Does anyone remember that old Nickelodeon classic, "Double Dare"? You know, the show with the delicious denouement: a romp through an obstacle course laden with chocolate sauce and whipped cream. I used to fantasize that someday when I reached the appropriate maturity level, I would get to slip and slide my way through that gooey "physical challenge."
Minus the desserts, cette parcour d'ostacles is my newest fantasy:
The world is your obstacle course! Apparently, this "sport," whose origins lie in France, is now massively popular in European urban centers. It's starting to seep into action films in Hollywood too. ("Casino Royale," "Live Free or Die Hard," etc.)It'sbeautiful to watch, really. I'd like to see more of it whenever possible.
I know for a fact that if I tried this at home, I'd break myself. The art of manipulating momentum purposefully is not in my marketable skill-set. (I know this because I'm the one who broke the bed by jumping on it. Little known fact.) However, there don't seem to be a lot of women jumping around. But I know there are traceusses (female parkour-ers as opposed to male traceurs) out there. I'm inclined to think that the types of maneuvers women can pull off would be distinctly different, though no less impressive, because of obvious anatomical differences. Women have their centers of balance in the hips, whereas men have them in the shoulders. Like how women can pick up a chair against a wall with their arms or how men can balance horizontally on a pole. I didn't pay any attention in physics class, so I can't say much more with any authority.
On the other hand, I can't think of anything more mother fucking dangerous. The sport seems like it could be the poster child for the cliched regret, "it seemed like a good idea at the time!" How many broken skulls does the average traceur accumulate in a lifetime? An article written in the Portland Mercury, I think, captures it best:
Although the "sport" is extremely low-maintenance (it can be done in almost any locale—urban or rural—and the only requirement is sturdy sneakers), preparation is crucial for the budding traceur. Otherwise, loss of limb is likely.
Vive le parkour!
1 comment:
Oh it couldn't be that dangerous, I mean I didn't see a single person get hurt in that video... Ok I'm going to go jump onto one of the porches on the building across the street now, ta-ta!
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