Micah Jennings

1.28.05 Friday [my explanation]

Reginald asked why I hadn’t showed up the day before, so I tried to briefly explain parkour to him.

“It’s about moving as fluidly as possible through and urban environment,” I said. But it was obvious the definition was too broad for him.

“What’s this, with them skateboards or somethin’”? He asked.
“No, no. Just shoes. I mean, that’s the only equipment you need. It’s about thinking creatively. That’s really the only limitation—your mind.”
“I see. So yew just go runnin’ around everyplace?”
“Well, that’s part of it. It also includes jumping, vaulting, climbing…that kind of stuff.”
“Yew wear a helmet when doing this, what is it, ‘par-goor’”?
“Parkour. No helmet.”
“Seems dangerous.”
“Only if the traceur makes it that way—that’s someone who does parkour. But often they’ll get together and do it in large groups, which we call jams. There’s actually going to be one this Saturday at the square.”
“Hm,” he said thoughtfully, scratching his face. “So yo pretty quick, I imagine.”
“Yes. I’m one of the first in the area, so I’m pretty good.”
“Any tie-in with this and them robberies?”
“Yeah. I probably couldn’t have done it without parkour.”

“Those friends yew were talkin’ of, the ones you jump around with…they also steal?”
“No, not at all. They’re good kids.”
“So why do they do it?”
”Pakrour?” I asked.
”Mmhmm.”
“For the pure joy of it, I guess. It was neat watching them yesterday. They’d never seen the area before, and they were just so filled with excitement and energy when they got a chance to play with it. It was beautiful to watch, really. I sorta miss those days, when I could just parkour for fun. Not jumping out of a shattered window, or climbing walls to evade thugs…just pure parkour.”
“I ask, Micah, ‘cause if the city ever found out about this sport and its connections with the robberies, they’d probably shut it down.”
”That’s impossible.”
“No, it’s not. Look at skateboarding. We put up signs ‘cause we were tired of the paint-chipped hand rails and scuffed walls. It’s vandalism, and yo’s is worse.”
“That’s just me, Reg. Ninety-nine percent of the guys out there would never dream of what I’m doing. It’s just not the way most traceurs think.”
“That’s fine, Micah, but one bad incident is all a ban would need to be put in place.”
“That’s unfair.”
“Look who’s talkin’! Yo the one that started this mess. If yo buddies get their sport taken away, they’ll have yew to thank!”
“It’s not like I do it anymore, ok?”
“That’s good to hear for many reasons. I just hope it’s the truth.”

And it is.

-M.J.

posted by Mr. Linty @ 10:48 PM