OREM, Utah – A local athlete is headed to an international competition, and FOX 13 News’ Max Roth shows us how Calen Chan of Orem is taking parkour to new heights.
Chan teaches parkour at an extreme air sports gym in Provo.
“Parkour is the discipline of getting from point A to point B as efficiently as possible using obstacles, so in this class we teach vaulting and wall running and how to roll on the ground to absorb our impact,” Chan said.
Chan has been training as a professional parkour athlete for 4.5 years. He recently auditioned for the Red Bull Art of Motion Competition in Santorini, Greece.
Only a handful of athletes make the cut, and this week Chan found out he was in. Now he is preparing to join the best of the best in October.
“Even though it's a competition, the sport itself is non-competitive,” he said. “It's mostly all of us together competing against our fear and ourselves.”
Chan said he's grateful for everything he's learned from parkour
“I mostly do it right now because of the friendships that I make,” he said.
And for the chance to test his skills on a world-class stage.
“There’s nothing I really have to prove, but I will try my best, though, and see how far I can get,” he said.
Chan has had time for some more fun projects as well, and he recently appeared in a parkour video paying tribute to Pokemon Go.
