Today is David Belle’s birthday. Without David’s passion, direction, and example the discipline of Parkour would not be in existence today and influencing so many people. At Take Flight all of us owe much of who we are and what we do to him, and with that we extend our heartfelt thanks and our warmest wishes to David on this exciting day.

Joyeux Anniversaire David !

At Take Flight are always working to build partnerships with Parkour communities and organizations. Whether partnering with a statewide Parkour community, a nationwide Parkour site, a Parkour company, team etc., our mission to spreading Parkour stays true and is fully developed in our pursuit of these partnerships and in the creation of these relationships. One of our partnerships is with Parkour academy and Parkour consultation firm Revolution Parkour.  We have been a partner of this organization for a few weeks now, and we thought we’d announce it here with an official blog post.

Revolution Parkour and Take Flight founder Adam Dunlap

The partnership between Take Flight and Revolution Parkour was always somewhat expected. Both organizations were founded by Take Flight founder Adam Dunlap, so the strong ties and relationship have been there from the start. But even if Dunlap wasn’t a part in the inception of either organization, Revolution Parkour is a model Parkour company that we would have still desired to be associated with.

Revolution Parkour is a Parkour academy and consultation firm that first opened its doors in 2008. As one of the first Parkour schools in the United States, Revolution Parkour was a pioneer in the developing and establishing the Parkour class model that we are now seeing taking root in cities across the country. They have made huge strides in bringing Parkour to the U.S., and they have always been dedicated to using the discipline of Parkour to positively influence others, especially young people. Since its inception, Revolution Parkour has given presentations for numerous groups, and run public and private Parkour programs for schools, athletic facilities, and non-profit organizations.

In addition to teaching the discipline of Parkour, Revolution Parkour has also made its mark by providing choreography and consultation for firms around the world. Working with companies from the U.K. to its home town in Oregon, Revolution Parkour has worked in television, advertising, and has collaborated with local to internationally companies including athletic faculties, book packagers, talent firms, and internationally recognizable apparel brands. Revolution Parkour has experienced enough success that they recently opened their new Parkour training facility which is the largest Parkour gym ever opened in the United States.

Ever more important than the success and reputation Revolution Parkour has experienced and garnered, the organization has always maintained its focused on staying true to the roots of Parkour by David Belle. Says the Revolution Parkour Facebook Fan Page very simply:

“Revolution Parkour is a Parkour academy and consultation firm that adheres to the teachings and philosophy of Parkour by David Belle.”

It is for all these things, the passion Revolution Parkour has for Parkour, their dedication to community involvement, and their pioneering spirit coupled with the unwavering devotion to Parkour by David Belle, that we have entered into a partnership with Revolution Parkour. Every one of us here at Take Flight is excited to be working with Revolution Parkour. We are looking forward to working with them and helping them further spread Parkour in their community and beyond.

You can read more about Revolution Parkour on their website and social sites via the following links:

http://www.RevolutionParkour.com
http://www.RevolutionParkour.com/academy
http://www.Facebook.com/revolutionparkour
http://www.Twitter.com/revolutionpk
http://www.MySpace.com/revolutionparkour

Let’s face it: Parkour is fun. There are no ifs ands or buts about it. No matter your personal reason and motivation for doing Parkour, the truth is that if you didn’t enjoy doing Parkour you probably wouldn’t train as much.

The fact that Parkour is fun doesn’t make it any less purposeful for practitioners or any less powerful as a medium to promote change. After all, enjoying what we do is at the core of our existence and motivation. In fact, when looking at the positive side effects of practicing Parkour, if anything the fact that doing Parkour is fun makes it even a more powerful discipline.

Of all of the changes that Parkour promotes through its method, philosophy, and example set by its founder David Bell (including mental acuity, focus, and a positive attitude) probably the most immediately recognizable effect Parkour has on practitioners is the physical effect. The physical demands required to run, jump, climb, crawl, balance, and roll all naturally and quickly increase the physical condition of practitioners.

With the enjoyment of practicing Parkour clear, and the physically positive changes naturally promoted by the discipline obvious, I was inspired by the opportunity to bring Parkour to an international audience when I came across the fun theory. The fun theory is an idea and contest put forth by Volkswagen. The description of the theory and contest is this:

We believe that the easiest way to change people’s behaviour for the better is by making it fun to do. We call it the fun theory… The fun theory award recognizes the thoughts, ideas, and inventions that help prove [it].

