Maybe you’ve heard of parkour, watched a clip online or recall that iconic scene from popular TV sitcom The Office. Well, now you can try the sport yourself at Epic! Gym in Port Hope, Ont.
One of three gym owners, Cassandra McColl, said the gym opened in 2020, offering gymnastics and dance. Now, they’ve expanded to include parkour and martial arts.
“Parkour is a way of moving from point A to point B as effectively and efficiently as possible, but of course you can add in some flare as well,” she said.
“It is just a big playground — everything you could want, play with, swing on, climb. We have a warped wall you can run up, we have a fire pole you can slide down, it’s a playground where you can learn to explore your environment, explore your own limits and have some fun.”
Since opening, McColl said they have seen a lot of interest from the public.
“It has been mind-blowing,” she said. “The response has been fantastic, we have people coming from an hour and a half away to be here. It is pretty incredible.”
Malcolm McColl heads up the parkour lessons and training, offering help and guidance on how to navigate the obstacles. He describes himself as a movement enthusiast.
“I am a passionate mover,” he said. “I want to get myself off the couch, but even more than that, I want to see other people put their phones down, their devices down and move.”
He said he became interested in the activity through gymnastics but likes the free-flow aspect of parkour.
“I always start with the basics, work on balance and landing so we are strong and stable and then build up and up and up.”
Cassandra McColl said they are hoping to expand their parkour offerings and explore competitions in future. She said parkour has also recently been adopted into the International Gymnastics Federation, so they are looking forward to combining their gymnastics programs and background into the growing sport.
“I’m interested to see where that takes the sport,” she said. “It is nice to be on the cutting edge of another gymnastics discipline.”