In New York City, as a Tracuer, there is much to look forward to in this giant city we call home. There's such a big community. Something of most recent years that has been going on here in NYC more frequently are the community jams that happen weekly on every single Saturday.
Often we are lucky to have a new setting for training, one abnormal to the normal scene of the majority of the Tracuers living in the inner city. Coney Island is that setting! For the last few years organized events have occurred at Coney Island as regular jams a few times in the Spring and Fall, with an international event in the Summer. This is all thanks to Underworld Movement in collaboration with Bullet Run (and Movement Creative). The man behind these Coney Island Jams is no one other than Christopher "Falco" Glover.
Falco has been a member of the Parkour community for 7 years now and has come a long way from his 2 man group called Underworld Movement. As of today, his group is represented by a body of 12 people who work hard and do their thing. During an interview with the Editor Commander in Chief, Exo, Falco talked on the community jams none other than the ones happening at Coney Island. When asked, what pushed him to actually start the jams that we know as these Coney Island Jams today, he answer that a couple of peers that passed away pushed him. They had made him realize his dreams while they were alive and he wouldn't let the courage to start up the jams go with their passing. With this courage he also promises a gym in the Brooklyn area with five years suggesting that he has his own Five Year Plan, which involves the creation of a Parkour gym, and the expansion of Underworld Movement.
Having taken a look at the history of Underworld Movement from the perspective of Falco, he reminded us of his original duo with Kareem "Reaper" Smith. This duo would grow to be much more than their original "just meet up" crew that would only train occasionally. Falco humbly spoke that Reaper was the very person who motivated him to work daily, condition daily, and train daily. They together, even came up with an important aspect of their team which are known as weekly assignments. These assignments consist of challenges that better their skills as Parkour athletes and are still used with the members today.
Falco when asked, what he looks for in the members of his team he expressed the importance of dedication and loyalty. That's really import to him since one day he hopes to pass down the torch to a lucky member of his group in hopes of the future expansion of Underworld Movement. Loyalty must be especially important to him because there's something special about Underworld Movement, and that's the creation of Wildstyle Movement. At Underworld, they take a very different approach to the art we know as Parkour by using a different form they created on their own.
Wildstyle Movement differs from Parkour in that, that Falco considers running the better of the third of skills necessary to perform adequately at Parkour out of running , jumping, and climbing, but he uses the climbing more. With this he urges that being more leveled to the ground or transitioning to all fours is what makes Wildstyle, Wildstyle.
In Parkour, competition is the very thing that drives most of the athletes to push themselves to do better but Falco had a different opinion. He expressed that he was all for competitions but he has this discomfort for them, saying "The world wants to see a number one and a number two and I don't like it..". He only thinks its will get the word out about Underworld Movement if the team participated in the events. Underworld Movement is also lucky enough to have much support and feedback to their team through the organizations they are connected with.
Underworld Movement for some time has gained the support of The Park's Department and NYPD. Something really vital in the works of their team is that they are fortunate enough to be able to teach basic Parkour, like we do here at NYParkour! They just have a bigger opportunity being that they get to teach at the NYPD's Explorers Program. This opportunity allows them to form and collaborate with boot camps and after-school programs to initiate 6 week classes. Following the 6 weeks there's usually a performance that's very successful and entertaining.
Falco is the man who's always preparing for the best and pushing forward regardless of his situations. With the success coming his way, the way he wants and deserves it, we asked him what the future of the Coney Island Jam would be to him. He responded "I just want Coney Island to be noticed." and coming with that he acknowledged the past of violence in the area. He just wants it to not be considered dangerous or a place where you struggle to survive, but a place of learning.
We look forward to the last Coney Island Jam of 2016 coming to us Nov. 19!
