Not adding value is the same as taking it away.
~ Seth Godin from, The cost of neutral
slip:4usete7.
Some people execute. Some people judge.
Fact of life. Reality.
I tend to execute—frequently, rapidly, recklessly even.
I tend to judge—frequently, rapidly, recklessly even.
One is my super-power. One is my kryptonite.
ɕ
What are the personal transformations that occur through competitive rowing and movement practices like Parkour?
Roberto Regueiro Santiago discusses his years rowing crew, both as an athlete and a coach, and his thoughts on the competitive nature of the sport. Roberto shares how an injury changed his perspective and opened up his possibilities, leading him to Fighting Monkey and parkour. He explains his ideas of mastery, as well as his approach to games and training.
I don’t think it’s totally necessary to master everything that you do in your own practice. But master something which gives you a deep understanding — what the thing is, [and] feels [like] in the first moment that you feel like that song, like the flow state — is when you really master something.
~ Roberto Rugueiro Santiago (1:29)
Roberto Santiago reflects on his journey from competitive rowing to movement disciplines like Parkour and Fighting Monkey. He describes rowing as the first activity where he truly experienced mastery, emphasizing the deep bond and unity formed within rowing teams. Roberto shares how the rigorous nature of rowing, with its intense focus on competition, shaped his understanding of perseverance and teamwork. However, an injury ultimately shifted his priorities, leading him to explore movement practices that prioritize longevity and holistic development over winning.
In discussing his transition to Parkour and coaching, Roberto highlights the importance of sharing his passion with others, describing coaching as a way to create training partners and foster community. He values the playful, game-centered approach in Parkour, which contrasts sharply with the rigid, competition-driven world of rowing. Games, he notes, allow for self-exploration, creativity, and growth without the pressure to outperform others, fostering a sustainable and enjoyable practice.
Takeaways
Mastery through competition — Rowing provided the first experience of mastery, teaching the importance of understanding a discipline deeply.
Community in hardship — Growing up in a poor rowing club instilled a sense of responsibility and collective ownership.
Injury as transformation — An accident forced a reevaluation of priorities, shifting focus from competition to personal development.
Longevity mindset — Parkour introduced the idea of sustainable practice, allowing for rest and self-compassion without fear of falling behind.
Games as learning tools — Using games in Parkour creates a playful, low-pressure environment conducive to growth and self-awareness.
Rowing’s hidden costs — Rowing built strength but also structural imbalances, highlighting the importance of cross-training and mobility work.
Coaching for connection — Coaching is not just about teaching but creating peers to share in the practice and maintain engagement.
Acceptance of limitations — Aging brings acceptance that not every day will bring improvement, but consistent practice remains vital.
Unity in competition — High-level competition fosters respect and camaraderie, even among competitors.
Resources
The Movement Creative — A Parkour and movement organization where Roberto Santiago coaches and trains.
Fighting Monkey — A movement practice that integrates games and physical exploration, significantly influencing Roberto’s training philosophy.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
ɕ
There are exceptions, such as when I travel, where I end up unconscious on some other horizontal surface, but it’s as sure a rule as any that no matter what kinds of wild or unpredictable events happen during the day, the conclusion is quite predictable: me, horizontal and comatose.
~ David Cain from, We’re quite different but we still sleep together
slip:4urawe1.
Elsewhere, I’ve written specifically about sleeping. Sleep itself is fascinating, and a critical component to—well, everything; Life, quality thereof, the ability to think, and so on.
But until I read David’s piece, I’ve never had the vertiginous perspective of millions of people laying out horizontally and slipping unconscious. A rolling wave of countless people passing into unconsciousness as the world rotates. It’s eery, a third of all people are unconscious right at this moment. Also this moment. And in a relatively few more moments, I will be unconscious again.
I’m not certain, but I think my perspective upon first awakening may have shifted a little towards the, “oh! This is interesting,” end of things.
ɕ
slip:4usebu1.
…is too short to pull quote. Click-thru you shall.
Yesterday I was talking about balance, and—boop—here’s Seth apropos. Like, get out of my head, but, wow, gee thank you.
ɕ
We come out of the box tuned for self-preservation and conformity. Not self-expression, not self-actualization, not happiness. But that’s what we want. Our genes want rock-solid, redundant systems for survival, nothing more. We want to have fun and feel good about our lives. Not the same thing!
