Translator: Rhonda Jacobs Reviewer: Helena Bowen
Parkour is a method of movement
in which we train the body and mind to efficiently overcome obstacles.
(Applause)
Free-running is like parkour,
but also allows creative or extraneous movement,
like flips or spins.
(Applause)
People often ask me, "When did you start parkour?"
My favorite response is, "When did you stop?"
You see, every single person in this room did parkour at one point in your life.
We all climbed trees, we all jumped off the couch and tumbled.
Who here remembers the game,
"Don't touch the ground; the floor is made out of lava"?
Anyone?
(Laughter)
Awesome.
I have to admit, at 25 years young, I still play that all the time.
(Laughter)
We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.
Our society has never been more sedentary and out-of-shape.
In fact, over two thirds of Americans are obese or overweight.
Why has our health suffered so greatly?
One reason is the lack of physical play or movement in our daily lives.
Now, I'm not here to convince you that everyone should do parkour,
but I am here to challenge how you view exercise.
Have you ever said,
"Working out is too hard," or "I don't have time for exercise."?
Try not to see it as something negative.
Instead, view exercise as fun and playful.
The next time you see a kid swinging on the monkey bars,
stop and watch for a second.
Kids don't count calories or time workouts.
Kids are simply there to move
because it's fun, challenging, and exciting.
They want to explore their surroundings and their own potential through movement.
Through parkour, the hunger to move
is fed with extra creativity and discipline,
allowing you to accomplish that which seems superhuman,
or even impossible.
Sometimes you have to see it to believe it.
Each person you're about to watch
exemplifies many years of a dedication to movement.
They are my teammates.
We are scientists, athletes, artists, and philosophers.
Movement is our study.
We are APEX Movement.
(Applause)
(Laughter)
(Applause)
(Cheers) (Applause)
(Applause)
(Cheers) (Applause)
These talented athletes can take a simple opera house stage
and a few vault boxes and turn it into endless possibilities.
The world is their canvas, and they are a paintbrush.
In this first video, our teammate Justin demonstrates this idea
with a simple wall and some grass.
(Video starts)
(Music)
(Video ends)
Ryan Ford: But it's not always fun and games;
by vaulting over rails and bouncing off walls,
we learn to face our fears and solve problems.
We learn to fall.
(Laughter)
And most importantly, we learn to get back up.
Amos, you good?
(Laughter)
We pass obstacles here; we pass obstacles in life.
But nobody's perfect, and in this second video,
you can see the persistence and determination
it took Justin to accomplish his combo.
(Video starts)
(Music)
Justin: Ow!
Oh, so close!
(Bleep)
Oh, bad one!
Oh, so close!
Ugh!
(Bleep)
Oh, my god, I don't want to do this. I can't!
(Video ends)
RF: Battling temporary tunnel vision and loss of hearing, migraines,
and other symptoms of altitude sickness,
I summited Mount Kilimanjaro at nearly 20,000 feet
without taking painkillers or any acclimatizing drugs
that are commonly prescribed.
As if climbing the mountain wasn't enough,
I simply wanted to reach the top and see if I could naturally,
without taking the medication that was carried in my own backpack.
By regularly testing my limits and experiencing discomfort,
everything else in life becomes easier.
You don't have to take it to extremes though.
Take a freezing shower; stay off the Internet for a day.
Find something that you're afraid of, face it head on, and overcome it.
Admittedly, most of the adversity I've overcome in my life
has been self-inflicted.
But the people you're about to meet
have overcome more in a few years than most people do in a lifetime.
Autumn Goodridge and her two kids, Malachi and Fidelity,
train parkour at my gym in Denver.
A few years ago, Malachi nearly died from internal bleeding,
and was diagnosed with severe ulcerative colitis,
a chronic disease that made him a target of bullying,
and caused him to miss significant amounts of school.
Fidelity has been diagnosed with cystinosis,
a disease so rare that it lacks the funding and research
needed to help develop a cure.
In addition to taking 22 pills a day,
Fidelity struggles with constant thirst, fatigue, and sensitivity to sunlight.
Autumn wants to get into better shape so that if it's ever needed,
she can donate a kidney to her daughter.
While most other sports have barriers to entry,
parkour requires no equipment, and it can be done anywhere.
It's not about comparing yourself to others; it's about improving yourself.
Autumn says, "What we have gone through has in turn, become a blessing.
It has opened our eyes to see
that we have much to celebrate in the bodies we were given.
Parkour has helped Malachi gain health and confidence.
It has given Fidelity dreams to be like her brother.
And for me, a renewed vision on health, hope, and fun."
Please welcome Autumn, Malachi, and Fidelity.
(Applause)
High five! Good job!
(Applause)
Parkour at its root is about self improvement through movement.
It doesn't matter if you're learning to jump over a bench,
or do a double backflip.
Even if you have no desire to become the next parkour all-star,
my challenge to you is to play more often.
Remember what it's like to be a kid.
The next time you see a handrail, vault it.
Climb to the top of a playground; balance along a sidewalk curb.
Your body was built to run, dance, play, and jump.
Movement is a universal language,
and it was the first language that you ever learned.
But, if you don't use it, you will lose it.
So, what better place than here, what better time than now?
Everybody stand up, come on, get up!
There we go. Good.
Alright, now shake it out a little bit.
Take a couple of deep breaths.
(Inhale)
(Exhale)
And I want everybody to jump!
Jump one more time!
And one more time!
Alright, awesome.
That's a start; you guys are on the right track now.
When you leave today,
I hope that you will open your eyes up to the countless movement possibilities
that exist everywhere you go.
Remember, there are no obstacles, only opportunities.
Thank you.
(Applause)