Senior Picture Contestants (click to enlarge)

Mission: Freerun Conifer

Corner vault

wallrun

Kong vault (hood walk)

Some hardcore mountain freerunning!

The rooftops of conifer

A: “wh-CHAW!!” Me:”Are my arms supposed to twist this way?”

Freerunning Interview

1. full name /age

Philip Shellabarger age 17

2. how long have you been freerunnung?

I’ve been freerunning for about a year. Most people have tried freerunning moves just for the heck of it without realising that it “freerunning”. If that counts, I’ve been freerunning since I was around 10 years old.

3. how did you discover frerunning? how did you learn?

Hahaha, thats a funny story. I had been playing a video game called “The Prince of Persia:The two thrones. The main character leaps from building to building, runs along walls, and generaly acts like a psychotic monkey. I wondered if anyone had ever e\attempted these stunts, so I looked it up on youtube. Sure enough. They had. And its called freerunning. I learned by just going out and trying it untill I got it. 

4. what kind of tricks do you do? what is your favorite? what are some that you are currently working on?

Tricks like the kash vault, or the kong vault are moves that you have to see to know what they look like, but wallflips and wallruns are pretty self explanitory. My favorite trick is a tie betwean the wallflip, and the roof gap. With freerunning, its all about getting your tricks bigger, higher, and more flared out. So I’m always working on every trick, trying to get it better and more refined. Example: more steps along a wall, or more dangerous roof gaps. My record for a roof gap is about  20 in the air, and a six foot gap. Its hard to judge weather your going to land the jump betwean roofs or fall 20 feet to your death, so it makes it more difficult to set records with gaps. 

5.where do you freerun? do you have a favorite spot?

I freerun everwhere I can. Once you’ve experianced it, you look at everything differently. Limitations become challenges. Walls that once trapped you in become a place of freedome. Each hand rail, set of stairs, or park bench becomes something entirely new. In that way, freerunning is a lot like skateboarding. My favorite place right now is the math an sience center. The roof is awesome. Its got plenty of freaky gaps and boxes to vault over. Plus a few good hand rails on the ground. 

6. how often do you freerun?

As often as possible.

7. have you ever gotten complaints? (police at the mall lol, etc..) what other reactions do you get from people?

Oooooh yeah. Deffinately.Security HATES it. No matter how manny excuses you give people about how freerunning isnt vandalising, and how there aren’t any “no freerunning” signs, they always come back with arguments about trespassing, personal danger, and how you could sue if you got hurt. Injury is a very real possibility, so I see where they’re coming from. Mostly if you take care bnot to tresspass and make sure you know your physical limitations, you can stay out of trouble.

8. what does it feel like to freerun?

Its all about pushing your limits and evolving beond the norm. When you suceed, you feel a rush of adrenaline, pride, and freedom. As cheesey as the name sounds, its true in a way. Freerunning is liberating.

9.what do you love about freerunning?

Mostly I love the feeling that comes with overcoming obstacles, and the social aspect of running around like a lunatic with my friends. Blatently showing off is always fun as well. haha

10. have you ever been injured from freerunning? if so, what was the worst ?

hmmm, I usually roll out of most bails, but a few times I’ve caught my toes vaulting over tables or walls. When that happens, a face plant is almost inevitable. My wrist is still pretty screwed up from the last fall. Thats one of the things that sucks the most, when you get injured, you out of the game for sometimes weeks, and all you can do is sit around and be a spectator. 

11.do you have a “role model” or inspiration?

Other, more experianced freerunners are an inspiration and an example to me.

12. what’s your best freerunning craziness story?

Hmmmm. HAHAHA, definatly the time Matt marack was going for a monkey vault over a tall rail, and a guy walked in front of him making matt have to stop in mid vault. He caught his toes on the rail, swung down, slammed his face on the wall, then dropped a couple of feet onto his head onto concrete. It was great.(for the spectators)

13. who do you freerun with or do you do it alone usually?

Freerunning alone isn’t nearly as fun as freerunning with friends. I used to freerun with friends back in conifer, but since I’ve moved here, I freerun with Matt Marrak and Andrew [last name?] mostly, but anyone who joins in is instantly accepted.

14. what does it take to be an epic freerunner?

HAHAHA. A willingness to learn, a disregard of pain, an awarness of yourself, determination, and a disregard of what people think. There’s always haters. You’ve got to take it no matter what you do.

15. is freerunning something you hope to continue throughout your life?

Yeah, I’m gonna be like frikkin yoda when I’m 80 years old.

16.anything else  you want to add…

If you wonder what the heck freerunning is, its a mix of spider man, the matrix, james bond chase scenes, and some random gore movie where people bleed a lot. When in doubt, shut up and vault something.

Short Freerunning montage