According
to Edward Whitehead, The Movement Lab Collective owner, Parkour uses natural, free and effective movements to overcome obstacles. It
includes running, climbing, jumping, balancing, swinging, rolling and many
other movements that participants find most convenient for any situation.
“As a kid I was
fascinated with martial arts movies and video games,” Whitehead said. “I had an
innate desire to explore. I stumbled across some YouTube Parkour videos and
thought this is for real, it wasn’t movie magic. A switch in my head clicked
and I figured I could learn how to do it.”
At the age of 18,
Whitehead traveled to the French Alps to a town called Morzine with a group
called Parkour Generations for his first formal training in the movement. Since
then, he decided to make Parkour his career and opened The Movement Lab
Creative in the Windham Mall on Dec. 10.
The most challenging
aspect of opening a business to train participants in Parkour in Maine was
finding just the right facility, Whitehead said.
“We spent a lot of
time scouting locations as the specifications for Parkour are quite specific
and we needed adequate ceiling height,” he said. “We needed someplace easily
accessible and with good foot traffic. To find a space with all those boxes
checked was a huge challenge.”
Whitehead said he was
pleased to find a 6,000-foot facility with 20-foot ceilings in the Windham Mall
to open The Movement Lab Collective as one of the first Parkour training sites to
be established in Maine.
“It is close enough
to draw participants from Portland, Gray, Raymond, Oxford, and New Gloucester,”
Whitehead said. “Being able to reach a wider area helps out in that respect.”
He said the most
important thing he wants the community to know about Parkour is that anybody
can do it.
“It’s all about step-by-step
incremental progression of developing skill sets,” Whitehead said. “You can
take it as far as you want, and the sport is evolving.”
The best thing about Parkour
is that it’s fun, he said.
“You’re able to move
your body creatively and practically,” Whitehead said. “You develop a skill set
to whip you body into shape quickly.”
Whitehead said that in
Parkour, the world around you is perceived as a huge playground in which you
have to find new ways to move through your environment quickly and efficiently.
It is a full-body workout that improves your body awareness and coordination at
the same time.
The
movement now known as Parkour originated from a French military training method and evolved into a
sport that emphasizes smoothly overcoming obstacles within a participant's path
by adjusting the participant’s movements to the surroundings they encounter.
Setting up The Movement Lab Collective after finding the right
facility to locate it in took some time.
“It actually took about six weeks to build,” Whitehead said.
“What we set out to do is to create a space that is authentic to the Parkour
experience.”
With a staff of four, The Movement Lab Collective is now
taking booking for Parkour classes and options for membership. It is offering
an introductory promotion for the rest of December for just $50 for two classes
and open gym and Whitehead said anyone who signs up in January will receive a
15 percent discount. An array of other special pricing is also available.
The Movement Lab Collective can be found at 795 Roosevelt
Trail, Unit 14 inside the Windham Mall. It is open from 3 to 8 p.m. Monday,
Tuesday, and Thursday; noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday; noon to 6 p.m. Friday; and 1
to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. On weekends from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. birthday
celebrations and parties are available for bookings at the facility.
Call The Movement Lab Collective at 207-572-4000 to see for
yourself what Parkour is all about. Visit them online at www.movementlabcollective.com or find them on Facebook at The Movement Lab Collective. <
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