Local group jumps off buildings for fun

Scaling buildings in downtown Orlando? No big deal.

It's just another day in the life of 25-year-old Orlando native Andy Taylor.

Sporting spiky, bright blue hair and a lively smile, Taylor is extreme by definition.

"I've always been mesmerized by big buildings; they make me happy," he said.

He is an avid rock climber, and one of his favorite hobbies is scaling buildings in downtown Orlando.

"The basic principle is being able to negotiate obstacles to move from point A to point B in the most efficient manner possible," Taylor explained.

Parkour, also called free running, is a unique mix of sport and martial arts that tests the participant's discipline and agility. It is not a spectator sport but one that poses the individual challenge that any obstacle can be overcome.

"I do everything from rock climbing to wakeboarding, but I like Parkour more than anything else," he said. "This is a big sport — in Europe it's huge."

Parkour requires regular training and an array of skills. Taylor began his training about two years ago, taking Capoeira — an Afro-Brazilian martial art — to practice his handstands and working with gymnastics trainer Mike Mitchell.

"It's definitely something that could be in the X-games," Taylor said.

But Taylor is thirsty for more.

"[Parkour is] for everyone, it's not just for crazy ripped skinny dudes who like doing crazy things," he said. "Anyone who makes this their passion, I want to make an available avenue to get paid for this."

Taylor currently has a team of five guys who train hard and aim to create a Parkour community here in the heart of Central Florida.

"I want everyone to know they can come and learn Parkour," Taylor said. "I want to unify the Parkour scene in Orlando."

Right now Orlando has a growing Parkour community with one of its members coming right out of the University of Central Florida.

Graham Hughes, digital media major, is one of the pioneers of Parkour at UCF.

Hughes met with the assistant director of the Office of Student Involvement on Wednesday to discuss a Parkour Club, which he hopes could be starting up on campus.

"It's a discipline where we train ourselves to be able to move fluidly and efficiently through any environment," Hughes said.

Taylor and Hughes are two prominent faces in the Orlando Parkour scene; however, they share a few disparities in their philosophy.

"There is a direct divide between his ideology and mine," said Taylor. "Sure, you have to calm your mind and think correctly about your moves, so it does discipline me, but I see it as more fun."

Hughes, on the other hand, feels safer on the ground.

"I'm at home on the ground, it's a different way of training," he said. "I wouldn't say either is better than the other."

Differences aside, both men have one common unifying belief — they want to get everyone involved.

"Parkour is about overcoming obstacles," Hughes said. "Aside from the physical obstacles, we overcome the mental obstacle of fear."

Hughes stressed that people should not be intimidated and that anyone can do it.

It's clear that Hughes and Andy are motivated by their love for the sport.

Parkour is more than just ninja-like stunts; this sport requires a great deal of self-motivation and drive.

With a Parkour club at UCF in the works, Hughes strives to show that Parkour is not just crazy videos of people jumping off buildings.

"We want to be able to teach them the proper way to get started, instead of emulating what they see online or on TV," Hughes added.

Taylor and Hughes encourage anyone interested in Parkour to attend one of their weekly meet-ups. They meet every Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m at the Lake Mary All Stars Gym in Longwood.

For more information on future meet-ups or if you are interested in learning more about Parkour visit: www.meetup.com/ParkourOrlando.