Parkour, a rising underground sport, has come to Gunn. Defined as the art of moving, parkour consists of a series of flips and tricks while running in a straight line and avoiding obstacles. “Fearlessness and physical strength are both big factors in being in parkour,” sophomore Chrystal Chern said. “However, these skills can also be acquired through parkour if you try hard.”

Gunn’s parkour group, named RUSoft, was formed in early 2008 but did not become official until this summer. Sophomores Michael Chow and Jack Kwan started by just “messing around,” but this year they decided to take it to a whole new level. “We were always trying to outdo each other and doing crazy stuff together,” sophomore Vincent Yang said. “We started bringing in more people and did some moves. That’s how it basically started.” Some of their stunts and tricks are featured on Facebook or Youtube.

The group is made of many skilled students who each have their own talents, according to Yang. “We all have different strengths and weaknesses,” Chern said. According to Chern, having a background in sports can help ease the transition into parkour. Chern is a nationally ranked gymnast and many of the other members in the group have some sort of experience in sports, such as badminton, ice-skating and tennis.

According to Kwan, parkour is more than just flashy flips—it helps keep the body and mind healthy. Parkour movements exercise the whole body and build muscle all over the body and the core. Not only does it keep a person fit, it can strengthen a person’s mental abilities, too. “[Parkour] has helped me gain a lot more confidence compared to before and has definitely made me feel less fearful,” freshman Leo Yamauchi said. “Practices are usually one or two hours [every day] after school, and even if I’m super tired or had a bad day, parkour helps me release stress and lets me focus.”

This underground sport isn’t easy to do, and many of the moves require a lot of bravery. “Some of the members of RUSoft are really hard core when it comes to parkour and show no fear, but I sometimes get too scared to try to repeat [their moves],” Yamauchi said. Most members agree that fear is the only obstacle standing between them and a successful flip. “I think my biggest weakness is when I’m discouraged from not being able to get a skill right away,” Chern said. However, fear is also one of the main incentives behind this group. “Our biggest motivation from since we began, up until now is still fear,” Kwan said. “You just want to get better every single second and be able to overcome that fear.” The whole group puts in much dedication and time into parkour to improve.

According to Yang, the members are here to prove their worth and show that they aren’t just some flexible kids. “I do parkour and because it feels great to succeed in something after trying your best to achieve it,” he said. “Besides, not many people can do these [stunts] and it looks super amazing. People kind of respect you when you can do stuff like that.” According to Yang, one of the hardest and most dangerous moves to do is a back flip, especially from a structure that is over five or six feet high. “Back flips are one of the few things that I can’t do in parkour,” he added. “I sometimes don’t know what’s going to happen and it feels like I’m going to break my neck or something while flipping.”

RUSoft is a very dedicated group that gives much support and encouragement to each member. “All of them are my friends and it’s just like hanging out and having fun when we do parkour,” Chern said. According to Yang, doing flips and stunts together and succeeding at them also encourages everyone in the group. “Without each other, I believe this group would not be half as amazing as it is now.”

RUSoft has welcomed some freshmen and proceeded to teach them some tricks. The group is made of mostly underclassmen, but the sophomore members still have over two or three years of experience to share. “The sophomore members of RUSoft are super encouraging and they actually give me some points on the stunts too,” Yamauchi said. “This group and parkour itself has helped me travel fast like Superman.”