Take Flight

To close out 2012 we announced the Top 10 Take Flight Videos of 2012 on our Facebook page. In case you missed them here is a recap.

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Video #10: Putting Korea On The Map Starring Hyun Geun

Starring TF athlete Hyun Geun, this video kicks off our countdown because of its fast paced style and impressive movement. The music set the tone and ultimately helped make this one of the most viewed TF videos of 2012.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bAnVo91a7E

Video #9: Go Run. PK. starring Nikolay Stasolik

One of our favorite videos of 2012 was “Go Run. PK.” starring Nikolay Stasolik. It had great music, great action, and overall was just a great PK video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-dGzkz3HHY

Video #8: Be Russian starring BAIT
In early 2012 BAIT made this custom edit especially for us. It’s pure beastness like only BAIT can bring. You might want to watch this a couple times.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEDnAYwFT4I

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In 2012 we produced and collaborated with our athletes on 37 Parkour videos! All of these are on our YouTube channel.

We’re extremely proud of all 37 videos, but some are move moving than others (no pun intended). So with the year coming to close we to ranked all 37 videos, and we’ve decided to do a top 10 countdown.

Over the next three days via our Facebook page, we’ll be showcasing The Top 10 Take Flight Videos of 2012. Naturally, we’ll be starting with #10 and working out way gradually to #1.

Will your favorite video take the top spot? You’ll have to tune in to find out.

This is a screen shot from our newest video, “Movement Is In Our DNA.” Tune into our Facebook countdown to see if it makes the top 10.

This video might have taken the top spot in our 2012 countdown. But we uploaded it on December 22, 2011 (!!) so it didn’t qualify!

Over the years we’ve brought to the world a slew of amazing Parkour mixtapes and demos that showcased Take Flight Traceurs from around the world. We just uploaded video #61 and it is the best we’ve ever had the privilege of being a part of.

The video titled Lisses 2012 stars Take Flight artist Zokan, who is also the artist behind the music in the video. The video shows his movement through the Lisses, France. Shot entirely from a first person perspective, the editing transitions are brilliant as the interplay between music and movement.

A lot of videos will make you want to do Parkour. This will make you want to live it, and it will put visiting Lisses, France at the top of your bucket list if it’s not already there. Enjoy.

We are extremely excited for Take Flight Athlete Pasha Petkuns who recently won the Red Bull Art of Motion in Santorinin, Greece! As read on Parkour.com

The latest Red Bull Art of Motion event was held on the Greek island of Santorini. The city’s unique architecture, terraced rooftops, domes, and pools created a 200-meter-long course with a 50 meter height differential. Winner, 20-year-old Pavels Petkuns finished his run with a well timed dive into a swimming pool.

Pasha has already had a few amazing performances at other Art of Motion events including a second place finish at Yokohama Japan, but this was his first win and we couldn’t be happier for him. During the entire event he also sported the Original Parkour Tee II which was an amazing touch to the event and his victory.

Congratulations again to Pasha! Keep your eyes open for him. He will continue to set the bar for Take Flight and Freerunners around the world.

Please join us in welcoming our newest Flow Team member Trevor Ray!

This Long Island, New York native has played multiple sports for many years, and Trevor’s art schooling is also a major part of his life. When the importance of sports began to fade they just became another hobby and Trevor needed something new to peak his interest.

Trevor discovered Parkour in 2008 and has never looked back since. Trevor told us that once he started training, like many Traceurs, his whole view of the world changed; “I have a new outlook on life. I have truly become a strong believer in living life and not letting it live me.” Trevor still enjoys playing other sports with friends, but says that Parkour has helped him become who he is as a person and that will never change. Trevor’s TF Intro video is embedded below.

Trevor has demonstrated a great level of skill and respect for Parkour. He spreads the love of Parkour in his community every day, and because of all he does for the discipline we are excited to have him as the newest addition to the Street Team!

