Can you run up a wall, flip in the air, and land on your feet?
With enough core strength, confidence and instruction, it's possible. Just ask Michael Dario, who opened Toledo Parkour to introduce locals to the niche extreme sport.
Parkour is characterized by moving from one point to another, using obstacles along that path to increase one's efficiency, according to the World Freerunning Parkour Federation. Over the years, it's collided with its fellow sport freerunning, which adds a gymnastic flare.
"There's a difference between parkour and freerunning," Dario said. "Most people just jumble it together, but parkour is the art of moving from point A to point B in the most efficient way possible. Freerunning is going from A to B and expressing yourself. Just as a skateboarder would do a skateboard run and have judges critique execution, freerunning is judged like any other extreme sport."
Toledo Parkour is the area's only parkour gym. Dario, 33, said he opened his facility in May, 2018, to raise awareness and build interest in the related disciplines. The gym is at 720 Illinois Ave., Suite G, Maumee.
"Toledo Parkour started with just a bunch of guys that started doing parkour because of YouTube. We'd watch videos, jump around on stuff and go to a gymnastics center to train during the winter. We needed a gym, and here we are," he said, pointing to his facility.
Before opening his gym, he had trained for the sport for nearly seven years.
The gym is affiliated with the World Freerunning Parkour Federation and offers eight curriculum levels for ages 3 to 18. Dario said his services range from a basic knowledge of parkour and freerunning to training similar to calisthenics.
"Parkour is different than other sports because you not only have to be able to follow instructions and physically perform the move, but you have to break mental barriers to get your body to make a move first on a mat. Then, you must mentally be prepared to remove the mats and do everything on concrete once that's done. It's just something about doing all this that makes you stronger," Dario said.
Local traceurs — those who practice in parkour — said they enjoy the sport's flexibility.
Toledo Parkour Head Coach Caleb Craig, 19, said he loves the sport because it's action-filled. He got started when he was 14, and said it's a fun way to exercise.
"You decide how you do it. I get to come in here and decide what my workout looks like. I have the creativity," Craig said.
Fellow traceur Daniel Martin, 18, said the sport provides freedom of expression. He's been practicing since he was 15.
"Parkour is just a great way to express yourself. The Olympics are coming up, and if you watch snowboarding or skiing, you see people are getting from point A to point B in whatever they want. It's completely creative, and they can do anything they want. It's not like football where they have to do a certain play exactly how it's done. It's what America is about, freedom of doing whatever you want to do," Martin said.
Sessions at Toledo Parkour are open all year round. For more information or to register, visit toledoparkour.com.
First Published February 6, 2022, 3:00 p.m.
