American Parkour

i couldn't find the original thread, probably because I didn't look too hard :P

I wanted to let everyone in CO know that I made some phone calls today about our beloved Cat Fountain and when it will actually be open.

I found out that Cat Fountain stopped running about 7-8 years ago.  Since the democratic national convention (DNC) is coming to town, they want downtown Denver to not look shitty -- so they want to have it up and running well before the convention starts, which is in August.

With that said, the definite projection date is Aug 1 and if that date is NOT met then the whole point of having it up and running by the DNC will be null and void.  So that is GOOD news because our date of the Aug 8-10 National Jam means that the fountain will be up and running and no longer fenced off!!!

But, will it be legal for people to be jumping and running through the fountain?  The answer is YES.

The original intent of Cat Fountain was so that people could walk through it, thats why there are all those little platforms there.  The bottom of the fountain will be filled with water and the little platforms act as bridges that people can walk through.  The guy I spoke with on the phone said that running and jumping on the fountain won't be discouraged, at ALL since this was the original intent of the fountain.

Precision Fountain should ALSO be up and running by Aug 8-10.  This means that precision fountain will now have water flowing down the stairs. 

Both fountains have no water spouts that shoot out.  All of the water flows down in a laminar fashion (meaning smooth and controlled).  The water will be flowing out of the top (and they will likely be replacing the grates..) and overflowing down the sides.  This means that you can still practice cat to cat and other cool techniques there if you don't mind getting wet.  The techs will also be harder to execute since water will be running all over, which means us CO Traceurs will be even more badass :P

The guy I spoke with has pics of the fountain running from the 80s.  He is going to send them to me via email and I will post them up here once i get them.

This is great news and now i am even more psyched to get this fountain up and running!

sounds like good news although i wouldnt actually expect them to let us have free parkour reign on the area like that guy may have implied. thanks for looking into it chris!

dude, i got the pics...

People were jumping around on this thing in the pics too, back in the 80s.

I'm going to host them and post them up -- i really think that jumping around these things is not going to be a problem at all, according to these pics anyway..

then again, the 80s were filled with playgrounds covered in cement and metal bars with no soft padding or wood chips, so they might be beefing up the rules a bit :P

Chris, I think I love you. j/k, but seriously, that is awesome news.. ever since I heard of cat fountain on this site (I joined a few months ago) I've wanted to jump it... I searched downtown and must have a borrowed Sparrow's retarded compass because I couldn't find it... until Matt showed me, and now, I want to play on it more than ever... thanks for clarifying, and hopefully people can keep their eyes open and post when the official 'open' date is (assuming they can fix it before August 1. I'd hate to wait until a week before COPK to hit the fountain, you know?)... Thanks again, Chris!

Photos.  Parkour acceptable, according to these.

Look at the people all jumping around!

(http://xbe.xanga.com/ccdc854355134196181985/m151573279.jpeg)
(http://x84.xanga.com/3e6c904b56632196181786/m151573103.jpeg)
(http://xd0.xanga.com/09dc667a27d33196181415/m151572785.jpeg)

Here is precision fountain with running water...
(http://x3b.xanga.com/65ac864368d35196181538/m151572898.jpeg)


Apparently, Cat Fountain used to be way cooler too.  That whole part this is grass now used to be another fountain with rocks and a waterfall.  Check out old photos and aerial views.
(http://xbe.xanga.com/5c6c9b4354735196181929/m151573235.jpeg)
(http://x49.xanga.com/811c444151230196181500/m151572863.jpeg)
(http://x70.xanga.com/c73c6a4753c32196181652/m151572993.jpeg)
(http://x17.xanga.com/29cc414654131196181700/m151573036.jpeg)
(http://x10.xanga.com/c22c954357035196181376/m151572749.jpeg)

Sigh, those look so cool, too...but were ripped up because they stopped working and the tenants in the building thought they were ugly.

