Upside down world of the parkour kids
A Spalding pair have been showing off their amazing skills around the town through their pursuit of "parkour".
Parkour, similar to free-running, is an exercise in efficiency as a person uses their agility to get from one place to another as quickly and effectively as possible.
Those involved in the pursuit need a fearless mindset and have to be athletic enough to hurl themselves up, over, through and under everyday objects.
One Spalding parkour expert, who refers to himself as "Pope", has been using a variety of places, including Ayscoughfee Gardens, for his 20-hour a week training.
He joined another parkour enthusiast Tom Sanderson (18) to provide a demonstration for the Spalding Guardian in The Vista.
They found several gutsy uses for a 12ft-high wall – jumping off it, performing wall-flips and doing handstands on top of it.
While Pope sees some of Spalding's structures as little more than a barrier to be overcome, he says that most people do not have a problem with what he does.
Pope (23) said: "I don't really get problems from the authorities unless I am on private property and someone doesn't want you to be there, then I just get told to move on.
"I get mixed reactions from people.
"Some people like to stop and be amazed, some think it's stupid and dangerous. I've been injured by it but nothing serious, just a few cuts and bruises.
"Parkour is the art of getting somewhere – simple and effective. It's all about exploring the limits of the human body."
Pope was one third of a parkour group that created a video for the YouTube website entitled "Spalding Parkour" last year. The two others have since quit or moved away, but Pope keeps on going
Tom, who also dabbles in skateboarding, said: "It's all a mixture and once you can do one you can do them all.
"I started gymnastics when I was 11 but then I saw someone doing a wall-flip and I thought: 'I want to do that'.
"It's all about having the confidence to do things. You get nervous but you have to have self-belief."
An Ayscoughfee park keeper, who did not wish to be named, said: "We get quite a few people doing it, especially in the summer, but we don't have a problem with it.
"As long as they aren't damaging the property, annoying visitors or generally causing a nuisance then it's fine."
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Weather for Spalding
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Heavy snow
Temperature: -2 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: South west
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: -5 C to 1 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: South east
