Parkour Springs up in Denver

Parkour springs up in Denver
APEX Movement has grand opening Saturday
Emma Marshall
Monday, April 13, 2009

Look up, duck down and hang on tight, Denver, because a new sports sensation, parkour, has landed in downtown Denver.
APEX Movement, at 2250 Lawrence St., held its grand opening Saturday. It is billed as being the world’s largest parkour training facility.
Off the wall entertainment (literally) drew hundreds of people to downtown Denver Saturday afternoon at APEX Movement with jaw-dropping performances and demonstrations. APEX Movement’s founders, Ryan Ford and Matt Marshall, successfully introduced Denver to the sport that has drawn thousands of individuals from all over the world to experience the new type of movement.
Parkour
Parkour can be defined as the art of moving through your surroundings using only your body to propel yourself. It can include running, jumping, climbing and even crawling, if that is the most suitable movement for the situation. Parkour can be grasped by imagining a race through an obstacle course. The goal of parkour is to overcome obstacles quickly and efficiently without using extraneous movement.
“Parkour is something that can benefit everyone,” Ford said. “Aside from the obvious physical benefits, it helps people learn to overcome their fears, set goals and solve problems.”
Basically, hanging from the ceiling, running along walls and flipping through elevated doorways is the kind of entertainment and instruction provided at APEX Movement.
Parkour practitioners are also known as traceurs (for women it’s traceuses), which is a French parkour term.
The facility is packed with scaffolding, a large spring floor, modified gymnastics equipment and walls for running up to the ceiling.
During one of the performance rehearsals, one traceur ran up to the wall to the ceiling and hung off the dusty, metal ceiling support. He made it down in a clever shimmy move.
Guest appearance
Michael Alosi, 28, made a guest appearance at the event. He produced the first full-length parkour documentary called “Point B,” which can be viewed online at www.pointbmovie.com.
“Parkour kind of questions the limits of how we perceive we should move,” Alosi said. “In ancient times, we probably did all these crazy maneuvers. Now we’ve gotten lazy. Basically it can help us remember that we are natural beings and how natural beings move. Just because we’ve set things up a certain way, we don’t have to move that way.”
Parents love it
Sharon Dambly signed up her two sons for another training session during the grand opening. Her sons, Kohl and AJ, have completed three full training sessions and are on their way to becoming experts at parkour.
“I’m happy for these guys, and I really think they’ve got something going here,” said Dambly. “It’s great because I’m not forcing my kids to go. They are completely motivated to come to classes on their own.”
Sat Khalsa, 18, helps instruct classes in Boulder where Colorado Parkour originated. He said he never gets bored with parkour and can’t wait to see it in more movies and commercials as popularity continues to grow with APEX Movement.
“It never gets boring, because you can always do something else,” Khalsa said.
Ford and Marshall
Marshall has excelled from a young age in all kinds of sports. A former state champion gymnast, Marshall also has a background in mixed martial arts, break dancing, wrestling, cycling, wu shu and trapeze. Marshall also has many years experience in coaching gymnastics and martial arts. He graduated from the Metropolitan State College of Denver in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science.
Ford has been doing parkour since early 2004 and founded Colorado Parkour during the summer of 2006. As a member of the national parkour team, “The Tribe,” Ford has done performances and other parkour-related jobs for companies such as Mountain Dew, BET, Nokia, Cisco and K-Swiss. Ford also has been featured by media giants such as the New Yorker, Time and ESPN. In October of 2008, Ford traveled to Beirut, Lebanon, with “The Tribe” to run parkour workshops for underprivileged youth on behalf of the U.S. Embassy.
“The most exciting thing relating to parkour that I have done is just being at the forefront of such a young and growing discipline,” Ford said. “I have been lucky enough to be seen as a leader in the development of parkour, and it is my goal to represent and promote it in a positive, accurate manner.”
Looking forward, APEX Movement hopes to extend parkour to every type of person and hopes to apply parkour to sports teams, police officers and military organizations. Ford said there are practical applications of parkour for every kind of person.
Marshall and Ford will hold daily parkour classes this week. For more information, visit www.apexmovement.com.

Living La Vita Tasty

Take a break from downtown and head to the Highlands to enjoy an incredible lunch on the rooftop at Vita, 1575 Boulder St.

The classy-casual dining at Vita is now open for lunch, allowing diners to skip the fast food to eat, drink and live.

Demand for lunch

Owners Mark Schuwerk and Jay Beckerman opened the restaurant in 2006, and business has been thriving ever since.

