Introducing the Parkour Earth Board - Christopher Keighley (UK)

Who are you?

I’m Chris Keighley, 36, born and raised in London, UK.

How did you get into parkour?

I am what was once-upon-a-time called a Jump London noob. I watched the seminal documentary that introduced parkour to a wider audience in the UK back when it aired in 2003 and was inspired to try and replicate some of what I’d seen. I went out with my brother and a couple of friends over the next couple of months and started trying to move and play with obstacles.

How have you been involved in your national community?

I’m very grateful to have been around back then, because the emerging community was so small that everyone really knew each other, and every week people would make the trip to London for the regular jams, as well as meeting up with people at the PK Days that Urban Freeflow put on every few months. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to start coaching with who would become Parkour Generations back in 2007, and found my way into coach educating which not only helped me connect with the national community through my work with Parkour UK, but also internationally through the ADAPT certifications. Most recently I became a director of Parkour UK in addition to my tutoring role there.

Why are you invested in Parkour Earth?

Parkour has done an amazing job of self-organising itself but I’ve also seen the power that recognition and organisation can bring, especially in terms of spreading parkour, not just in greater numbers but in the diversity of the community and being able to allow more people to benefit from the life-skills and empowerment that I believe parkour can help one find.  

*Photos by Andy Day, used with permission.