SLCPK.org

Winter Training. Do I really Hate it this much?

Seeing that I haven’t been out lately I find myself wishing for sun and better weather. It seems (since I live in UT) the weather is in a cycle, whenever it looks to be getting better, it snows again. Almost every week I say to myself, “finally the weather is picking up, I’ll be able to get out for more Parkour.” But then just like the week before, it snows and I am once again denied the fun and creativity I want from running around looking like an idiot to other people.

Maybe it’s my inability to learn from weather patterns? Or maybe I’m a procrastinator, or just lazy? Whichever it is, I’m not getting out when I want to.

To stand for what I wanted, and go against the weather, I decided to go out no matter how bad the conditions were. I didn’t procrastinate the day and went for it. Wednesday the 6th of February 2 days away. I was determined not to be lazy.

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Fight vs. Flight

Well this being my first article on slcpk.org, I hope you all enjoy it and learn something useful.

Fight vs. Flight

Turning the corner casually walking home from school you accidentally bump into a big guy with a short temper. This guy is angry with you, and you can see right then and there that he wants to fight you. In any potentially dangerous situation your body will automatically receive impulses from the brain, and release epinephrine. (Not to go into detail.) In other words you get that adrenaline pumping through your blood. What follows this physical phenomenon is an instant mode, your body reacts “fight or flight”.

Few people would stand their ground and fight this guy. In this case I’m going to be taking on the flight position. Though it may seem there are more choices then just “fight or flight,” flight can be broken up into different categories. When they refer to the term “flight” they are actually saying what you would do to avoid the fight. So it could be talking your self out of it, sending your friend to fight, or running away is what usually comes to mind with most traceurs.

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Parkour photography

I’ve been photographing parkour on and off for nearly four years now, and there’s still a lot that I have to learn. And I know there are other amateur photographers in SLCPK who are constantly looking for that perfect shot without being able to rely on expensive equipment. Some times all you’ve got is a simple point-and-shoot camera, and maybe a tripod.

The Digital Photography School blog looks to be a great resource for both amateur and professional alike. If you have any interest in photography at all, I’d highly recommend signing up for the DPS newsletter. I’m already practicing some interesting techniques for action photography that will hopefully prove useful while shooting parkour.

Happy Birthday SLCPK!

SLCPK began as an experiment on August 31st, 2004.  The experiment was to see if a parkour community could develop and grow in our beloved state of Utah.  A very rudimentary website was put together, a few photos were posted, and an extremely amateur video was made.

After a few short months, a discovery was made: A parkour community already existed in Utah.  People all over the state have been practicing and training for years!  SLCPK was simply a means to an end.  To bring everyone together.

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Fox 13 - The Aftermath

The jam has come and gone, and it was great! We had a great turnout (most likely due to the big expensive news camera ). There was a two-hour run around the campus, followed by some stellar interviews, with some tutorials for rolls and kong vaults filmed at the end. Some folks arrived a little late, but you have to try really hard to not find the group.

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A Personal Essay

This article originally written by Ryan Berlin.

Parkour.

I bet that I can tell exactly what you’re thinking, Par…kour? What is that? How do you say it? I don’t get it… Admit it. You haven’t got the slightest idea what I mean. Well, unless you’re one of the few traceurs who attend BYU with me, and I’ve only found…wait, I haven’t found any other traceurs at BYU, so never mind. Hey, there’s another word you’re probably trying to figure out, traceur. If you can’t tell, and I’m sorry for this, but it’s true, I’m really enjoying confusing you. But I admit when I first heard about parkour, I had no idea what it was either. Heck, you have an advantage over me too, because I didn’t even know how to spell it. But after about nearly a year of practicing, learning, studying, watching, and growing in the discipline…no, that’s not the right word…the art, yeah, that’s the word I want, the art of parkour, I’ve come to love it.

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The First Jam

Every so often, I’ll get an email notifying me of a new member on our forums. It’s a cool feeling to know that more and more people are still coming to SLCPK and wanting to be a part of it. These newcomers often have questions, most of which we are always happy to answer to the best of our ability. One of the most often asked questions is “Can I come to one of your jams?” The short answer is always a resounding “Yes”, but this article is to get everyone familiar with the specifics of what to expect.

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