Jump City: Seattle
Encyclopedia
Jump City: Seattle is an American television series on G4 that features four of the top freerunning and parkour
Parkour
Parkour is a method of movement focused on moving around obstacles with speed and efficiency. Originally developed in France, the main purpose of the discipline is to teach participants how to move through their environment by vaulting, rolling, running, climbing and jumping...

 teams in the United States all coming together for the first U.S. freerunning
Free running
Freerunning is a form of urban acrobatics in which participants, known as freerunners , use the city and rural landscape to perform movements through its structures...

 competition. Each week, the athletes compete in different parkour challenges spread out across the streets of Seattle, Washington.

About

Jump City: Seattle is G4's new eight-episode weekly series and promoted as the first American championship parkour
Parkour
Parkour is a method of movement focused on moving around obstacles with speed and efficiency. Originally developed in France, the main purpose of the discipline is to teach participants how to move through their environment by vaulting, rolling, running, climbing and jumping...

 competition. It is hosted by G4 correspondent Blair Herter
Blair Herter
Blair Joseph Herter is an American television personality.Herter was born in Scott, Louisiana. He previously worked for MTV, appearing on seasons of Road Rules and Real World/Road Rules Challenge series, as well as G-Hole...

 and Parkour veteran Brady Romberg. Filming of the show is based in Seattle, Washington and it is produced by Fremantle Media, North America. The series was launched on February 15, 2011, with new episodes airing Tuesdays 8PM EST
EST
-Places:* Est , a town in Gelderland* Estonia, a nation in northern Europe** Estonian language, the Estonian language in ISO 639.2 or ISO 639–3 language codes* Est Region , one of Burkina Faso's 13 administrative regions...

 on G4
G4
G4, G.IV, G04, G.4 or G-4 may refer to:- Aircraft :* AEG G.IV, a German World War I heavy bomber* Caudron G.4, a 1915 French biplane* Friedrichshafen G.IV, a 1918 German medium bomber* Gotha G.IV, a 1916 German heavy bomber...

 TV.

Background

Pro Parkour League (PPL) consists of four existing Parkour
Parkour
Parkour is a method of movement focused on moving around obstacles with speed and efficiency. Originally developed in France, the main purpose of the discipline is to teach participants how to move through their environment by vaulting, rolling, running, climbing and jumping...

 teams: (Miami Freerunning, The Tribe, Team Tempest and Rogue) that include athletes such as Levi Meeuwenberg and Brian Orosco (both of American Ninja Warrior
American Ninja Warrior
American Ninja Warrior is a spin-off of Sasuke. It began on December 12, 2009 in Los Angeles, California, with the top 10 competitors moving on to compete at Mount Midoriyama in Japan...

 and Sasuke
Sasuke (TV series)
Sasuke is a Japanese sports entertainment television special in which 100 competitors attempt to complete a four stage obstacle course. An edited version, renamed Ninja Warrior, is screened in at least 18 other countries....

 fame) will compete in places all over the city of Seattle, in landmark spots such as Seattle City Hall, Freeway Park, Pioneer Square, Seattle Center
Seattle Center
Seattle Center is a park and arts and entertainment center in Seattle, Washington. The campus is the site used in 1962 by the Century 21 Exposition. It is located just north of Belltown in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood.-Attractions:...

, and Qwest Field--where the championship match would be held.

Premise

Rules: Each episode will feature two teams competing in a speed round (how fast can a team can go through a predetermined course) and a freestyle round (45 seconds of Freerunning and tricking on a course established or made up by the runner, scored on a scale of 1 to 10). Three of the four team members participate in each round. Each team has 30 minutes per round to warm up and then the competition is on—an eight week battle to see who's on top of the American parkour scene. When only two teams remain, they will battle it out for the trophy in the championship match that will take place in Seattle's Qwest Field.

Each parkour team has four athletes: three starters and one reserve. The reserve player is very important, he must be ready to go in case of a starter gets injured. When two parkour teams meet its called a "match"..
To win a match you need to win two rounds..
If each team wins one round, they will be forced into a sudden death tie-breaker..

Judging is based on a scale of 1 to 10 and will base the score on three different criteria: Creativity, Difficulty, and Execution.
Creativity - how the competitors move through the obstacles in their run. They must show off a wide variety of moves and incorporate them in as much of the course as possible.

Difficulty - the judges want to see the competitors raising the bar of their athleticism and will be scored on the complexity of their moves. The bigger their moves, the greater their points will be.

Execution - when performing a trick, competitors must stay in control, sticking their landings, and connecting all their moves together to create a flow. So its all about control and flow--sticking the landings and transition from one move to the next simultaneously.


The speed round is set up as a relay through a predetermined course and the team with the fastest time through the course wins the round.

In the freestyle round, each person is given 45 seconds to perform a routine anywhere on the course. They are judged on creativity, difficulty, and execution. The team with the highest combined score wins the round.