Without any hesitation I entered Parkour in the contest where it is now displayed for the public to view and rate at the following link

http://www.thefuntheory.com/searching?keys=parkour

The contest can be found at the above link where you can view the Parkour entry and others. For the next 3 days the public has the chance to rate entries. The top 10 entries will move on to the finals where a fun theory winner will be selected by a jury.

I have no doubt that Parkour, in part as a proof of the fun theory, is one of the most positive and powerful methods and motivators of change in our time both as a focused training discipline and a fun activity that naturally supports advancements in physical health and other aspects of life. Whether we are producing new Parkour clothing to distribute around the world, donating money to Parkour non-profits, or working hands on in the community to spread the discipline of Parkour, these positive effects of the discipline are just one part of the message we strive to pass on in all that we do at Take Flight.

In honor of Veterans Day and on behalf of myself and everyone at Take Flight, I’d like to extend a heart felt thank you to all those that have so honorably served America in our armed forces. Thank you for your patriotism, bravery, sacrifice, and willingness to serve for the common good of those both in United States and in countries around the world.

Sincerely,

Adam Dunlap
Take Flight Founder

Grappling with gravity

Revolution Parkour turns urban architecture into playground and offers enthusiasts an extreme challenge

By Ed Johnson – The Beaverton Valley Times,

You’ve probably seen parkour, but didn’t know what to call it.

The French sport jams breathtaking athleticism into the urban environment; its practitioners sprinting, jumping and weaving in and around the things we normally take for granted. That railing on the stairs may look like a good place for your hand, but in parkour, it’s also a good place for a foot-launching jump.

The parkour-thinking mind sees urban architecture as, literally, a playground.

Adam Dunlap is a 23-year-old, life-long Beaverton resident who runs Revolution Parkour and teaches a twice-weekly class in the discipline. He wants the public to know that the sport is not just insane stunts like those seen at the beginning of the James Bond film “Casino Royale” — it’s a serious training method.

“I think a lot of people see parkour incorrectly,” Dunlap says. “They haven’t made the connection that this is something people do.”

Dunlap admits that what first interested him in parkour were the incredible YouTube videos of elite practitioners like parkour-founder David Belle. But, as he focused his craft, his insight into the sport changed.

“The ideas of movement and how to move quickly are built into us,” Dunlap says. “You take from parkour what you want.”

Craziest thing you’ve ever seen

Parkour can best be described as an outgrowth of a particular French philosophy, which is built on the fluid movement of the physical body through urban spaces. It’s about encountering obstacles and overcoming them using both your wits and your physical prowess. If you look up videos online, it will also seem like the craziest thing you’ve ever seen.

Right after graduating from Oregon State University, Dunlap got a temporary job at Nike, but quickly grew restless. The office environment wasn’t for him. He decided to take his long-brewing interest in parkour and turn it into a business.

Revolution Parkour was intended first as a parkour-instruction program, then as a TV and film consulting firm. For the last year and a half, Dunlap has been teaching twice-weekly classes at ADAPT Training, and seen a steady increase in participation. Tuesday night, 25 students, from pre-teens to people in their 20s, attended the class to get a dose of Dunlap’s expert instruction.

And while the consulting side of the business has been slow going, with only a few projects here and there, Dunlap says that a potential deal with a new major-network television show is in the works.

To develop his training program, Dunlap took the effusive parkour technique videos that were available online and broke them down into step-by-step methodology. He stresses that while these techniques are tried and true, there isn’t necessarily one single way to do parkour. It’s always about doing what comes natural.

‘No parkour on the furniture’

Besides technique training, the class also gives its students extensive physical conditioning, focusing on lean-muscle, body-weight exercises rather than free weights.

“A lot of people just want to find a unique way to workout,” Dunlap says. “As far as I’m concerned, parkour is the best there is.”

Students at the class seem to agree. Brandon Latocki, a 21-year-old Beaverton resident who’s been going to the class since it started, seems to echo the obsession of a lot of dedicated parkour enthusiasts.

“I’ve been looking for my entire life for something to do,” he says, “and this is it.”

Another student, Rick King, 25, says he first saw parkour when he saw the videogame Mirror’s Edge, about a dystopian future where revolutionaries use parkour-like methods to combat an all-knowing, all-seeing government.

“I didn’t know it was an actual thing,” King says. “I showed up (to class) one day and have been hooked ever since.”

Gerald Wright, of Tigard, was watching his 12-year-old son take part in the class on Tuesday night. He says that he’s been impressed by the rigorous and professional nature of the class since his son started it a few weeks ago.

