VCU Parkour President Casey Boatwright keeps his mind free of distraction as he leaps, jumps, vaults and rolls past the barriers that stand in his way. His years of Taekwondo and Parkour training have resulted in the composure and self-assurance necessary to conquer even the most daunting tasks. For Boatwright and the Parkour club there is no problem too big to overcome.

However, Boatwright and the Parkour club are now facing a different set of challenges. After nearly four years as an official VCU student organization, the club has decided to sever ties with the university.

“We want to build a bigger Parkour community outside of just the college level,” said Boatwright, a 22-year-old criminal justice major. “ We want to do our best to carry Parkour even further.”

Boatwright said the group is working to reach this goal by founding Pillar Parkour, a non-profit organization meant to expand the Parkour community in Richmond. Boatwright also says the group aims to debunk common misconceptions labeling Parkour as a dangerous activity.

Boatwright defines Parkour as a rapidly evolving discipline developed by David Belle in the late 1980’s where practitioners, or traceurs, strive to move from point A to point B using only the obstacles in their path to increase their efficiency.

Boatwright started practicing Parkour after watching videos of it on the Internet. The Powhatan native created the VCU Parkour club in January of 2010.

Boatwright says Parkour is a discipline rooted in philosophy focused on self-improvement rather than competition. Through training, traceurs gain unmatched control over the human body, and the confidence to overcome challenges.

Pillar Parkour members said the decision to separate from the university was aided by several incidents with VCU staff, but is ultimately a matter of business

VCU Police spokesperson Michael Kelly says no officers’ recall interacting with members of the Parkour Club.

“While we try to be as supportive as possible of students pursuing activities that interest them, some activities may not be permitted because of risk to participants or those passing by,” Kelly said.

“We don’t want to lose our college connection,” Boatwright said. “…But we’re trying to reach out to the whole Richmond community because this is our home.”

“What we’re really trying to do is put our own brand of Parkour out there,” Boatwright said. “We want to encourage people to be solid, strong athletes and have fun doing it.”

Boatwright says parting from VCU will give the organization the opportunity to work with the city to make new parks for practicing Parkour, and acquire mobile training services where people can try Parkour for themselves.

Boatwright said the organization plans to absorb all 30 VCU Parkour club members. Members and anyone interested in practicing Parkour will join as a part of the Pillar brand.

According to Boatwright, you don’t have to necessarily have a strong athletic background in order to practice Parkour. He said members can significantly improve their skill by simply trying.

“If you show up and try, you will get better,” Boatwright said. “We can never get upset as long as you try.”

If you’re looking for a new way to play, grow and get stronger, Pillar Parkour may be the organization for you.

“Everyone should try Parkour,” Boatwright said. “Once you find out what you’re capable of it opens up a whole new world.”