P: Parkour

I've been patiently waiting this entire challenge to present to you the premise for my new novel. Parkour, the fastest growing extreme sport in the world, is a mix of urban gymnastics and free running. This French word, meaning course, route or journey, has its roots in French military combat training. Free running is similar to parkour, but the traceur or tracer (pronounced "tray-sir") runs while performing these stunts. The Amazing Spider-Man movies perform pakour and is one of the reasons why I am a huge fan of the new movies. Brick Mansions, the movie staring the late Paul Walker also stars David Belle, one of the founding fathers of parkour. Stephen Amell from the hit series Arrow trained with Tempest Freerunning Academy. Chris O'Donnell of NCIS:LA has also trained with Tempest (see video below).

People ask me all the time if I am a free runner. No, I am just a plain old-fashioned runner. I've been running for almost two decades and I think my knees need to be replaced:) Let me introduce my oldest son, S. Austin Hawes, who was the inspiration behind my novel. One day the university baseball players were playing ball at the minor league stadium in town. My hubby is in charge of these games when he's in his off season of coaching. I watched in horror as my teenage ninja-son climbed the backside of the stadium, leaped in a single bound and jumped on top of the concession stand. After executing a flawless flip and regaining his position on solid ground, I asked him,

Climbing to the top of Devil's Lake WI with a broken arm.

"What on earth are you doing?"
"Parkour, Mom."
Duh, like I was supposed to know. He took out his iPhone and showed me the website for Tempest Freerunning Academy in L.A. I was hooked. That summer I witnessed my son performing flips, twists and turns and death-defying stunts. However, his parkour performing days came to an abrupt end. The first night of wrestling camp he broke his arm, badly. His extensive surgery left him fitted with enough metal to set off an airport security alarm--from our house. (Two metal plates and thirteen screws!) But with many prayers and much persistence, he returned to sports four months later to make it all the way to the Missouri State High School Wrestling tourney.

Driver's license!

Have you ever heard of parkour or free running? Have you ever tried performing parkour? (The vault is the easiest move to learn and I'm sure we've all done one before.) Do you have crazy kids that inspire your writing? I bet you can't guess what sport my hubby coaches?

(Photo credits: First one belongs to me and is copyrighted. The other two are not copyrighted and are found on my Instagram.)
#atozchallenge #amwriting #parkour #freerunning

Here is the synopsis for my novel, Free Runner:

Fourteen-year-old Cam White lives the perfect SoCal dream surrounded by endless surf and sunshine. He discovers Tempest Freerunning Academy in L.A. and trains with an elite group of free runners. When his father lands the photography dream job of a lifetime, Cam finds himself landlocked in the middle of England.
His dad dumps him on the doorstep of Oxford's Prestige Academy where he learns how to wear a tie and talk to a girl for the first time in his life. His disregard for the rules places him at the top of the headmaster's naughty list. But she's the least of his worries. A few weeks before opening night of his father's photography exhibit at the National Gallery, his dad disappears. Cam secures a small package in his West End apartment but is unaware the contents could kill him.
He and his new friends must decipher a set of clues as they race through the streets of London, dodging bullets and bad guys. Cam uncovers a web of deception and fears the package may cost him his life. The ultimate trap has been set in motion long before Cam's existence. Will he take the bait? The one person who can face the danger zone--and live to tell about it--is the Free Runner.

Chris O'Donnell NCIS:LA and Victor Lopez Tempest Freerunning

  

Another great video featuring
Jesse La Flair Tempest Freerunning Coach