Senior Gunner Robinson pursues passion for parkour

Michael Lebbin
Staff Writer

Parkour in a nutshell is a combination of jumping, flipping, running, and ultimately, a huge adrenaline rush. Parkour is an activity that is used to get from point a to point b as quickly and creatively as possible.

Senior Gunner Robinson started doing parkour at the end of his junior year. He has been training constantly after school for 1-4 hours at a local gym.

“I saw a video when I was younger and I thought parkour was cool, but there was nowhere to train,” Robinson said. “Tempest Freerunning Academy opened up 25 minutes away, so I started to work at it.”

Robinson played basketball and football as a freshman, and now runs track and does parkour.

“I love playing multiple sports because it keeps me active,” Robinson said. “It occasionally puts a burden on school, but if I get too much work I come home early from practice.”

Parkour is a highly dangerous sport that can result in serious injuries due to the severity of the heights and jumps.

“My parents hate it, but they let me do it,” Robinson said. “They know that my friends do it so if they make me stop I will not be able to hangout with my friends.”

Robinson is trying to spread the word about parkour and is starting an action course club. The club will train and compete in Spartan Races and different creative competitions throughout the area.

“I want to get the word out about parkour because it is a great sport,” Robinson said. “The club will help spread it, and I hope that it can inspire people to do this sport.”

Robinson was recently invited to join a parkour group called IndiGO. It is a new experience for him in which he hopes will help his skills
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“IndiGO invited me to work with them,” Robinson said. “They asked me to meet with them, and I am looking forward to starting that.”

Climbing has a lot to do with parkour, and Robinson has worked climbing into his training. He loves to go with friends and climb walls and other obstacles.

“A few of my friends and I will go out after school and climb things,” Robinson said. “It is fun to hangout with my friends and do something like this.”

Robinson has a passion for this underground sport. He has made good friends from it and continues to just have fun with it.

“I love the time I get to spend with my friends doing something we all enjoy,” Robinson said. “It makes it that much better.”