By Shi.
The day was classic Sydney great weather and we had sun and warm weather despite having rained for the past 2 days. As we rejoiced in the sun while waiting on the steps of Town Hall stairs, the mood was nervous excitement and anticipation and everyone was keen to start practising! A short jog across Hyde Park and we came to the park; a serene oasis with different setups for our training.
The main feature of the park were its many water features that cascaded downhill in a variety of ways, providing lots of precision work. After some useful feedback on our last training session, we worked on “sticking it” – that is not hopping after landing a precision. With a stretch of water between the takeoff and landing spot, the water (and the sucking, lapping and gurgling noises) were mental obstacles that forced us to refine our concentration and focus.
The “source” of the water came from a large rock at the entrance of the park which became the target of some rock climbing action! With foot and hand holds strategically placed throughout its 3.5 m length, the height varied on one side as a water feature cascading gently downhill from the base. Going up was one thing, getting down was another as one step that might be easier to someone taller; required a little hang, leg stretch and feel around with your toes. Big kudos to the girls who climbed up!
As the time approached for us to make the walk across the city to Pyrmont for the Australian Parkour Association classes, we made a quick round through the park where we discovered of a length of wall good for balancing, vaults and wall runs. All the girls had a good try at the wall runs with lots of encouragement and a hilarious incident we shall call “Air cycling”. Unfortunately the delay resulted in a mad dash across the city to make it in time for the Australian Parkour Association (APA) classes at Pyrmont!
At the classes, the students are divided into smaller groups according to skill levels with everyone regrouping at the same place 2 hours later. Everyone was exhausted, bruised, scratched and scraped but enthusiasm levels were still high! The girls were buzzing with the tips and training provided, the additional motivation of training in a group and were keen to participate in future classes and mixed training sessions. After having some food at Darling Harbor, the girls were still game for more training and happily walked back to Pyrmont to join the group. Today was the first time that the girls’ jams joined the APA classes and here’s to more fun times in the future!
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