“People were calling in and looking in the window, wondering if we were open for lunch. The demand was so prevalent that we decided to open for lunch,” said Schuwerk.

The view of the Denver skyline is breathtaking from the rooftop patio, as well as from the lower-level patio. Nighttime on the rooftop provides a chic atmosphere with heaters and string lights, with a full-service bar in the center of it all. It’s the perfect place for a date and an appropriate atmosphere for a business lunch.

Take a bite and say wow as the flavors erupt in your mouth. Enjoy a dish that you have to close your eyes in order to prevent any distractions from the flavors hitting every part of the tongue.

Food meets flavor in a collision of an unforgettable taste with the Mediterranean shrimp from the small plate section at lunch time. The stuffed shrimp served over Tzatziki sauce is a mouth-watering masterpiece. The shrimp flavor is distinct and extreme, and the stuffing texture completes the combination of flavors emerging from the sauce.

Executive Chef Kevin Walsh and Executive Sous Chef Taylor Drew can be credited for the masterpieces coming out of the kitchen.

An array of salads and sandwiches take over the lunch menu with creativity and colorful presentation, and many lunch items can be enjoyed in larger portions during dinner time.




Happy hour

Happy hour runs every night from 3-6:30 p.m. with 27 choices of two-for-one wines by the glass. Happy hour also includes $4 well cocktails, $2.50 Bud and Bud Lights, and $3 Peroni’s.

And on Mondays, happy hour runs from 11 a.m.-close. Tuesday is half-price wine night, which is great for business, according to Schuwerk.

“We do that so people can experience wine that they would otherwise be hesitant to try because of price,” said Schuwerk.

Excellent happy hour specials paired with the rooftop and relaxing music make Vita the perfect place to wind down after work. Cocktail parties on either patio can comfortably fit a relaxing business party. The rooftop can hold up to 150 guests for a standing cocktail party.

Visit www.vitadenver.com to view the menu and more drink specials.




Vita

Address: 1575 Boulder St.

Phone: 303-477-4600

Lunch hours: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Dinner: 4-10 p.m. weekdays and until 11 p.m. on weekends.

Creative Minds Drink Alike

Creative minds drink alike
Local breweries announce new brews for the upcoming seasons
Emma Marshall
Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Coloradans sure love their craft beer, and now a few area craft brewers have announced some new brews.
An uncommon duo-espresso and beer
Two local companies partnered to provide a beer with a kick … a caffeine kick. The Great Divide Brewing Company and Pablo’s Coffee created an Espresso Oak Aged Yeti Imperial Stout that will be served in 22-ounce bottles and on draft through mid-April.
Brian Dunn, owner of Denver’s Great Divide Brewing Company, 2201 Arapahoe St., said the espresso complements the complex character of the already present coffee undertones in imperial stout beers, and goes well with the vanilla oak character of the Oak Aged Yeti.
“We’ve been playing around with the beer for a long time, trying to get the right balance of espresso to beer,” Dunn said. “Once we got it ready for commercial release, we knew we wanted to partner with a local supplier for the espresso. Pablo’s makes the best coffee in Denver, so the choice was easy.”
Pablo’s, at 630 E. 6th Ave., has been brewing and blending coffee for more than 12 years. The coffee beans come from three different countries and are roasted in-house to provide the highest quality coffee. With signature blends like “danger monkey” and “two stroke smoke,” the creativity can’t hide anywhere on the menu.
The small business owner was excited to partner with Great Divide.
“We have very similar business models — our companies are both committed to quality over quantity, and to serving our local communities in a way that large corporations are unable to do,” said Paul Conner, owner of Pablo’s Coffee. “And just as in the beer world, most of the best, most award-winning coffee comes from small roasters like us.”
Great Divide Brewing Company opened in 1994 and prides the balanced and assertive flavors creatively and carefully brewed to perfection in each beer.
New Belgium’s new line
New Belgium Brewing Company announced the production of four small batches of Lips of Faith beers, four new Loose Lips beers, and The Trip Series — consisting of four collaborative beers made with Elysian brewing in Seattle. The Fort Collins-based company created the signature Fat Tire Amber Ale. The new brew campaign will enter North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Indiana, South Dakota and Wisconsin all by the end of summer.
“It’s a fairly aggressive program for 2009,” said Joe Menetre, New Belgium sales director. “We’re reaching the eastern seaboard for the first time, we’ve got a very dynamic portfolio, and we’ve expanded our capacity to meet demand.”
In addition to seven year-round beers and four seasonal releases, the new beer brands will focus on collaborative creativity. The Lips of Faith program launched in February will feature fruit, spiced or wood beers in 22-ounce packages. The brewery also has released a Dark Kriek (cherry) beer. With plans for Biere de Mars and a beer brewed with dandelion leaves scheduled to be released during spring, the brewing creativity abounds.
“Lips of Faith will allow us to tap the creative root that is Belgian brewing,” said Grady Hull, assistant brewmaster. “The collaboration with Elysian is a new source of inspiration, and the Loose Lips beers are a complete free-for-all, so the energy is high around all these programs.”
The two breweries joined forces in 2008 to share facilities, inspire creativity, and reduce environmental impact. The Trip series. New Belgium announced the first in the series of four brews to be released throughout 2009 as Trippel IPA. They describe it as a Belgian twist on a northwest version of India pale ale.
The Loose Lips line is an exclusive set of brews based solely on a company-wide internal drink-off. According to New Belgium, the employee able to name all three beers blended in their glass is awarded the chance to brew whatever beer he or she can imagine.
New Belgium Brewing Company is the third largest craft brewer in the U.S., after beginning operation in a small Fort Collins basement in 1991.
Organic Odell
Fort Collins-based Odell Brewing company plans to make a new “all Colorado hopped brew,” using Paonia hop grower Glenn Fuller’s cascade and chinook hops. The crops are organic Colorado grown hops secured Feb. 19, just in time for the limited fall release, which will be available in liquor stores.
“We are very excited to have a supply of sustainable local hops to work with,” said Brendan McGivney, production manager for Odell Brewing. “It’s great to have the opportunity to be creative with quality home grown ingredients.”
Fuller’s crop yielded an estimated 1,500 pounds of five different hop varieties in 2008. The sustainable, green micro brewery in Fort Collins has a tap room for beer tasting, featuring handcrafted and small batch beers that include pale ales, stouts, pilsners and porters.

