Karen Palmer

Karen Palmer is a traceuse who lives and breathes parkour in every part of her life. Her debut video by Julie Angel explored the exploration in self and the mental and physical conditioning that is core to parkour. As a student traceuse following her path, Karen Palmer is a welcome voice in an otherwise male-dominated field as inspiration to others to follow their own path and to be strong. – Girlparkour.com

Name: Karen Palmer

Location: London

Occupation: Director/ Filmmaker

Tell us about you: I live for Parkour.I am a female, filmmaker and free-runner. I direct documentaries, music videos, TV commercials and short films. My unique brand of filmmaking fuses my passions, Parkour and Music Culture with an edge.

How did you get in to parkour?

I saw the Jump London and Jump England documentaries and was hooked, awed and inspired to get out there.

How long have you been practicing?

About two and a half years.

What does parkour mean to you in less than 5 words.

Parkour is life. Full stop.

Whats your best parkour related achievement to date?

Before I became injured I was the first female to train in the advance group with the Parkour Generations outdoor classes. I can honestly say the training, comradeship and support was totally fulfilling.

What is your favorite parkour move?

Slide monkeys they are powerful, graceful and they just flow when executed correctly.

What advice would you give to other girls thinking of getting in to parkour.

Stop reading this and get out there. The Parkour Generations indoor classes are a good place to start. Get practicing, meeting people and having fun.

In 2007 Julie Angel directed a short film featuring myself in the documentary ‘The Outside In’. This documentary was one of the first to focus on a female free-runner. It was a good experience that I enjoyed being a part of and spreading Parkour particularly to let girls know that it was not just a sport for the boys.

In 2008 I made a short Parkour film “Mental Block” ‘Mental Block’ that featured one of my training comrades Ali Shelton. The film was inspired by our personal experiences of overcoming Mental Blocks during our training.

Parkour training to me is a combination of psychological and physical endurance, it is the constant process of redefining your comfort zone and capabilities on both levels. ‘Mental Block’ has won several awards including icewhole.com and filmaka.com and been shortlisted for the prestigious Jerwood Moving Image Visual Arts Awards, as well as being screened in Festivals, Galleries and on Websites throughout the world.

I am very proud of ‘Mental Block’, what it as achieved and how it represents my unique personal expression of Parkour as a dedicated Parkour practitioner and filmmaker.

I currently have several Parkour films and visual arts projects in development that will be completed 2009, further updates regarding these projects will be posted on my site at www.karenpalmer.co.uk . I created and branded my site to reflect the dynamic experience of practicing Parkour.

My biggest obstacle in Parkour is one I am overcoming now of being injured. It is part of the process of being a traceur and I am confident I will be back on form for 2009.

When I started training there was not many female free-runners on the scene, but the work that organizations like Parkour Generations have done to consciously welcome more girls doing monthly jams and girls only outdoor classes have really contributed to creating a thriving female community.

Parkour is so much more then a sport, it is a a way of life. As committed traceurs our training encrouches into our daily life and we find ourselves interpreting our obstacles in our daily lives as challenges to be overcome.

Parkour enabled me to fight my fear and leave my job and pursue a career as a freelancer that has enabled me to travel internationally. Parkour is a journey it may start on-top of a wall, next to a rail but where it will end up is up to you.

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