Parkour is a training method that some see as a sport, but people who practice it see it as an art and a type of lifestyle. Its main purpose is to teach how to move through every kinds of environment. Members of the Parkour Club said that it is all about being yourself, having fun and going beyond your imagination. Parkour club meets almost every day, depending on the weather and have short meetings where they discuss what they are going to learn or practice.
     “My friends and I felt like we needed to share our abilities with other people and teach them how to do what we do,” senior Leysan Morales said. “So I decided to start the club and have fun teaching and learning from others.”
     Parkour comes from the Lingala language of Congo and means “strong spirit, strong body, strong man, endurance” and it is something different and fun that anyone can learn, junior Devon Allen said. He thinks it is a stress reliever and makes you develop a strong sense of confidence.
     “Whenever I’m practicing and something goes wrong with my move, I feel disappointed,” Allen said. “I have learned that I always have to go beyond my boundaries, and it might seem contradictory but you also have to know your limits and that’s how you make the right choice.”
     Junior Jason Seguin said that people who practice Parkour are people who want to improve themselves physically, socially and psychologically by pushing their own personal limits to better themselves.
     “When I practice I feel free and it makes me feel like I can accomplish anything,” Seguin said. “Parkour is more than just fun. When you actually start practicing you discover that there’s so much more than just learning how to jump.”
     Morales said that doing things a lot of people won’t dare do and getting people impressed makes him feel admired, like someone to look up to. He said Parkour brought to his life a fulfilling feeling and made him feel accomplished in something he is now passionate about.
     “I was never too good in a lot of things, but Parkour is something that I’ve learned quickly and succeeded in within a short period of time,” Morales said. “Learning new moves and being able to teach others what I have learned gives me a good feeling and inspires me to keep learning.”
     The members of Parkour club said that Parkour has taught them life lessons and how to deal with difficult situations. They said that jumping over a wall or getting up after a fall is the same as succeeding or making mistakes in life, they just have to be wise about their moves and solve their problems efficiently.
     “Parkour has changed my life and the way I look at things,” Morales said. “An obstacle is now never too big to overcome.”