~ David Cain from, Defy mother nature
slip:4urade1.
I’m uncertain.
I feel certain that I understand how to enjoy life. No mystery to me there.
The problem is balancing responsibilities. I’ve chosen this, I’ve taken on that, …sure, I swerve off the road—regularly—with things like stress-eating, rage, depression. But again, no mystery to me why that happens. I can tell from the center-line of the road when I’m heading for the ditch.
If I had a pithy solution to write here, I wouldn’t need to blog to sort out my thoughts, now would I?
ɕ
Just as the nature of rational things has given to each person their rational powers, so it also gives us this power – Just as nature turns to its own purpose any obstacle or any opposition, sets its place in the destined order, and co-ops it, so every rational person can convert any obstacle into the raw material for their own purpose.
~ Marcus Aurelius
slip:4a292.
What role does community involvement and accessibility play in shaping inclusive, multigenerational spaces for Parkour and movement practice?
Blake Evitt discusses the importance of partnering with your community, creating multigenerational spaces for training, as well as how he does that in his hometown of Boston. He unpacks the influence that traveling had on his training, coaching, and business, as well as his own personal growth. Blake shares his thoughts on a number of subjects, including becoming vegetarian, the ADAPT coaching qualifications, and the United States Parkour Association.
Our goal with the park was to make a multigenerational movement space, not just a place where Parkour can happen but also a place where people can explore and be comfortable.
~ Blake Evitt (3:37)
The conversation explores how Parkour can serve as a tool for creating inclusive, multigenerational community spaces. A key focus is the development of public Parkour spaces, particularly in Somerville, Boston, where Parkour generations have helped design and steward municipally funded parks. The dialogue highlights the integration of Parkour for all ages, with specific classes for children, adults, and older practitioners, ensuring accessibility and fostering a communal experience. The discussion underscores the importance of designing spaces that allow for interaction across generations and between different activities, such as skateboarding and basketball.
Blake Evitt’s personal journey through international travel and cultural exchange plays a significant role in shaping his approach to Parkour and community building. His experiences training with Parkour groups worldwide inform his leadership in Parkour Generations Americas and the growth of Parkour Generations Boston. The interview touches on Evitt’s coaching philosophy, the significance of adapting Parkour for older adults, and the broader value of Parkour as a means of personal development, community engagement, and positive social change.
Takeaways
Community-driven Parkour spaces — The creation of municipally funded Parkour parks can foster multigenerational interaction and community engagement.
Inclusivity in coaching — Offering classes for different age groups, including older adults and young children, increases accessibility and broadens participation in Parkour.
Travel as professional growth — Exposure to global Parkour communities enriches personal development and informs local initiatives and coaching practices.
Public Parkour spaces — Collaborative efforts with city governments to build Parkour spaces ensure long-term stewardship and positive community relations.
Adaptive teaching methods — Classes are designed to accommodate varying physical capabilities, promoting longevity and inclusivity in the practice.
Cultural exchange through Parkour — Hosting international events like American Rendezvous creates opportunities for idea sharing and global collaboration.
Integrating Parkour into family life — Simultaneous adult and children’s classes encourage family participation and deepen community ties.
Coaching as a refined skill — Effective Parkour coaching requires development and refinement, similar to technical Parkour skills.
The role of competition — Personal goal-setting and competition provide structure and drive for practitioners, complementing non-competitive aspects of Parkour.
Resources
Parkour Generations Boston — The Boston branch of Parkour Generations, focusing on inclusive community programs and coaching.
Parkour Generations Americas — The parent organization overseeing Parkour Generations branches in the U.S., supporting growth and community engagement.
American Rendezvous — A large international Parkour event in Boston fostering cross-cultural exchange and community building.
Adapt Qualifications — International Parkour coaching certification program, emphasizing structured coaching development.
United States Parkour Association (USPK) — National organization fostering collaboration, safety standards, and community growth in the Parkour community.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
ɕ
I’ve read far too many stories put out by “prestige” news organizations that merely amount to: “This prominent person tweeted this. These random people responded with these tweets. This person made a meme out of it.” This is literally the entire content of the article. It is paragraphs of text devoid of meaning and significance. Just hype masquerading as journalism. But consume enough of it and it can shape your world view, where you feel like something is happening, but nothing actually is.
~ Brett McKay from, D.B.T.H. (Don’t Believe the Hype)
slip:4uaoai8.
