You may have heard of parkour from the internet sensation back in 2006 featuring people running, jumping and flipping in many different popular videos that swept the country. But, it has since developed and become a full-blown athletic activity for anyone to try.

What exactly is parkour? Parkour is an activity where a participant jumps, climbs and flips in order to make their way through their environment. The Western Slope has had its own home for this crazy sport since 2014.

Hard work and personal strength are a few of the many key values you learn in classes at Elevate Parkour Facility. As you work through the many classes and levels at the facility, you will learn how to push yourself and grow in a physical and mental way. With classes available for almost all ages, both kids and adults can enjoy a fun way to stay active.

“Our goal here is to create a place for anyone, kids or adults, to learn something and grow, and just be yourself,” says Vinnie Coryell, owner of Elevate Parkour. The facility encourages anyone to join them and have fun learning about movement and parkour.

Many students at Elevate are younger kids and teenagers. Kids and teens with an abundance of energy have a great place to expend it at the parkour gym. Throughout COVID-19, it has become a great place for kids to destress and recharge. Elevate has been a great part of the community for numerous families.

“I’d say parkour is one of the biggest things for me in my life,” says 16-year-old Louie Lee, one of the parkour students at Elevate. “It’s one of my favorite things to do, and I’ve met a bunch of people that are my friends now; many of them inspire me to grow as a person and an athlete.” With 40 total parkour gyms currently in the United States, parkour is a small and tight-knit community. Many athletes of the sport travel to other parkour gyms and go for events with many other parkour athletes. Logan Frady, one of the instructors, says, “It’s an amazing community in which you can better yourself and meet other people who value the same things.”

Elevate parkour is a place for people to come together and learn about movement. From parkour classes where students learn to jump, climb and swing to aerial silk classes where students practice core and upper body strength, the parkour facility is a hub for movement and enjoying yourself while staying active.

Soren McGill, one of Elevate’s 13-year-old students says, “Parkour and movement are stress relievers for me. It’s just an escape from life where I can do whatever I want. It’s just fun.”

Elevate Parkour believes that movement does more for you than just keep you active. The instructors of Elevate also believe it will help you in other aspects of your life. “Facing obstacles and fears in parkour is just like real life. And, teaching yourself how to overcome anxieties in movement lets you overcome other anxieties of life,” says Mikaila Quinn, parkour instructor. “My life would absolutely be worse off without parkour. The more I have pushed myself to grow in parkour, the more I have grown in other aspects of my life. Parkour has made me more confident with myself, it has given me something that is my own and it has allowed me to express myself creatively.” Movement is an important part of almost everyone’s life at the parkour gym. People are passionate about parkour at the gym and that is what brings them together.

One of the biggest parkour events that happens in the Western Slope is an event called “Summer Jam.” Summer Jam is where athletes from all around visit the Western Slope and train together for a few days. Athletes get the chance to meet with other parkour enthusiasts from far and wide. In the past, all these athletes would train in the facility at night and then go training downtown in large groups during the day. This repeating event has brought the parkour community closer every summer, but with complications regarding COVID 19, unfortunately the event couldn’t take place this past year.

“Parkour is really hard, so it’s interesting seeing students grow through the process,” says Quinn, “Not everyone sticks with it and some people have it easier than others. But, the students who are passionate and keep pushing through are what makes this job worth it.” The instructors of Elevate all love seeing students learn and grow through the program.

Quinn says, “We have students who have been doing parkour with us for three or four years and seeing them blossom and change through that time has been amazing.”

Sharing is an important virtue in parkour culture. Unlike other sports based on competition, parkour is about teaching and working together to grow through movement. “The first guy I met who did parkour was one of the nicest guys I met,” says Coryell. “That first interaction told me to treat others the same way, and I think that attitude has continued over the years.”

In the facility you notice how friendly everyone is with each other almost immediately. Students are willing to share with others, instructors care about the growth and wellbeing of their students and parents trust the instructors there with keeping their kid safe during classes. Interactions between students, instructors and parents are all positive, and the atmosphere that creates is certainly what keeps people coming back.

Coryell has been training in the sport for over 12 years. Parkour has played an incredible role in his life. Coryell has Cystic Fibrosis — a life-threatening disorder that affects the lungs and digestive system.

“Parkour is all about resilience ... you’re not going to get it the first try, you’re not going to get it the second try and you have to be resilient through that,” says Coryell. Since the opening of the gym, he has been hospitalized several times and has grown through the many difficulties of life.

However, despite the odds being stacked against him, Coryell has managed to keep brightening the lives of many students throughout the years, and hopefully for many more years to come.

Originally published in the Winter 2020-21 issue of Spoke+Blossom.

Parkour On The Western Slope