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I have seen this community grow and fall over the 5 years that I have been training here in Texas, last 5 years of putting on workshops, the last 5 years of trying to bring communities together.
I have seen Texas Parkour be a central hub for many communities over the last 5 years.
-El Paso
-Fredericksberg
-Waco
-College Station
-Taylor
-Amarillo
-San Angelo
-countless inner city movements
It Started with
-San Antonio
Then moved to
-Austin
Then from there, who knows how many times cities fell and were re-grown.
-Houston
-Dallas
-Fort Worth
-Denton
The fact of the matter is there are cities that revolve around a central leaders...always. It doesn't matter what kind of devotion you have in a city it can fall on the shoulders of one person. This has been the truth for Texas communities every year. They are teachers and confidants, inciters and organizers
Parkour in Texas is growing. It always has grown but when I started Parkour there were many reluctant phrases that we spoke to state what we did. ''Skateboarding without a skateboard'' ''what Jackie Chan does without the kicking and punching'' These days all you have to say is Parkour and Free Running and people have a pretty good 'yet misguided' idea of what your talking about. Thank you Media you help strength and oppose what we do at all times.
Each city is growing and with that, I see growing away from a Non-Profit idea of Texas Parkour. We use to be a group of traceurs that would travel every weekend, if you hadn’t seen them on the forums or in person...they didn't train hehe. With Parkour growing, that is just not capable anymore.
I always wanted communities to be apart of a teaching community like Texas Parkour not just belong to a “City” which often values only the people you can see. I always wanted the recognition of a huge community driven by each other. Those city leaders would be apart of making not just their city grow, not just showing up to training out of convenience, not just monkey see monkey do, not just huddled in their community. I wanted community leaders to plan jams and workshops and feed off each other on a weekly basis. I would love to see individuals rise up on a community level and hold themselves responsible for the training that is happening in their city and trying to change training in all of Texas not just the 5, 6 or 10 friends they train with. Some of these things happened for a time. Of course I am talking about something bigger, the idea of a community and not just a team. I feel we are moving to a Team or “City” plan. Not working with the rest of the cities. I do see relationships with individuals across communities but many don't have the personal relation with different communities. One thing I never wanted to see was elitism when communities pushed into their own sect. Almost team against team.
With Texas Parkour its always been my goal to have every major city is texas be represented by someone myself and the community seems suitable to teach and represent the true philosophies of Parkour. I wanted there to be at least, one free training in that city. I wanted there to be a direct line of communication with all leaders in the community. We need volunteers with that. Even though these people are volunteers they still have a responsibility to their community. Leaders come and go, leave a city with a bad taste but Texas Parkour's leadership always took that on our shoulders. People move on of course, but leaders have choose to leave a community scene or responsibility without even letting the community or Texas Parkour know. Its curtesy of course to let the community/organization you represent know. It is also your responsibility to not falsely use the community or organization to receive gains, esp using the name of Texas Parkour’s and reputation without having the legal documentation stating that fact.
I see a push from current leaders to not be involved with Texas Parkour as an organization but as a website. I always felt it to be more then that. We had articles of the month, video of the month and workouts of the month until of course the balls were dropped, over and over again. The reason I started the Non-Profit was so I could stay in contact with leaders and feed information to them, so I could bring legitimacy to the organization and to help people be behind and idea and a movement. I feel this movement goes beyond just meeting up with people and training. This movement is a responsibility that Traceurs have to their community, lives and the people who train. We all represent something bigger then us, a grown art and discipline. We should feel so proud as to be on the ground floor of this movement and have a voice deciding to keep Parkour what it was created for, to help others learn and to keep people safe.
Texas Parkour is a Non-Profit and we have to have certain guidelines like any other Non-Profit. Volunteer agreements, regulations, and expectations. Unfortunately some city leaders are pushing away from being official leaders under Texas Parkour.
I understand why, how this can happen. Should Texas Parkour step back to merely a website? Not a presents that communities can use and get behind? Can I not post official trainings of Texas Parkour? I have to stand behind the people I recommend on the site? As a Non-Profit how can Texas Parkour be taken advantage of by people acting in our name but not signing an agreement for us to back them? Trust me Texas Parkour's name has entered into quite a few court rooms and justice of the peace and city hall meetings. I feel like I can’t stand here on the fence to be walking into another argument about this. There are resources that are currently being exploited without any recognition for Texas Parkour. I feel like that is a community not giving back. Texas Parkour has been there for many of you, probably all of you that are reading this post.
Texas Parkour gives. The organization wishes for more and hopes for more but when it’s exploited, it’s not the nicest thing someone can do.
Actions we have to take:
-We can not post Texas Parkour (training, leaders or contacts) of areas without Volunteer Agreements. *Forums, however, are perceived as common grounds for information and we will not deny the ability to post unofficial training times in these areas. However, we cannot recommend (emails, phone calls) training in good faith without Volunteer Agreements signed by persons on behalf of the community.
-Rules and regulations in forums
-More simple rules for our safety to come
With the Non-Profit we have a very good secretary a lawyer and myself. Who else has time to be on the board? Takers? Who has the time to commit to being on the board? Commitment is what we lack most of the time in this community. There is a lack of commitment to responsibility. Texas Parkour can no longer ber stuck with leaders acting on behalf of Texas Parkour and not representing Texas Parkour. What is a Texas Parkour leader anymore? Officially we have none. Is Texas Parkour destined to just become a website? Should I post up advertisements all over it, which I have refrained to do? Will our leaders become official or will we have to out of legal reasons stop sponsoring free trainings, workshops etc?
Ultimately I would like to see leaders again in our cities that are concentrated on using the resources of Texas Parkour Experience, Persons, Non-Profit, to make their city run smooth, worry free and full of safety, teaching and pushing toward good knowledge.
Texas Parkour has some new things on the horizon and what we are left to do is work with what we have, we always have. I invite anyone with great skills and knowledge to join the Non-Profit and to find a way to give as we find a way to give back. Over the summer you will see more programs starting camps, workshops, classes and even cooking classes. These things will come with the people that can get behind the effort. The people that choose to make a difference. I love my community and I am open to train and work with anyone! Thank you.
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(they can do somewhat of a PK roll that I've taught them). I was also thinking about starting a parkour club once I get into high school.