“How can you say no to a kid who wants to do something different?” Wright says. “We do have one rule though: no parkour on the furniture.”

An adrenaline rush

Dunlap says that most students interested in parkour are exactly who you’d expect: young men looking for an adrenaline rush. He’s quick to point out, however, that as parkour grows in recognition — and there’s every indication that it will — the people who participate will likely diversify. Just like how other extreme sports became mainstream in the ’90s, Dunlap expects parkour to do the same.

Dunlap says the local parkour community is small but passionate, and often gets together to take advantage of downtown Portland’s diverse architecture. He says that, unfortunately, the suburbs like Beaverton don’t offer the same obstacle-rich environment as urban areas.

In the end, Dunlap stresses the simple joys of the sport he loves and the independence of its movement. He also stresses that watching the elite athletes shouldn’t scare people off. Most people will never leap from such great heights.

“Just because you train,” he says, “doesn’t mean you can jump off a building.”

For more information, visit www.revolutionparkour.com.

At Take Flight we are always striving to become more and more involved in the international Parkour community. In addition to sponsoring Parkour teams and individual Traceurs we have also been working hard to establish committed relationship with Parkour communities. Because of our focus and efforts we are proud to officially announce our new international partnerships with Parkour Egypt.

Says Take Flight founder Adam Dunlap about the partnership:

I am very excited about the relationship we have established with Parkour Egypt. They are a vibrant and dedicated community, and I look forward to working closely with them in the weeks and months to come in order to help them develop their community and achieve their goals for expanding the prevalence and influence of Parkour in Egypt.

To learn more about Parkour Egypt, their community, and their newly launched website check out the following links:

www.ParkourEgypt.com
www.Facebook.com/ParkourEgypt
www.Twitter.com/ParkourEgypt

Since the discipline of Parkour began to spread beyond the borders of France almost a decade ago, there has always been uneasiness in the community towards media outsiders and corporations. The anxiety stems from the worry that groups motivated solely by profit will exploit Parkour while also perverting it into something contrary to its purpose.

Because of this concern, we at Take Flight are proud that we can call ourselves a Parkour clothing company that is truly For Traceurs by Tracuers. In addition to our website, slogan, mission and products all of which testify to this fact, we say this confidently because even our founder Adam Dunlap has been a dedicated Parkour practitioner for years. Below we have embedded a video made in 2007 of him doing Parkour:

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For Traceurs by Tracuers is an accurate description of who we are and who we serve. The authenticity of our brand and our dedication to Parkour is exhibited in all aspect of our organization including our founder’s dedication to the discipline.

Daniel Ilabaca, MisterParkour.com was granted exclusive interviews with both Lee and Daniel. The interviews were recorded with permission from the artists, and the interview between Daniel Ilabaca and MisterParkour.com founder Adam Dunlap is featured below.

In this insightful interview Daniel first speaks about his involvement in the Beyond Human project. After this, Daniel goes in depth and discusses many facets of his training, focus, and athletic achievement. He speaks about his biggest inspiration, he explains what Parkour means to him and why he does it, and he even tells stories and responds to questions that have never been asked of him before in internet featured interviews.

Whether you are new to Parkour or a seasoned practitioner this extensive interview is a must hear. Daniel’s openness and passion for Parkour is constantly present in his speech, and the prevalence of these attributes are only superseded by his humility and kindheartedness towards others. Daniel’s viewpoints, insight, and experiences are as exciting as they are thought provoking. If you have never been challenged to think about what Parkour really is and why you do it, this interview will surly raise the questions that will give you an opportunity to discover those answers for yourself.

To find out more about the Beyond Human collection please see our Beyond Human article or visit Daniel Ilabaca’s personal website at DanielIlabaca.co.uk.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7755605905804360786

In light of the exciting Beyond Human series by Lee Jones and featuring Daniel Ilabaca, MisterParkour.com was granted exclusive interviews with both Lee and Daniel. The interviews were both recorded with permission from the artists, and the dialogue with Lee Jones is featured below.

In the insightful interview, Lee speaks about his Beyond Human collection as well as his vision and inspiration for creating the paintings. In addition, Lee talks specifically about his draw to Parkour and how he first saw Daniel and decided to include him in the project.

To find out more about the Beyond Human collection please see our Beyond Human article or visit Lee Jones’ website at LeeJonesArt.co.uk.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7170213078201618309