All for the want of a shoe

I'm going to say this right off the bat; I am not a big fan of corporate control. It upsets me when a company see something only as a means to profit as opposed to a possible venue for mutual benefit.

That being said, I have to speak about the possible ending of the K-Swiss Frerunning line of shoes. In my personal opinion, I have not seen any other company do so much for Parkour and Freerunning as K-Swiss has. The tours and demonstrations that they set up in an attempt to launch their line were staffed and run by experienced practitioners whose goal at each event that I have seen (both in the US and overseas) was only to safely and effectively spread proper knowledge of the discipline. The line was supported by a founder, Mr. Sebastian Foucan, and it's demonstrations featured absolutely awesome talent from around the world, including Levi Meewenberg and Daniel Illabaca. K-Swiss was even giving away tutorial DVD's to people so that they could assist in the proper education of people interested in these disciplines.

Unfortunately, the line is possibly going to be ended; K-Swiss has already removed most of the information regarding Frerunning and the associated line of shoes from it's site. I am not going to preach that the K-Swiss brand of shoes were the best shoes to train in, as I think that depends upon where you are and what you prefer. I will however say that the loss of this line is a step backwards in the advancement of these disciplines, because there are few companies out there willing to support traceurs, attempt to promote them in a positive light, and who will assist in having actual practitioners get face to face time with the public to promote these arts we love.

If you are interested in saving the K-Swiss freerunning line, Mark Toorock would like to hear from you. He is meeting with K-Swiss on Wednesday, May 20 to discuss the end of their support for Parkour and Freerunning. He would appreciate if anyone willing would send "Ariake Love Letters" that detail why you like the K-Swiss line of shoes, and what it means to you that they are discontinuing them. It would be appreciated if you could include a picture of your shoes and you training in them with your letter. You can mail it to: m2@americanparkour.com