Tools

Parkour Takes Root In Montana

By Tom Wylie

Story Created: Aug 17, 2010 at 9:54 PM MST

Story Updated: Aug 17, 2010 at 9:59 PM MST

It's called Parkour, The physical discipline of training to overcome any obstacle within one's path. The sport, which originated in Europe, is taking root in Montana.

“It makes me go over obstacles, and it makes me grow stronger,” said 6-year-old Parkour athlete (known as a traceur) Keagan Gransbery. “It gives you something to do when you have nothing to do.”

Groups like H-Town Parkour in Helena, the Missoula Parkour Group, and Montana Parkour based in Butte are popping up all over the state.

“It’s freedom of movement,” said H-Town Parkour group founder Casey Hammond. “When you’re walking down the street, you can do flips and twists and jumps.”

And the groups are attracting people from all walks of life. “There’s no restriction, there’s no certain group of kid that does Parkour,” said Corey Gransbery, founder of Montana Parkour. “when we get together, these different types of groups that might not even interact socially in a school setting are becoming friends outside of that and doing something that they each like.”

Corey’s oldest son Austin Gransbery uses Parkour as a means to escape the daily grind.

“It helps yoe get away from what you’re used to seeing,” said the 12-year-old traceur. “And that really helps in life, because there’s a lot of hard things that you have to go through.”

To learn more, go to:

mtparkour.com

Great Falls & Helena Weather

Icon
Great Falls Great Falls Intl Airport, MT
Current Temp 34.0 °F
Overcast
Wind : Southwest at 9.2 MPH (8 KT)
Pressure : 1009.3 mb
Humidity : 70 %
Icon
Helena Helena Regional, MT
Current Temp 25.0 °F
Overcast
Wind : Calm
Pressure : 1014.6 mb
Humidity : 81 %
Click here for our video forecast
More Weather
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.

AP Video