Hardcore Parkour

Surrounded by matted walls and floors, balance beams and bars, Dillon Guge lets a child fall backwards into his arms, into a pit of foam cubes as a warm up. But Guge isn’t teaching gymnastics; he’s teaching what’s known as parkour.
Parkour is where one gets from point A to point B the fastest way possible, overcoming obstacles in their way, as well as the obstacles of life.

Senior Dillon Guge started when he was 13, taking classes and seeing what parkour truly is.

“From a young age I have always loved running, jumping, climbing and being outside. So when I first started taking parkour classes I really liked it because I was able to do those same things in class,” Guge said.

At the age of 16, he started to teach classes at the Premier Gymnastics from 7 year olds to 21 year olds, with the help from his friends.

“Dillon is a very playful teacher. He likes to be very involved with his class and participate with his students,” Co-worker Mitchell Tillwick said.

Since then, Dillon has been one of the oldest parkour coaches, teaching students jumping, flipping, and leaps.

“When I first started teaching I learned many things about movement and how the body and mind works. Being able to show the kids I teach all the same things I learned is really amazing because I can see it affecting these kids the way it affected me,” Guge said.

Outside of his Parkour classes, though, he goes downtown with his friends on Saturday to work on his own routines.
“The downtown meet is extremely important to everyone. The meets provide us a way to practice parkour on solid surfaces and improve our abilities in an unpadded environment,” friend and co-worker Riley Francis said.

This downtown meeting with coworkers and friends are a way for everyone to practice and challenge each other to do better.

“It’s a great bonding time to push and learn from each other, and another way to become close friends. What better way is there to put time into something we all love?” Guge said.

While he is at work Guge learns more about how to become a better teacher to his students learning parkour.

“If Dillon continues and increases his training, keeps incorporating constructive feedback, and continues to learn, he will be a very experienced and fun coach. I see potential in Dillon among his current capabilities and competency,” Tillwick said.

Still, whether teaching or practicing, Guge has had to overcome his own obstacles with his diabetes.

“Doing parkour with diabetes just mainly forces me to keep my blood sugars in check, because doing parkour with bad blood sugars makes it hard on my body and doesn’t feel good at all. So, to truly do my best, I have to get my sleep, nutrition, and keep my activity level high,” Guge said.

Even with his diabetes, Dillon marches on, gaining close friends and overcoming obstacles while doing parkour.

“Dillon is great to be around, and I’ve had a fun time training with him since I’ve met him. We get along well, and teaching with him makes classes very fun,” Francis said.

As Guge continues to leap over obstacles as efficiently as possible, he’ll also be teaching his students, catching them in his arms before releasing them to explore parkour for themselves.