The art of movement

When Roan Cushing of Marion started studying parkour, he watched a video of people who said they eat, sleep and breathe parkour. "I thought, 'Those guys are losers," he said. "They have no life.'"

Two years later, Cushing, 15, said it's true for him, too.

"Whenever I'm walking, my friends and my parents get annoyed by me, vaulting over things and saying, 'Oh, that would be cool,'" Cushing said.

Nick Payne, 16, has become similarly obsessed in his two years of practice.

"It's what I dream about when I fall asleep in class," said Payne, a high school junior.

Payne and Cushing are in a growing group of area teenagers who gather several times weekly to practice parkour.

Parkour, founded by David Belle of France in the 1990s, is a discipline with a focus on quick, efficient movement over obstacles in the event of an emergency. The discipline also incorporates individual expression through movement, such as flipping when a jump would be more efficient.

Parkour can be practiced alone, but these practitioners, called traceurs, have found benefits in working together.

"Having this many people in a group gives you more eyes and different views on how to do something," said Joseph Gallet, 16, of Cedar Rapids.

Cushing's parents, Katherine and Will Cushing of Marion, are glad to see him practicing with a group.

"I thought it was just a cute fad, but then he got passionate about it and I got concerned," Katherine Cushing said. He told her he'd be cautious and wouldn't try any tricks until he was sure he was ready.

"He's been waiting a long time to have someone to do this with," she said.

The group has been asked to leave downtown areas, so they avoid crowded areas and wait until after business hours.

Sgt. Cristy Hamblin of the Cedar Rapids Police Department said Friday she's heard of no complaints or reports related to parkour activity. She said the department's concern would be trespassing or property damage.

Meanwhile, the group remains active, moving from one practice location to the next, jogging along low walls, jumping over benches and swinging around street signs.

"The only place you can't do parkour is an empty parking lot," Cushing said.