Parkour debuts as new sport at Utah Summer Games

Written by Jeff Richards
June 21, 2022

CEDAR CITY — The sport of parkour, which involves jumping, climbing or otherwise navigating one’s body across a series of physical obstacles, made its debut this year at the Larry H. Miller Utah Summer Games.

Parkour athletes compete in the sport’s debut at Utah Summer Games, Cedar City, Utah, June 18, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

Event organizer Terral Fox, owner of Origins Family Fitness in Cedar City, said he and his staff were excited to bring the sport to the Utah Summer Games for the first time, where it joins some 40 other sports and activities.

The competition was staged on Saturday inside the Origins Family Fitness facility, where numerous obstacles had been set up, along with chairs for audience members.

Approximately one dozen participants entered the competition, which featured three categories: speed, skill and freestyle.

“The speed competition requires participants to get from point A to point B, with a series of obstacles in between, as quickly as possible,” Fox said.

Then, during the skills division, competitors had three minutes to complete as many physical challenges as possible. 

Parkour athletes compete in the sport’s debut at Utah Summer Games, Cedar City, Utah, June 18, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

For example, one challenge involved making a toe shoot off a low bar and ending with a cat hang on a nearby box. Others involved moves with names like tick-tack, pylo, kong and tetris.

But even observers unfamiliar with the sport’s jargon were able to quickly understand the objectives as the competitors completed each task, essentially moving from one place to another as efficiently as possible.

In freestyle, competitors were allowed to create their own “line” and execute a series of moves to reach to the destination point. The competitors helped judge each other in that category, Fox said.

“They weren’t allowed to vote for themselves,” he said. “It actually worked out great. I was the tiebreaker vote.

“My favorite part of the competition was watching the athletes out there competing against each other, yet helping one another and cheering each other on. They all celebrated when any one of them succeeded in any part of the competition. The level of sportsmanship, community, athleticism and character at the event left me in awe!”

Event medalists were as follows:

Speed competition

Adult (ages 16 and up): 1. Eli Carling, 2. Benjamin Goddard, 3. Jacob Bush.

Youth (ages 10-15): 1. Nash Younkin, 2. Nathaniel Goddard, 3. Timothy Marrow.

Skills competition

Adult (16 and up): 1. Benjamin Goddard, 2. Joseph Fife, 3. Benjamin Monson.

Youth (10-15): 1. Timothy Marrow, 2. (tie) Ethan Arnold and Nash Youngkin, 3. Jesse Duncan.

Freestyle competition

Adult (16 and up): 1. Benjamin Monson, 2. Joseph Fife, 3. Benjamin Goddard.

Youth (10-15): 1. Ethan Arnold, 2. Timothy Marrow, 3. Nathaniel Goddard.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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