Oh well, we still get a badass, cool down parkour spot out of it!

Do you know what times the water stops flowing? They can't keep the thing running constantly can they, because that looks like a boat load of water coming down the sides.

probably recirculating filtered water, like in a pool....not constant fresh water.  It would probably run 24 hours until winter time when they would drain it, i assume.

HOLY SHIT!
haha
my god that looks awesome..
bummer they tore down the old stuff.. looked alot cooler and looked like alot more fun.
oh wellll..
Chris,
you made my day bro!
haha
im TOO psyched to jam the fountains once they have water in them.
 ;D ;D ;D

Wow! That looks sooo much different! Why did they end up changing it? That's annoying.

As far as the water goes, I dunno. Last year it was tough enough having that many people climbing all over it, and then you add the water and it eliminates a large portion of what we can use... especially cats. But the flipside is that if it's running and we just wanna use it as a cool off location (like the fountain at the Philly Jam) that could be cool.  Long and short of it, I don't see it being a majority destination as it would be when it's dry. I'll just keep my fingers crossed that they can't get it flowing by Aug 1!

The immediate area surrounding the fountain is being completely tiled. No more dirt.

if its not open on aug 1 it will still be fenced off..

THATS gonna be interesting.

I was around there yesterday or the day before and the fences were mostly down, there was a sign posted stating it would be done on Aug. 1st and asking people to respect the fountain and keep off so work could get done on time.

(http://dearconcrete.com/cat1.jpg)

(http://dearconcrete.com/cat2.jpg)

(http://dearconcrete.com/cat3.jpg)

I never knew cat fountain before the tiles or the construction, but I hope it will not affect my ability to jam there when it's open again...

And when did fences start being an insurmountable obstacle for traceurs? =P

No, seriously, it's cool that it will be opened up, but, as someone else observed, the water will really limit what we can use. =/

personally, i think you guys are being bitches :P

Ok maybe that was a bit harsh :D

What I mean is that you should look at it like this:

Cat Fountain is now probably one of the most diverse parkour training spots in the whole united states.

In the summer, it is filled with water that is pouring over the sides.  Cat-to-Cat and precisions are going to require more effort, control and fear management.  Its going to be an intense training spot.

In the fall/winter/early spring, the water stops flowing and you get to use cat fountain as you always had except it will be all newly done.

Its like getting another spot built into one

EDIT: Wrote NOT instead of NOW...

haha agreed, im not afraid of some WATER  ;D

I think I speak for most beginners in this post: maybe we're not at that level... I have very little upper body muscular strength... I can barely do a cat grab now, and that doesn't include like a long distance cat grab (which I won't try for a while). Maybe some of us ARE 'afraid' of water....

For at least 6 months out of the year, water will NOT be running in Cat Fountain.  The point is, you will not have two spots in one..

I feel a bit insulted that you would post this, honestly.  Its like you didn't read my post at all, just read Xians while ignoring the points (that i thought were a bit more compelling).

I dunno, maybe you can elaborate?

Okay, I'll elaborate on your orignial post, then... I'm pretty new to the parkour scene, and I've become almost obssessed, and I started training after cat fountain was all fenced off and undergoing repairs, which means I never knew it before what it is now. My training is primarily summer based, which means, without any prior training of cat fountain, I'm going to have to test my might against water. OR, I could not hit cat fountain during the summer in order to avoid water, in which case I'll either have to deal with potential for snow or it's going to be balls cold outside and therefore my training there will be shorter than usual. (Not gonna lie, I can't last long outside in the cold. My hands would freeze up like no other.)

Also,
implies that how beginners look at it and how 'veterans' look at it should be the same, even though we have different points of view. Some people see a precision jump in the same place someone will see a cat grab, just because they can't make that distance yet.


Although I'm all for 'intense training spots', the fact that it will require more effort, control, and fear management leaves us beginners in the dark, because we're still working on effort, control, and fear management of less difficult training. Again this goes back to some of us never knowing Cat Fountain pre-construction.

