Orem teen a finalist in Red Bull parkour competition

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OREM — Calen Chan has been practicing parkour and freerunning since he was 8 years old.

Parkour is an activity were participants move rapidly through an urban environment while running off walls, jumping off heights, climbing and vaulting over objects as efficiently as possible. Freerunning, which is more what Chan focuses on now, is an extension of parkour. It has all the flips and twists, but focuses less on efficiency and more on how creatively one can travel through an environment.

“It’s more about self expression,” Chan said. “You can’t have freerunning without parkour.”

On July 19, Chan and six other contestants were chosen to participate in the Red Bull Art of Motion freerunning competition. The seven contestants were chosen from a field of 150 athletes and will be joined in Santorini, Greece, by six finalists from last year’s competition.

“The sport itself is not competitive so its much different than the Olympics or X Games,” Chan said. “People don’t just train just to win it. It’s more of an opportunity for freerunners around the world to get together and showcase skills and abilities.”

Chan was chosen for the competition through a submission video showcasing his best moves.

“The video took us a few weeks to a month to make,” Chan said. “A lot of the things that I did were newer things that I hadn’t trained outside before. We would film one or two clips a day and then rest for a couple of days to make sure I wouldn’t get injured. It was a long process.”

Chan wants to perform well in the competition, but getting to Greece was his main goal.

“Qualifying was much more important to me than how well I do when I get there,” Chan said. ‘I want to do my best, but it's not about winning it for me. It’s about making connections and meeting people I’ve always looked up to.”

The athletes chosen for the world-wide competition were announced through the event’s Facebook on a live stream. Chan watched the announcement from home with family and friends.

“Once it actually happened, it was so amazing,” Chan said. “I immediately got emotional.”

Chan trains an average of nine hours a week. He refines his technique by going to a gym consistently and doing moves repeatedly. He follows a process when learning new moves and making sure it‘s in a safe environment. The process starts with landing the move on his feet in a foam pit. Once that is accomplished, he lands the move on a pad, and then on a spring floor.

“When I take it outside, my body automatically knows what to do in that situation,” Chan said. “People see us doing crazy things like jumping off rooftops or doing double back flips. They get scared and say ‘I’ll never be able to do that, they‘re fearless.’ They don’t see all the progression that goes behind every move.”

Even with all the precautions, Chan has suffered a few injuries.

“The few times that I’ve gotten hurt I was going for things I shouldn’t have," he said. "As long as we check our surfaces and progress safely, injuries are unlikely.”

There are currently no major competitions in Utah, but the parkour and freerunning scene is growing, according to Chan.

“Recently the community has gotten a lot bigger," he said. "Every year, more and more people come out to events. We’ve had a few just all-around movement events where more than 100 people have showed up.”

Chan had a message for kids or any athlete who wanted to start parkour or freerunning.

“Look for parkour classes in your area," he said. "Look up tutorials online on how to start parkour safely. Be inspired and creative with how you learn."

Carlos is a student at Utah Valley University and currently works as a news writing intern for KSL.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @Car1osBaquerizo or email him at carlosbaquerizo@ymail.com.