A PARKOUR playground should be created on the Border to encourage children to take risks, a Wodonga councillor says.
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Parkour sees participants tackle obstacles by running, jumping or climbing, with the exterior of the Albury Library Museum a regular haunt for it on the Border.
Danny Lowe believes an obstacle layout should be formed as part of a future housing estate in Wodonga.
"We seem to have a lot of parks around here, but none that involve any risk-taking and I think we can encourage development via risk,” Cr Lowe said.
"I think these parkour parks are a perfect example of where calculated risk can really help with kids' development.
“They need to take risks and build resilience because at times in life you need to take risks and where are you going to learn it?
“You may as well create a safe environment.”
Cr Lowe said a parkour set-up would also fill a gap with existing playgrounds not appealing to teens.
His proposal has won the support of parkour enthusiasts who are taught moves at Albury’s Flying Fruit Fly Circus.
“I reckon it’s a great idea, it would be easier to train and safer because now we have to train on concrete and benches and it’s not safe for us or the public,” Thomas Orchard, 16, said.
The year 11 student said he had been grabbed by his shirt and hood when running up walls and was yelled at “all the time”.
Year 8 Jorge Beaven, 13, said a controlled environment would be “good” and “safer for pedestrians”.
Acrobatic coach at the circus Ben Lewis said a parkour hub would be “awesome”.
“I think kids in rural areas are looking for things to do and having something positive like that, I think the demand would be there if they knew about it and if it was marketed in the right way,” Mr Lewis said.
He compared it to skateboard parks which have been in Albury-Wodonga for many years.
Circus recreational programs administrator Bron Kouw said parkour courses had been run for 12 to 18 year-olds for sometime and one for seven to 12 year-olds would begin next month.
Cr Lowe said the parkour park could be part of a new housing estate and covered by developer fees.
“It would be good for a developer in town to take it up….so it’s not a cost to the ratepayer,” he said.