APEX Movement Opening in Denver 4-11

APEX Movement Promises Jaw-dropping Agenda for Grand Opening 4-11

DENVER, CO- APEX Movement, the world’s largest parkour training facility promises to feature jaw-dropping entertainment with choreographed parkour performances by the world’s most well-known traceurs, Ryan Ford and Matt Marshall during the grand opening event on April 11. The two are among the only few qualified in the world to train ordinary individuals the unique type of fitness, and have made Denver the landmark training grounds.

Local band, “My Friend Tom,” is scheduled to perform on the stage built inside the facility. The same stage will be the future home to monthly concert events featuring popular local bands and downtown vendors.

A food drive in conjunction with the Denver Rescue Mission, Apex’s devoted neighbors, will be a driving force to show the owner’s desire to help the community in every way imaginable. Marshall and Ford are simply thankful for the overall growth of parkour and the high demand for their training services

“We are lucky to have accomplished this so soon, so we are trying to help everyone else out. They deserve it, and we will do everything we can to be helpful to every area of the community,” said Marshall.

Artists, musicians, business owners and of course the public, will be involved in APEX Movement’s success, every step of the way.

One long concrete wall was designated for local artists. The opposite wall and high traffic areas will be bordered with local company logos, to help give the small businesses a nice boost.

Downtown food and retail vendors will be setting up booths in prime areas of the gym, across from the 50 ft. long concrete comic book, created and painted by local artists Mike Rogers and Spaz.

A week before the Grand Opening, on April 4th, a statewide parkour “jam” will be called to Downtown Denver. Parkour athletes from all over will be jumping and flipping through Denver introducing the public to the rapidly growing sport. It is guaranteed to be an in-your-face education and invitation to celebrate the grand opening of the world’s largest parkour training facility. The owners of the gym and most well-known instructors for parkour, will be personally promoting the event. So, if you look up and there is someone flipping off a railing, it could be them.

The facility will feature training programs to learn sets of a blend of parkour, CrossFit and gymnastics skills, led by the world’s most highly trained professionals in the disciplines. To relax after life-changing training, the new “traceurs” can socialize and compete in video game tournaments in the comfortably unique game room.

The instructors would like to remind the public that, “if you can run, we can train you.” Marshall and Ford will hold daily parkour classes the week after the grand opening.
The owners would also like to invite any business owner or athlete to participate in the event, and receive an unimaginable amount of publicity as the APEX Movement emerges in Downtown Denver. Contact public relations manager Emma Marshall to participate in any way. The grand opening event April 11, 2009 will begin at 2:00 p.m. and end before 8:00 p.m.