In conclusion, it's very obvious Cat Fountain will never be the way it was. I can't just go to the construction guys and say, "Hey, would you mind destroying everything you've done so far just so I can see what it was like before?" Very unrealistic. My point is to make sure you think of the people who are still brand new and not wanting to completely destroy themselves before they get in the proper training. On a side note, as I said I'm still new, and I plan on going to the national jam. Obviously, Cat Fountain is on the to-do list, and, obviously, I'm going to be afraid, because I've never jammed there before AND I haven't included wet terrain in my training yet.

All in all, just think of the little guy when making remarks like 'I ain't afriad of no water' or 'you guys are being bitches'.

P.S. I know the 'bitches comment was out of jest, and I'm not complaining about that specfically, just the overall meaning of the message. Also, I hope this was elaborate enough. :P

Once again, i feel that you are ignoring what I am saying...

But i will still provide some cordial rebuttals...


Primarily summer based training?  Why are you going to be hibernating in the winter? 

I am not sure that your point is so compelling here. 

Because you want to only train in the summer, you are going to sacrifice one of the best spots in the country while its dry?

Plus why on earth would you be only training in 1 season out of the year?  If you only want to train 3 months out of the year, then it seems like you aren't taking the sport so seriously (no offense intended at all) and missing out on just 1 more spot isn't going to make or break out. 

I see you post around on the boards and you seem to be very enthusiastic for the sport - do you really think you are going to stop training just because it gets a bit frigid?

If you train for 12 months out of the year, you will get Cat fountain both dry and wet that provides two separate training scenes....

i dunno, I am not too compelled by your point here...no offense intended again.


I disagree.  As two separate people we will have our own viewpoints.  The point of constructive discussion is to alter or compromise those views as more compelling points about each side are brought to light.

I was trying to give you perspective that you might not have considered before.  Perspective that should have been interesting to consider whether you were a beginner or veteran.

Don't think I am assuming that you and I need to have the same views just because I am trying to shed some light on another perspective that you likely didn't consider.


You TOTALLY ignored the last part of my post.  It seems like you stopped reading as you got to this point.  We are talking about 3 months out of the year where more advanced people can have an even more intense training spot.  For the other NINE MONTHS it will be exactly as we have come to know and love it.


I don't think you have been around me enough to know my opinions of "little guys" yet.  I probably spend just as much time training my own techs at big jams as I do trying to help others who are less experienced than myself.  With that said, I am still a "little guy" of my own in very many ways.  I would never, ever, in my life, hate on someone for being less able than I am while making an effort to be more able than they currently are.

Saying "Cat Fountain will never be the way it was" is flat out ignoring my post.  Like...blatantly.  Cat fountain will be the exact same way it was for somewhere around 7-10 months out of the year.  2-5 months of losing a training spot (which will only be a loss within your first year of training) is not a big deal -- PLUS you will still have access to it dry as well...

Okay. I'm going to admit that I did write that post while tired, and sleep deprivation obviously is not a good time to argue. :P But I see your point, and the main reason I said summer is my PRIMARY training time is because I prefer heat over cold. Once it starts to get frigid, I will most likely hibernate, but I don't know yet. I guess we'll see.

I guess the only point I'm trying to make is I wish I knew Cat Fountain before and after, but since I can't, I'm just going to have to deal with it. Reading the last two points, I'm beginning to think that I was only trying to be controversal instead of constructive, which is weird, because I almost never do that. Live and learn I guess. Thanks for putting up with my bullshit.. :P

P.S. Point taken, by the way. :)

Geez, guys, we're all in this forum because we love the same sport. Shouldn't that be enough to keep us from bumping heads? *group hug*

I understand, but please stop touching me... :P

My tone was not intended to be argumentative in the least.  It was one of a friendly constructive discussion.

