2023 West Coast Parkour Championship Qualifier At Freedom In Motion Gym Riverside California

Freedom In Motion Gym Riverside California, hosted the West Coast Parkour Championship Qualifier this last Memorial Day weekend, packing the brand new facilities with competitive parkour athletes and eager spectators. It was a fun filled weekend of competition that included a freestyle events, speed challenge and skills competition. Saturday was the junior competition, with athletes ranging from (7-12) years of age, while Sunday was meant for the teens and adult competitors, ranging from 13 years of age to adults. Many parkour gyms up and down the west coast have been competing since early January and accumulating points in each event category with hopes to making it into the final round being held at Firestorm gym in Moreno Valley California.

Speed Challenge Event

Each gym hosting a WCPKC qualifier is responsible for the design, implementation and maintenance of courses to which each athlete performs. The speed courses, like all other challenges, are created by professional parkour athletes to ensure the competitors have some levels of difficulty making it from one end of the course to their final marker. The objective in the speed challenge is to complete the obstacle course with the fastest time. Each competitor must touch a series of flagged markers throughout the course, using their hands, feet or different parts of the body. Competitors are given a small amount of time to observe and practice their runs before the event as each course is newly designed and filled with difficulty. The athletes have to use their parkour skills and ingenuity to craft the ideal path that allows them to hit every marker and make it through the course with the fastest time. In this specific course (above) we see FIM competitor (Amy Dominguez) with her foot on the marker ready to attack her run.

Skills Challenge Event

The skill challenge event tests each parkour athlete in many different categories. It challenges their strength, balance, coordination and all around athletic ninja-like ability. For this recent FIM skills event there were a few different stations, each station having 5 levels to pass. Most of these skill challenges are meant to increase in difficulty as you advance and level-up. Some challenges are only reserved for the best parkour athletes, so to reach or attack and conquer a level 5 skill challenge is a great accomplishment that takes years of hard work and practice. One adult skill challenge at FIM Sunday that nobody could tackle was a level 5 bar-hop pre with a one time 15ft. swing to the wall at station #2. The objective was to jump from the top of a 11ft. high ledge onto a bar positioned 8 feet away and 8 feet high, balancing your body just enough to make one giant swing and catch/hang on a wall 15ft away. Many competitors reached the 4th level in this challenge but failed to even attempt the level 5 challenge. With all competitive challenges parkour athletes have developed an almost 6th sense to know their limitations and their abilities. These almost impossible challenges are created by athletes for athletes, allowing them room to grow and keep them on their toes.

(Level 5 challenge Attempt)

(Level 5 Challenge 2nd segment)

Freestyle Event

The freestyle event is one of the most popular challenges of the competition. All competing athletes, spectators and coaches sit down to watch the creative dance mixed with high level skills being performed across all of the gym. Most, if not all the floor space and parkour equipment can becomes part of an athletes routine and freestyle.

Since the competitors don't get a chance to see or practice on the newly designed courses prior to competition day, their routine is usually developed minutes before they are scheduled to perform, if not right on the spot. Using nothing but their honed skills and movements, an athletes ability to connect artistic dance moves with high point-valued tricks on all obstacles, is almost something magical to observe. Judges base their scoring on a point system which includes highly-skilled tricks performed on tough course designs, along with an athletes creative ability to make the routine flow naturally and smooth. A competitor mixing and matching dance and skilled moves gets the crowd involved which also adds an element that can turn into a high scoring run! In this tight knit competition where the stakes are high, we must always remember that the parkour movement is all about community, family, growth and fun! There is never a routine too outlandish or tricks that are too simplistic for a competitor to use in their freestyle. The FIM/parkour community objective at the end of the day is creativity and inspiration to get people moving again!

FIM Qualified Finalist (Athletes & Events)

(Athletes placing top 50% of any qualifier or event advance)

Congratulations to all the FIM competitors and Parkour athletes. Wishing you the best of luck in the finals!

Are you interested in joining the movements and getting involved in parkour? Follow, Like and Share. More FIM news, photos, videos & WCPKC competition results, coming soon! Click the button below to visit our new Riverside gym or visit a Freedom In Motion Gym near you! If you're looking to learn some parkour move on the side, check out these video tutorials to get started. Join the movement and Free Yourself!

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