The quirkier sports in Grahamstown seem to get pushed aside by the likes of rugby and soccer, but one young man is trying to get the dare-devilish sport of Parkour in the mainstream.
The quirkier sports in Grahamstown seem to get pushed aside by the likes of rugby and soccer, but one young man is trying to get the dare-devilish sport of Parkour in the mainstream.
The concept of Parkour is getting over obstacles by running, climbing or leaping rapidly; it is the idea of moving through a city like water.
Graeme College Grade 10 pupil Liam Wright is now the City of Saints’ own ‘free runner’.
Wright told Grocott's Mail he became involved in the sport through video games and movies.
“I started playing Assassins Creed a few years ago and it amazed me how quickly and swiftly the characters were able to move through the terrain, which comprised mostly of a city landscape.
"I then watched a move called District B13, which stars David Belle, the founder of Parkour.
This movie had some of the most insane stunts I have ever seen. This got me really interested and I searched it on the internet and that was when I became hooked.”
Although onlookers might see the sport as reckless abandon, Wright said that is incorrect.
“Lots of people perceive it as dangerous stunts, yet this is far from the truth.
Parkour is defined as the art of efficient movement and it in fact sets out to eliminate risks in everyday situations.”
But that does not mean it's without risk.
“I was practising Parkour in the garden, I had just climbed up one of our old fibreglass water tanks which had a cracked lid, which I was unaware of at the time.
Needless to say I fell through the lid and landed face first in the water at the bottom of the tank with my phone in my pocket. I
’ll just say that I had no phone and no money after that.”
Developed in France in the '80s, Parkour is becoming an internationally recognised sport with competitions, events and official teams.