Hawaii Parkour spreading awareness and cleanliness. Last month TF Partner Hawaii Parkour launched “Parkour Awareness Month and Ala Moana Park Clean Up”. This is great initiative aimed at cleaning up a local park where they hold regular classes. This was their thinking and their plan to carry it out .

The idea is very simple. If you have a favorite spot to train you should take care of it for a couple reasons:

- You want your spot to be maintained so you can continue to train there. You don’t want to worry about spilled soda or gum getting on your shoes and things like broken glass.

- If you train there often people will associate that spot with not only you, but other Traceurs and Parkour in general. In some areas we Traceurs are already labeled as vandals and simply cleaning up some trash can help change that stereotype. The more supporters we gain for Parkour the more places we will be allowed to train.

No matter where you are from or where you train, we are all part of the same global community. Every piece of rubbish you remove is one less negative thing in the world and one more positive spot on the planet. Show the people of your community how much you care about your training spots and do your best to leave no trace.

Check out the clean up and that day’s jam in the video below!

In recent news…

Take Flight Partner Hawaii Parkour had an important feature on KITV news where they were able to spread Parkour throughout the island. A reported joined up with HIPK to train and learn about Parkour first hand. It was a great experience for everyone involved and gave HIPK great exposure to the public in Hawaii.

Founder of Hawaii Parkour Ozzi Quintero had this to say about the feature:

“The team from KITV did an awesome job as they portrayed the message we wanted to share with the community. Thanks you all who made this possible.”

You can watch the news feature  below!

We are so excited to see the newest Parkour video of David Belle finally make its way onto the international scene. This amazing short film (which is actually an advertisement) features David Belle performing Parkour and talking about the discipline he created. Watch, learn and be inspired by the founder himself and his words of wisdom, focus, and precision.

Music is a huge inspiration for almost everyone. We use it to pumped us up, and help us focus and quiet our minds. We use it for inspiration and to inspire creativity. We even use it to change our moods and energize our bodies when we exercise. Although the type of music one chooses for all of these things is a very personal choice, the idea of music percolates through all we do and it’s the same with Parkour.

The Music Showcase Is Featured On The Take Flight Facebook Page!

This week we have decided to showcase the idea of music in the Parkour context. We’ll be touching on multiple themes all intended to enlighten and change the way you think about music. There are some songs that have already risen to the top of the Parkour world and become iconic in nature and we’ll be showcasing these songs and the videos behind them. Music choices for a Parkour video is another theme we will be touching on as the simple use or not use of a song can change a video’s theme, message, tone, feel, and overall impact.  We will also be showing some horrendous music choices that were chosen for comedy purposes and you’re guaranteed to laugh. Throughout it all this week you are going to hear a wide variety of music including hip-hop, rap, dub-step, techno, and more. And we are even going to include types of music that you may not expect.

This TF Facebook feature will be taking place via videos posts this week on the the Take Flight Facebook page from Wednesday through Sunday so keep your eyes and most importantly ears open and see what you can pick up. We think it will change the way you look at music in the context of Parkour, and it might even help you choose the next song for your own Parkour video.

We are excited to have Jevin Dulak as our latest sponsored athlete added to the Take Flight Street Team!

Jevin first discovered Parkour in 2009 and has been a Take Flight fan since his beginning. In him we see a passion for Parkour that is rare and his loyalty to Take Flight is second to none. These are the exact qualities we look for sponsoring athletes, but Jevin wasn’t chosen for sponsorship just because he loves Parkour and Take Flight. Jevin is also an excellent role model for Traceurs and he is constantly giving back and contributing to the community by teaching others and spreading Parkour throughout his city and beyond.

One of Jevin’s current projects is helping develop Legacy Parkour and Freerunning; a team dedicated to reaching out in the community, and spreading the philosophies of Parkour to people young and old. He believes that much of his progress is due to the great Parkour community he has locally, so helping develop this team is a way for him to give back.

We are proud to sponsor Jevin Dulak and bring him on board as the newest member of the Take Flight Flow Team. Please join us in welcoming him and keep your ears peeled for more from this committed and giving Traceur.