Urban sport Parkour leaps into the mainstream

The next time you're walking the dog and come across a group of people vaulting over walls, scaling fences and dropping from impossible heights, don't be alarmed. They aren't in the middle of a police chase; they're just practicing Parkour, an underground urban sport that's quickly stepping into the mainstream.

Parkour is about training your body and mind to overcome obstacles with speed and efficiency, using running, climbing and vaulting. Longtime practitioners, called traceurs, view the world as one big obstacle course. In the world of Parkour, bike racks are meant to be vaulted over, drainpipes to be climbed and walls to be scaled.

To many local traceurs, Seattle is the perfect playground. "I am reasonably sure that the people who designed Freeway Park and various other public places in this town were secretly building Parkour parks," says Jeremy Modjeska, who participates in weekly meetups, called jams. "You couldn't ask for a better city to train in."

Parkour was originally developed in France (its literal translation is "the art of displacement"), designed as an emergency evacuation procedure. Athletes quickly adopted it as a new way to use the cityscape as a training ground. The sport has also spread to popular culture. Remember that breathtaking chase on the scaffolding in the beginning of "Casino Royale"? That was Parkour.

Basic Parkour techniques include jumping and landing after a roll, mastering the art of balance and body-weight distribution, and learning how to use momentum and absorb shock efficiently.

"The utility of Parkour is one of my favorite aspects about it," writes Chris Pascual, one of the Northwest's most dedicated traceurs. "It's one thing to be able to lift heavy weights or kick or catch a ball, but I really feel like actions that are the means in other sports (running, jumping, etc.) are the ends in Parkour."

The sport also stretches the mind. Traceurs have to assess their course to figure out the most efficient way to navigate it. Often, decisions about which of the versatile techniques to use are made literally on the fly. Tyson Cecka, one of the founders of the nonprofit Pacific Northwest Parkour Association, calls this mental transformation "Parkourvision."

"After a few training sessions, you start to look at everything and start to think about what you could do to it," he says. "That's the first step. Then, later on, you start to notice ... shortcuts and more in-depth challenges. It definitely changes your view of the world."

To become a traceur, it helps to be trained in a related sport first -- like gymnastics, acrobatics, martial arts or rock climbing -- but prior experience definitely isn't necessary. Novices should check out the bimonthly indoor jams held at Hart's Gymnastics in Auburn (206-520-1973). Pascual will be on hand to instruct on everything from basic to advanced moves in a safe, soft environment.

Finally, a word on safety. Newcomers to the sport should expect soreness after jams for the first few months, because Parkour calls on muscles that aren't often used. When traceurs know their limits and have proper form, injuries are rare, but those who go above their skill level are often hurt, especially when trying big jumps or falls. Proper attire includes athletic shorts, T-shirts and tennis shoes with plenty of traction.

In case you want to see the sport in action, weekly jams currently occur Saturdays at 1 p.m. at Gas Works Park, and Tuesdays at 3 p.m. at Red Square on the University of Washington campus. To learn more about the sport or find a jam near you, visit the Washington Parkour Web site.

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