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Reflection #1 WHY?
Everyday I wake up and find myself asking questions such as what could I do better? What do I need to work on? How can I improve this technique? What new thing should I try? While I keep myself busy searching for ways to answer to these questions, I have never really truly asked myself why do I do what I do.
To give some background on myself, I am Wil Spencer and I am a freerunner/tricker from Iowa in the United States. I am 20 years old and currently am a junior at Iowa State University studying marketing, (even though I spend more time studying and training pkfr….). During the first week of my freshman year, I discovered that there was a parkour club here and I got involved, but now it is more of an underground team (Team Impulse), which is a long story for another day.
So the answers to the initial questions in this piece are pretty easily answered, discipline, drill, keep practicing, have fun and use the creative side, etc. However, I’ve been reflecting on the last question for some time, and hope to get some clarity in the process of writing.
Initially, I learned about “parkour” through the Internet videos. I always thought if I could just do that flip or jump or whatever, then I would be set, as that was my initial motivator. That quickly changed after my first real parkour training session and I learned what parkour truly is. Even though the training was rigorous, and what now seems to be simple vaults and movements seemed so difficult, I was completely hooked. I found myself to have a lot of fear in the beginning, even on simple jumps, just because I did not know myself, or my limits, but that fear kept me hooked, always wanting to get it, push myself further. It still keeps me hooked today. So therein may be one of the answers to why I do what I do, It helps me to know myself. In the discovery of self, only then can one really push their limits, not just in the context of the sport, but also in anything in life.
Within a couple months I began practicing flips and the things I once thought if I knew how to do (like wallflips) then I would be set. I found this to be quite contrary to my beliefs. Once I landed a flip, I would immediately deliberate on how to make it better, what else I could do, how I could use it in a flow of movement. That is the beauty of free movement, you never stop learning, and the endless options for it are just beginning to be discovered. I must also mention the feeling; the weightlessness with a clear mind, your heart races and your adrenaline pumps, its almost like a drug, and it has me addicted. The Feeling and the infinite creative things that can be done, and haven’t yet been discovered are another answer. It’s like an endless puzzle in which the pieces are all there, its up to you to find ways use them.
In practicing this sport, I have met some awesome people. Some teammates, some, just people who have given me advice over the internet, all friends. It is evident that the communities within these disciplines are almost like family, all willing to lend a hand. I hope someday to meet and train with everyone I can, and I wish everyone an awesome year and safe training for 2010!!
So in conclusion, I may never know all the answers to the question, but I do know this for certain: I will always be discovering, practicing, and learning in some manner. I will make the best out of all the blessings I have been given, and I will do my best to aspire everyday to push my limits, inspire, and just simply be free in everything I do.
-Wil Spencer
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