Parkour

Parkour is a training discipline using movement that developed from military obstacle course training. Practitioners aim to get from one point to another in a ...

Descendant arts‎: ‎Freerunning

Creator‎: ‎David Belle

Famous practitioners‎: ‎Sébastien Foucan‎; ‎David ...

Also known as‎: ‎PK

 

Basically young people climb all over buildings and jump from one building to another, if they are particulary agile they somersault or do tricks.  Apparently according to Wikipedia see above, created by David Belle.

 

We used to call it DARE.

My friends and I used to climb scaffolding at the sides of buildings and see how far we could drop without breaking anything - young yes about 14-16 years old - stupid definately!

 

There was one day when my best friend and I climbed up a building in Moorgate near to the Bank of England. We got up to the third floor and were sitting on the windowsill looking at the view when one of the secretaries opened the window and told us to get in.

 

We were marched to the lifts with the secretary eyeing us suspiciously.

"Are you boys or girls?" She asked - a good question as we were both wearing sand coloured combat jackets with blue jeans and had short hair.

"Girls!" We both answered indignantly.

"You need to find yourselves a boyfriend." She snapped pushing the button for the ground floor.

What we really needed was a sandwich, all that climbing made us starving.

 

One of our favourite places to sit were on the backs of the Lions in Trafalgar Square. We were chucked off by a young policeman who took exception to our army jackets, and told us his dad fought in desert. We walked off towards the Mall discussing if he fancied one of us! (we were14 remember!).

 

London was our playground, we walked all over it, knew every inch. Climbed the lamp-posts with the Dolphins by the Thames. Walked over the bridges on the walls. Climbed all over the

Stations in London, even inside the British Museum. Climbing, walking, and stuffing meat pies as we went.

 

We both did the Duke of Edinburgh's award at school - we were the only two girls to do it.

Climbing - a doddle - potholing - narrow and squeezy - first aid a necessity, Judo, karate, you name it we did it - and we got our badges!!

 

We were invincible! 

 

Not so invincible now - both of us have terrible knees and feet, weak wrists and we ache when it rains.   BUT we did it PARKOUR HA!  it was DARE but Linda Owen and Maggie Cooper did it first and we have the aches to prove it!