my repertoire,” Fissmer stated. “I do backflips off walls and use different climbing techniques like Spiderman. When I have to jump off a small building, I do a role as I hit the ground to take some of the impact off of my legs.” Being fearless is the key to parkouring. Fear is the only thing interfering with the ability to overcome dangerous obstacles. There is always a possibility that one could hit the ground after a 15 feet jump without an impact role and injure their leg, knee, or ankle. Whether it’s the high vaults, the far gaps you have to clear, the bars you have to grab on to, or the buildings you have to climb, you have to go big. “Any building can be overcame,” Fissmer said. “If you see it you can climb it.”