For University students who find the rails and inclines around campus to be more than just ornamentation – for those who see the world around them as obstacles to overcome – Parkour at UGA could be the answer.

But what is parkour?

“[It] is basically the practice of going from one point to another point as quickly and efficiently as possible” said Jimmy Hansen, Parkour at UGA sponsor, in a telephone interview Thursday.

Parkour involves running, jumping and climbing, as well as other more complex techniques. Group members, also called “PK Dawgs,” said the goal of parkour is to adapt body movement to any given obstacle.

“Honestly, I was watching Casino Royale one day and I saw the chase scene at the beginning of it, and it looked like a lot of fun, so I started looking at a lot of stuff on the Internet,” said Chris O’Neil, who has been practicing parkour for more than two years.

Unlike many other sports, parkour is considered a non-competitive event. Parkour gatherings – such as the “Jam of the Century 2,” which Parkour at UGA will be hosting Oct. 31 through Nov. 1 – are meant to facilitate friendships between members from different areas of the state.

“It’s a cooperative sport,” Hansen said. “I know some people are commercializing it a bit, but me and my group, we generally believe in cooperation, not competition.”

There are also multiple parkour organizations such as Overfluxand American Parkour.

“Just going outside and moving around is really fun,” Hansen said. “Kids do it all the time, squirrels do it.”

But some see parkour more as a solution to everyday obstacles.

“If there’s a crowd of people and the stairs are closed, you can just climb the wall,” said John Lubeski, who has been practicing parkour for two and a half years.

“I really have to say [my favorite thing is] the sense of freedom that we get,” O’Neil said. “And knowing that any obstacle that we do, we can find a variety of ways to overcome. And that can be in our environments, or in our personal lives.”

O’Neil said parkour has been a way to return to nature. He enjoys the return to a more primal, animal nature that parkour gives him, and the peace it brings.

“There’s a significant difference in the way I solve problems as opposed to before I started parkour,” he said.

The PK Dawgs have found ways to incorporate the sport into their lives, improving themselves through their training.

“You understand environments inside and out – everywhere,” Hansen said. “The campus and downtown I know like the back of my hand, because you know, you go everywhere. And not just on the path that everyone else does, but through places, above places, under places – so an environmental awareness is a great thing.”

But despite the physical benefits, Hansen said the group is really a way to grow as a person while gaining new friends.

“It’s basically a group of [people] outside moving around and having fun.” Hansen said.