UMass Practicioners Take Leaps And Bounds

I had no idea what Parkour was until a friend suggested checking out some online footage. Who has time for this was my initial reaction, but I kept an open mind in order to learn more about the latest adventure trend to hit the Pioneer Valley.

UMass sophomore Jackie Hai founded the program this past year and a quick conversation with her and her excitement about Parkour becomes electric. I couldn't help but wonder after speaking with her,what I could jump over or crawl through on my way back home that afternoon.

The following is what Parkour means to Jackie Hai. A short video clip about how she came to love Parkour, her motivation to start the UMass program and her future plans for Parkour and its members can be viewed by clicking this link.

Hopefully her enthusiasm will rub off on to you too!

Parkour is the art of moving efficiently from point A to point B by treating objects in the environment as an obstacle course. Parkour is as much a mental discipline as it is a physical one. Where some people might see a
railing or a wall and be forced to go in to the direction that they’re “supposed to go," with Parkour you instead make your way by going over, under, through or in any creative way you can in order to surpass the obstacle at hand.

Parkour is a physical conditioner and in earlier years before civilization and technology developed, running, jumping were people's means of survival and unfortunately they have become lost today.

Parkour is like going back to your roots.

This Saturday the UMass Parkour Program will host a meeting for students and residents of Western Massachusetts interested in learning more about becoming practitioners of Parkour also known as Traceurs. The meeting will begin at 1pm at the Haigis Mall on the UMass Amherst campus.