One FoR All, All FoR One
My husband and I tried all the conventional avenues for getting our boys to meet other kids, engage in some physical activity and develop confidence. After several seasons of many different sports and other activities, we came to realize that, like so many kids these days it seems, our sons simply did not fall in love with any of the more traditional avocations. Two summers ago however, our sons came to us excitedly and insisted that we watch several “unbelievable” YouTube videos they had come across in their web-surfing adventures. Parkour? Never heard of it, we thought.
On vacation in Seattle, we happened upon Parkour Visions that was coincidentally having a summer camp the week we were visiting, and the boys attended camp. After we returned home, they soon were taking lessons from well-known parkour pillars like King David and Shane Daniels. Shortly after that, Shane told us about a new facility, Tempest Freerunning Academy, with parkour experts of international repute was to open a mere 20 minutes from our home. Needless to say, for the first time in our sons’ lives, there was a sport that had in many ways become not only an important part of their lives, but a way of life for both of them.
My husband and I have regularly spent four to five days a week at Tempest or with its coaches in other locations throughout the L.A. area training, dining, visiting, and quite simply, becoming a large and engaging extended family. Our sons were so thrilled with the fraternity they saw in Team Tempest that within about a year they determined to unite several of their new found friends and fellow freerunning Tempest devotees and form their own parkour team, Freedom of Reach. FoR has been going and growing stronger and developing its skill set and brotherhood ever since.
Throughout the entire time we have been members at Tempest and continuing still, the family spirit, clean-cut attitude and self-confidence and personal growth of the Tempest faithful have continued to soar. Our boys, and countless others, have unquestionably developed in many positive ways we could never have anticipated or hoped for in great part to their burgeoning love and dedication to parkour in general and Tempest in particular. Our family has grown in size, but tightened in closeness and sharing of hopes and dreams for the future as a result, and we strongly encourage all parents to expose their families to the family -riendly and open-armed parkour family. All truly are welcomed to join.
