Instructors

Kurt Gowan is the founder and main instructor of Parkour Ways and Art Du Déplacement Chicago. Having no background in any sort of formal sport or fitness - Kurt had discovered his discipline of movement while working jobs from one retail store to the next. Four years after graduating high school, he found himself bored with his everyday mundane life of going to work and coming home, where he often sat at the computer. Having stumbled again upon some videos online, he was ultimately inspired to give Parkour a try. It took a little while, but Kurt finally built up the courage to get outside and give some of the movements he had seen a try. It was challenging to say the least, but he was captivated by the fun and excitement of this unique style of movement and training.

Time went by and working in those retail stores became so much more than just work... they felt like prisons. Struggling paycheck to paycheck and trying to get through some college courses for computer engineering, all he could think of throughout the day was getting back to his training. The discipline began to find its way into more and more of his life, inspiring him yet again - but this time to make healthy and positive changes in many different ways. Eating better, training the body more, and trying to learn how to be a better person in general was now his passion. He quit school because he could no longer afford it, but he was still trapped in retail.

In June of 2010, Kurt's mom died of cancer and this forced him into a lot of new challenges and drastic changes to his life. A journey began in which he'd spend more time searching for himself... within himself. He continued to train his movements, but it became so much more than fitness or fun. It became a way to live, a way to survive, and a way to look at the entire world differently. Finally, after he quit his last retail job in 2011, it became a way for him to help others to start their journey into a positive, healthy and happy life of compassion and spirit.

Read more about the History of Parkour Ways here.

Gerardo was inspired by the movements of cats at a younger age and later on a fascination with anything ninja led him to begin his training. Having persevered through many of his own challenges in life, he excels in helping his students to overcome the physical struggles that are frequent in the training of this discipline.

Jessy discovered parkour on his - so far - 7 year journey of transformation towards a healthy and more productive life style. Among other discoveries are yoga, nutrition and meditation, all of which he incorporates into his parkour practice whenever possible.

When she first began her journey, she was overweight, depressed, unhealthy and wasn't capable of doing a single push-up. Parkour has helped her to grow and become stronger (in every sense of the word), and has helped her to become much happier and healthier. Parkour is only one of the tools that she uses to help train her overall well being: mind, body and spirit. She also incorporates yoga, meditation and other spiritual work, and martial arts to help her improve herself. Her goal in life is to help others in every way that she can: spiritually, physically, and also with massage therapy and oriental medicine (she is currently in school) She believes that to be able to do so is a privilege!

John is an A.D.A.P.T. certified affiliate coach of Parkour Generations. John has traveled to many places to share with others his love of movement and has led workshops in places such as Cebu (Philippines) and Québec City (Canada). John is currently residing outside of the United States but continues to train and is always with us in spirit!