Parkour - Longford Local Sports Partnership
Parkour is the Urban Outdoor Adventure Initiative running in Longford. The initiative has grown from strength to strength since its establishment.
The aim of this programme is to increase awareness and participation in Parkour in Longford. Parkour / Freerunning / Art du Deplacement is the primarily non-competitive physical discipline of training to move freely over and through any terrain using only the abilities of the body, principally through running, jumping, climbing and quadrupedal movement. In practice it focuses on developing the fundamental attributes required for such movement, which include functional strength and fitness, balance, spatial awareness, agility, coordination, precision, control and creative vision.
The Attic Teen House in Longford, built in 2017 is home to Ireland's first Parkour Park. To date 600+ young people from throughout the county of Longford are now aware of Parkour and have taken part in a Parkour session. The local coaches and the young people who have taken part in Parkour are all now part of a Longford Parkour Community.
This year the highlight included;
- 612 participants in programmes
- 12 local coaches from Longford fully qualified as Level 1 Parkour coaches under Parkour UK, each of the coaches completed 6 sessions shadowing a level 2 coach, along with completing Safeguarding 1 and a Sports First Aid course. The coaches have spent 50+ hours of shadowing under Irelands only Level 2 Parkour Coach Paul Allen
- Programme launch in May
- Presentation to the meeting of the Urban Outdoor Adventure Initiative
- Dublin City University has done some research into the programme