July 11th, 2009 was a milestone for the NCParkour community, being the 10th Statewide Jam held by NCParkour. On that day, around 40 traceurs and freerunners from around the state got together at NC State University in Raleigh to pick up trash, condition, train, and have fun. The jam was hosted and led by the Raleigh traceurs, and began at 10:30 with a campus clean up. The horde of traceurs was split into three groups, each collecting trash from a different area of campus. We all met again at around 11:15 in the Court of Carolina to begin our conditioning session. (Click "Read More" to continue reading...)

The conditioning consisted of jogging, forward and backwards QM, passing a medicine ball (I estimated it to be about 40 lbs) around a circle of our fellow traceurs, and finally push-ups. Immediately after the conditioning, we had a lunch break until 1:00. This was a great opportunity to hang out with and get to know the other traceurs, and there were some great places to eat just across the street.

At 1:00, the real fun began. From then until around 5:15 or so was Pure. Epic. Jammage. My favorite thing was that NCSU offered a great variety of cat leaps/arm jumps, which are quite scarce at UNC-Charlotte. However, this was most definitely not the only thing to do. We hit 6-7 hotspots, with each traceur challenging himself to the fullest. This was a great mental exercise, because many of the places we visited on campus were completely new to the out-of-towners like myself. I was able to succeed at things I had never even tried before, and I saw that many people were having similar experiences all around me. It is truly inspiring to train amongst so many creative and strong individuals. I saw each person bring something new to the table and inspire those in the vicinity to see new things and test their limits.

Throughout the day, I said many times that NCPKJX was my favorite statewide jam so far, and I stand by it. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet new people that share a common interest, and above all, it was a testament to the creative power of “parkour vision,” with each person seeing something unique in every obstacle. I would like to say thank you to the Raleigh traceurs for providing such a positive experience for all of us, and that I can't wait for the next state jam. I'm sure that in that regard, I am not alone!

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Nick Faircloth (Hopscotch) was born in Charlotte, North Carolina and has been training parkour since April of 2008. He quickly built a lasting friendship with the Charlotte branch of the NCParkour community while happily expanding his network of friends to include all the members of the NCParkour forum. He will be attending UNCW for a degree in Marine Biology and can't wait to continue his parkour education.