North Texas Daily

Quentin Hope / Staff Writer

The UNT campus has recently become the training ground for Parkour. A small group of students who are looking to stay in shape use the entire campus of UNT as their training facility.

Parkour is a method of physical training that can develop one’s ability to overcome obstacles. This specific type of training revolves around running, jumping and climbing all obstacles of the environment set in front of the trainee. Biology junior Andrei Cortez has been doing this type of training for quite some time.

“In layman’s terms, Parkour is just most efficiently getting from point A to point B, preferably in a straight line,” Cortez said. “If that involves diving over a wall or leaping over some bushes, you’re always having to adapt your body to fit with those obstacles.”

The use of the UNT streets, buildings, benches, walls and poles are effective to getting the most out of the training.

“You have to build up the physical strength for it,” Cortez said. “It’s most important to train the physical aspects first, because you train for it and your body is ready, but you have to make sure that your mind and body are on the same level.”

Cortez has met up with friends and formed a small group who are just as passionate about Parkour as he is. He has recruited psychology junior Joseph McKenna and Radio Television and Film freshman Keith Williams.

“I saw some guys that were doing something that looked almost groundbreaking,” McKenna said. “It was like nothing I had ever seen before.”

The group has encountered some issues while training on campus.

UNT campus policeman have confronted the Parkour group on several occasions. They usually question and ask for identification to ensure they are UNT students. To make certain that no one is injured, certain guidelines have to be followed – like no jumping off buildings and no crazy stunts.

“I’m pretty good at accepting landings, because I’ve been falling in and out of trees as far and as long as I can remember,” Williams said.

This small group doesn’t have a specific time or day it meets up. The members feel they can be seen running all over campus as they stick to their motto, ‘We do Parkour. It’s a way of life.’