18 - Caitlin Pontrella - Parkour: much more than backflips and jumping off high stuff

09/15/20 • 44 min

Today we dig into Parkour. I started training nearly 7 years ago with Parkour Visions, an organization here in Seattle. Since then PKV (as we abbreviate their name) has shifted from running a gym to focusing on bringing parkour to new communities, particularly undeserved schools in the Seattle area. I'm joined today by their outgoing Executive Director, Caitlin Pontrella. Caitlin talks about how she defines parkour, how it differs from other athletic pursuits and the current state of organized kids' sports in America and how parkour stands apart. We spend a lot of time talking about privilege and how it relates to movement/athletics as well as we're both on our own journeys learning about that topic.

This is a good intro discussion if you're looking to learn more about parkour. Here are some other resources and items we talked about during our chat:

Parkour Visions' online classes and YouTube channel.

Breaking the Jump by Julie Angel - a book about parkour's founding and history.

A study by the Aspen Institute called "State of Play", looking at the current state of childrens' organized sports.

This is a good intro discussion if you're looking to learn more about parkour. Here are some other resources and items we talked about during our chat:

Parkour Visions' online classes and YouTube channel.

Breaking the Jump by Julie Angel - a book about parkour's founding and history.

A study by the Aspen Institute called "State of Play", looking at the current state of childrens' organized sports.

Previous Episode

17 - Dad Roundtable - What should we do about school in a pandemic?

I've been meaning to bring on a group of dads I respect for a roundtable discussion for quite some time. The dads in our neighborhood have been weighing what to do about school in the fall (All week in-person? Hybrid? Virtual?) so we thought a fun, honest and respectful discussion on the topic could be helpful to other parents. All 4 of us come at this question from different perspectives and (spoiler alert!) we don't answer the question of "what's the best choice for education during a plague?" but...we took a swing at it.

I hope all of you are doing OK (physically and mentally). If you ever want to talk (not for the podcast, just about what you're going through) please hit me up at [email protected]. I'd love to catch up and hear what's on your mind. It's good to get this stuff out guys and I'd love to talk with you about it.

Next Episode

God Girls Podcast - preview and interview

Hi everyone! Just a quick one for you today to tell you about God Girls Podcast, a new show by my daughter Sadie (11) and my niece Rachel (12). They wanted to make a show about their faith and other things on the minds of young women. They did it all on their own (OK, I'm helping with the boring button-pushing stuff but the content is all theirs). I'm excited to share a little chat I did with them about the show.

You can find them on your favorite podcast platform by searching "God Girls Podcast" or you can click one of the links below:

Also, I mentioned Simple Ideas Apparel, my new clothing company. We help small organizations create and sell merchandise to help them raise funds and build fans. You can find God Girls merchandise there along with gear from other organizations and companies. Including a nice Hopefully Somebody Knows long-sleeve logo shirt!

Finally, more to come here at Hopefully Somebody Knows, we have some ideas brewing for next year. Have a great rest of 2022, we'll talk to you soon!