A large part of my personal change has been driven by my changing what information I consume. There are very few things, people, or places which are able to “insert” information in front of me. The vast majority of information sources—and I’m using information here in the broadest sense—are all set up so that I access them. I access them the way I get water from the sink tap. I go to it. I act to begin the flow. I choose how much and at what rate it flows.
There’s no longer any hype coming out of my sink taps.
ɕ
Social conditioning may have convinced you that sacrificing your happiness to maintain a certain bank balance, to send timely payments to corporations to which you’re indebted, or to pay for someone else’s needs and expenses is the proper way to live. Perhaps your parents played a role in this conditioning as well, teaching you the importance of being responsible and holding down stable employment.
~ Steve Pavlina from, Happiness First, Then Everything Else
slip:4usebo15.
There’s a lot of value to the idea of, “and now that you are moving, you can steer.” Lots of metaphors here: A ship’s rudder doesn’t work unless the ship is moving; A car cannot turn around unless it is moving; etc. But there’s a vastly bigger picture that, “you can steer,” will never reveal.
It doesn’t matter how fast I’m “moving” or how well I “steer” if I’m on the wrong eff’in continent.
Steve often writes phoofy new-age mumbo jumbo stuff that I can’t even read. Why do I keep reading [you might ask]? Filter bubble. Perspective. Articles like this one which challenge the reader to wipe off the entire board and consider redrawing the plate tectonics.
ɕ
What does it mean to make movement more accessible and inclusive for everyone, regardless of background or athletic ability?
In this episode Cordelia Storm unpacks her thoughts about accessibility, the effects of a gym on a community, and her motivation for learning flips. She delves into her personal journey, as well as her relationship with competition. Cordelia mentions her documentary project, and finishes by tackling the concepts of gender, age, and representation in the parkour space.
In that moment I realized that my voice did matter. Now what? From then on, that just became a big passion— to have people love movement, love feeling their bodies, and like playing.
~ Cordelia Storm (30:55)
The conversation centers on the transformative power of parkour, not just as a physical discipline but as a tool for personal growth, inclusivity, and empowerment. Cordelia Storm shares her journey into parkour, starting from a background in theater and video games, and how the practice helped her overcome personal struggles, including bulimia. A large part of the discussion revolves around how parkour promotes accessibility and how Cordelia works to make movement available to a wider audience. She highlights how parkour shifted her relationship with her body, turning exercise from a punitive activity into a joyful and empowering experience.
Another key topic explored is the emotional impact of losing a community gym and how it challenged the parkour community to adapt and rebuild. Cordelia discusses the importance of outdoor classes and fostering micro-communities within them to maintain connection and continuity. The conversation also touches on gender representation in parkour, the evolving nature of competition, and the broader social and cultural implications of making movement inclusive. Cordelia’s passion for flips and overcoming fear is used as a metaphor for confronting personal barriers, showing how physical challenges in parkour mirror deeper internal struggles and victories.
Takeaways
Losing a community gym — The closure of Parkour Visions’ physical gym space profoundly affected the local community, forcing adaptations in teaching and community building.
Empowering coaches — Building smaller community hubs within classes strengthens the overall parkour community even in the absence of a central gym.
Flips as self-overcoming — Flips in parkour symbolize confronting personal fears and limitations, reflecting broader themes of self-growth and perseverance.
Movement for healing — Parkour provided Cordelia with a path to body acceptance and a healthier self-image after struggling with bulimia.
Representation in parkour — Having visible female athletes and coaches plays a crucial role in encouraging more women to participate in parkour.
The value of competition — Competitions offer opportunities for growth, but can initially feel intimidating and exclusionary, requiring a shift in mindset.
Accessible movement — Parkour needs to be reimagined beyond elite skills, making even basic movements relatable to those new to the discipline.
Emotional vulnerability — Parkour offers men and women spaces to explore vulnerability and overcome ego, fostering deeper emotional intelligence.
Resources
Parkour Visions — The gym and organization where Cordelia started parkour and continues to teach.
Art of Retreat — A parkour leadership gathering frequently referenced in the conversation.
Movement Creative — A community-focused parkour organization associated with Caitlin Pontrella.
APEX School of Movement — A parkour gym where Cordelia worked as head coach.
Vancouver Film School — The institution where Cordelia studied film before discovering parkour.
(Written with help from Chat-GPT.)
ɕ