At the current moment, I'm sitting in a house with 15 of my family members in San Francisco. The weather is 65 degrees Fahrenheit, overcast, and there's a persistent fog shrouding the city. I love San Francisco. It's not just the city life without the city bustle that I love. It's not just the care-free, West Coast style/attitude that teenagers on the East Coast try desperately to imitate despite falling staggeringly short. I love visiting San Francisco because it gives me the chance to train with the local traceurs, a group whom I can instantly share hugs, laughs, and love with because we're family. This connection isn't just with the SFPK guys and girls. I could travel anywhere in the US, or even the world, and meet up with long-lost brothers and sisters. (Click "Read More" to continue)

Whenever the opportunity presents itself, travel to different cities, attend other state-wide jams, train in different hotspots with different partners, and reunite with fellow parkour/freerun family members. It's not just about experiencing the bland, touristy feeling of “I came, I saw”. In order to add “conquer” to that list, you have to learn some lessons along the way. Trust me, this won't be hard. There's no greater feeling than breaking free of your mediocre routine by training with a completely different variety of athletes and environments. During my time here, I've trained with a member of Team Tempest, beginners who think they're Russian Climbers, and a five-foot tall traceuse who made the simplest of underbars and crawls seem like punishment.

What kind of lessons have I learned here? I can tell you, but you will have much more fun if you take the journey yourself.

About the Author Andrew So is a unique soul. He enjoys reading about nutrition, particularly in Men's Health magazine, and favors gymnastic methods of conditioning. He is known for progressively removing articles of clothing throughout the course of training sessions and is occasionally mistaken for a fellow named Charles Spears. He currently lives and trains in Raleigh.

Comments (2)

Comment	smaller | bigger
Name
Email
Write the displayed characters
	Add Comment