One year after 91原创 City opened the largest outdoor Parkour park in Canada, the municipal parks and recreation department has launched its first training program in the .
The program for kids gets underway later this month, with training provided by Journey Parkour, a group of long-time Parkour enthusiasts with more than a decade of experience.
鈥淭here was only about a dozen of us and we鈥檇 go out and train together,鈥� said Journey owner Jessie Simpson.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been more than a hobby.鈥�
Simpson said the movie version of Parkour, with death-defying leaps and scary near-misses, is nothing like the real thing.
鈥淭here is a very large misconception,鈥� Simpson said.
The sport accommodates a range of abilities and ages.鈥淚f you have a body that can move (that鈥檚 all you need),鈥� she said.
鈥淧arkour is a very safe sport.鈥�
All that is required is basic athletic wear and good athletic shoes, Simpson said.
The first classes, for kids aged from six to 14, will begin during spring break from March 19 to March 23.
During the week-long camp, students will learn basic jumping, safe landing and rolling, movement, basic vaults, spatial awareness and more.
There is also a six-week introductory class that will run from April to May.
The outdoor class is weather-dependant, and an indoor course will also be offered at the Timms Community Centre.
Those interested can find out information about when to book by going to the 91原创 City website and searching for RecConnect, then searching for Parkour on the page.
The new facility in 91原创 City opened at 198C Street and 47A Avenue last year, following a $1.3 million re-do, with $500,000 coming from the federal government and $800,000 from the City.
The former baseball diamond and soccer pitch now features a 10,000-square foot collection of heavy-duty wooden forms designed to accommodate a sport where competitors navigate obstacles by running, climbing, swinging, vaulting, jumping, and other movements.
The Parkour park, designed by Parkour Vision and installed by Marathon Athletics, is connected to a pair of new playgrounds designed for children aged two to five, and five to 12.
All of it rests on three inches of shock-absorbing rubber made from recycled tires, with a red and black pattern that offers kids the challenge of avoiding the red 鈥渓ava鈥� as they navigate the course.
Simpson calls it 鈥渙ne of the best in North America鈥� and 鈥渁 huge stepping stone鈥� for a sport that is not yet formally recognized in B.C.
The 91原创 Parkour course has proven to be more popular than expected, and that has forced the City to accelerate construction of its next phases.
The City has just finished building a wood shelter that provides shade to some picnic tables next to the Parkour course, council has just given preliminary approval to a financial plan that includes expansion of the Penzer parking lot, and workers have been digging up the road in front of Penzer to prepare for the sewer and water hookups that will be required when the planned new washrooms go in.
It鈥檚 hoped construction will begin this spring.
While Penzer already has washroom facilities, they are located at the opposite end of the park, near the cycling facility that predates the new equipment.
dan.ferguson@langleytimes.com
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