Parkour gym opens in ABQ

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - The extreme sport known as Parkour has a new home in Albuquerque thanks to Daniel and Donna French.

The couple recently opened Zero Point Parkour and Fitness in Downtown Albuquerque where they are hoping to teach and refine the skill of Parkour.

The French’s came up with the layout of the gym and obstacle selection based on other gyms, wanting to give it an urban landscape skill.

“Parkour is getting from point A to point B as efficiently and quickly as possible,” Daniel French tells KRQE News 13. That includes jumping off buildings, railing and staircases as well as climbing and scaling walls and buildings.

Given the nature of the sport, safety is a big priority at the new gym.

A quick YouTube search will turn up thousands of videos of falls and injuries associated with the sport.

“There’s little groups popping up all over CNM and UNM, just a handful of guys that are doing Parkour off walls or wherever they can outside. So we’re giving them a place where they’re landing on a pad as opposed to concrete,” Donna French says.

At this point the French’s say they haven’t done much advertising, but have still had dozens of people come to the gym to check it out. Most saying they saw it on Facebook or heard about it through word of mouth.

So far the feedback has been all positive.