My tone rarely is hostile or argumentative. If it is, I will make that blatantly clear.  I apologize if I allowed it to be interpreted that way.

One last point...


You will know cat fountain the way it was before.  Once they turn off the water, probably in the fall months - likely late October or so - it will be the exact same spot with the exception of new tile around the base instead of crappy gravel.

For those of you who don't know, it's official. THe water is back on at Cat Fountain and Precision Fountain.

http://a395.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/55/l_94befeefdba451f2de69c525200eb342.jpg

http://a173.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/72/l_4ace1b57ef6abe575591429696456cf4.jpg

http://a739.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/73/l_f52ec0e9ae2a0c396f5760ea771bb2ba.jpg

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http://a320.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/92/l_eac979d153e031c486a777e775ed089f.jpg

my buddy and I are going there for the first time tomorrow, hopefully the water does not inhibit some techniques.

unfortunately it pretty much inhibits all of them. not to say you cant still do stuff, or do different stuff, but its entirely different than the dry fountain.

Cool.  I want to go get soaked.

That's awesome! Thank you Chris for looking into this.  I have fond memories of those areas from my childhood.  Here's to making a few more.

yesterday while i was jamming with a few people some guy was telling us that their turning the water off the fourth

unfortunately the d-bag at percision fountain who told me that lied. i went there today and as a matter a fact the water was on. [WTF] grrrrrrrrrrr........sorry guys.

so is the fountain still on?

Tsk tsk its going to freeze soon >.< ahha. Thats good though I still havent gotten a chance to see the water >.<

unfortunately the water is still on and it more than likely wont freeze beacuse it is in constant motion

They won't keep it running all winter.  Probably will be off by the third week of the month if i had to guess...

Still not off. Went there for the first time since the water's been on today it really limits the old techniques quite a bit. You can still do alot if you dont mind being SOAKED.  You cans till do all the old cat leaps but when you land in your hold you get a big splash all over you as the water runs down the sides and the tops of the grates where you  grab are completely underwater, and like a big wave splashes out when you grab. A couple of the original jumps are still dry the outer ones.  but yeah i went for an old school cat leap and got soaked, my shoes shorts and wristbands were soaked haha. Feels good though ^_^ Definitly an interesting experience

Yeah dude.  I was there the other day with Matt and Camilo and Chase and we all did freeze-out cat-hangs.  There's still lots of fun you can have there.  Especially if you love the wetness.  Which I do.

They're off now, for the winter I think. It has been off for a few days now, I was down there a few days ago taking some pictures for the school newspaper (I am going to be featured in the sports section... Hooraay!).

sick, i might head there next weekend, in that case..

ok me and my friend just went there today and the water was off. But there was two guys there saying it is a construction zone and we cant be there. So we left for about a half an hour and came back to see if they were there ;D. The guys left and we trained for 3 hours at least. My only question is that will these new grates hold up to a 166 pound object(me) that is falling rather fast from a jump? [WTF]

In fact, they will. I watched a guy jump from the top box all the way down to one of the lower ones, landing inside. He was probably 160+ pounds, and It didnt snap. I weigh a bit less (140), however, they take my impacts rather well, So i dont think you should be too concerned about it.

There is one grate that is weak on one side. It's the grate by the top box with the pipe sticking up out of it. If you put your foot on one corner, it WILL fall through. Make sure you check it out before you try anything there, I almost broke my ankle. :P Safety first!

Thanks for the Heads Up man!

oh and for anybody who wants me and my friend will be going to cat fountain every monday at around 12 or 1. We will be there till about 4 or 5. If anybodys interrested in going we'll meet you there or you can pm me.

should probably start a new thread man ;)  will likey have better luck if you post a time and date in the thread title, too

Well, I was there yersterday, and they will have it off I know till the end of this week  ;D! Let's all hit it up peeps!!! That thing never displeases me when it be deserted of agua!!!  :D