If the first two rounds are won by two different teams, a sudden death round is forced.

Over the course of the season, each team competes against each other in regular competition. The team with the most wins in regular competition automatically moves on to the finals. However, the team with the fewest wins in regular competition leaves the event and the other two teams compete in the semi finals with the winner going to the finals. If there is a tie in the final standings, the team with the higher season-wide freestyle average will move on.

Warning Message: "This program is an athletic competition that features activities performed either by professionals or under the supervision of professionals. Accordingly, G4 and the producers must insist that no one attempt to recreate or re-enact any event, athletic performance, or other activity performed on this show."

Parkour Teams

There are four teams:
Team Tempest


Team Tempest - The heavy favorites, Tempest Freerunning is from Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

. The team met in 2003 and team members work as stuntmen in Hollywood.
Order # Team Member Background/Style
1 Levi "Skynative" Meeuwenberg Meeuwenberg is a Hollywood stuntman and is considered the "godfather of parkour" because he helped bring parkour and freerunning into the mainstream. He is featured in several movies and television shows demonstrating his skills. He competed in several Ninja Warrior
Sasuke (TV series)
Sasuke is a Japanese sports entertainment television special in which 100 competitors attempt to complete a four stage obstacle course. An edited version, renamed Ninja Warrior, is screened in at least 18 other countries....

tournaments in Japan and was the only competitor to make it into the third stage in Sasuke 20. Also was a competitor on American Ninja Warrior
American Ninja Warrior
American Ninja Warrior is a spin-off of Sasuke. It began on December 12, 2009 in Los Angeles, California, with the top 10 competitors moving on to compete at Mount Midoriyama in Japan...

, the U.S. version of Sasuke and American Ninja Challenge
American ninja challenge
American Ninja Challenge was a nationwide competition sponsored by G4 to send a number of American citizens to Japan to compete in the hit TV show Ninja Warrior...

.
2 Brian "Nosole" Orosco A stuntman who grew a handlebar mustache as light-hearted gimmick to calm his nerves and not take himself so seriously while freerunning. Also went to Japan to compete in several Ninja Warrior (Sasuke) tournaments and has also competed on American Ninja Warrior and American Ninja Challenge.
3 Paul "Diddy" Darnell Has a lot of parkour experience. Competed in Sasuke 23 and both American Ninja Warrior 1 and American Ninja Warrior 2.
4 Caine Sinclair Has a very strong style in while freerunning. Known by fellow freerunners for his big drops and complexity. Throws a lot of technical moves such as corkscrews and twists. Competed in Sasuke 23 and all three ANW's.

Miami Freerunning


Miami Freerunning - A team from Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...

 who have been training together for 3 years. In order to be an official member, they have a ritual—new members are shot with a stun gun
Stun gun
Stun gun may refer to:*Electroshock weapon, an incapacitant weapon that momentarily disables a person with an electric shock*Directed-energy weapon, a weapon that emits energy in an aimed direction without projectile, if it causes unconsciousness...

.
Order # Team Member Background/Style
1 Adrian Gonzalez Former Tribe member and Miami Freerunning founder. He teaches kids and adults at his gym, Miami Freerunning and Parkour Academy.
2 Albert "Spider" Valladares Former professional wrestler, where he got his nickname. Competed in mixed martial arts before he became a stunt choreographer, performing various stunts for fight scenes.
3 Jared "J.J." Woods The fastest on his team, a former sprinter, who does vaults, and powerful moves.
4 David "Young Flip" Rodriguez Trains with several black & white masks, and wears one everywhere he goes so he can remain emotionless in competition. Also competed in Sasuke 27 and American Ninja Warrior 3.

The Tribe


The Tribe - Founded in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, Tribe is America's first parkour team, who have been very successful. As Tribe founder Michael Zernow says, "This is art. This is physicality. This is being able to take your life into your own hands, so it wouldn't just be about kids on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....

 doing crazy stuff."
Order # Team Member Background/Style
1 Michael "Frosti" Zernow Founder and team leader. A teacher of parkour, he has many years of experience. Was a contestant on Survivor: China
Survivor: China
Survivor: China is the fifteenth season of the American CBS competitive reality television series Survivor. The premiere aired September 20, 2007. Host Jeff Probst claimed the show was the first full American TV series to be filmed entirely within China...

and American Ninja Warrior 3.
2 Billy "Skipper" Hughes Former competitive diver training for the Olympics, which affected his parkour and freerunning.
3 Travis "Noble" Graves Very competitive, has the ability to combine speed with power.
4 Jereme Sanders Uses martial arts moves in his freeruns.

Team Rogue


Rogue - Made up of rookies from different areas.
Order # Team Member Background/Style
1 Dylan Baker Youngest player competiting, just out of high school.
2 Korey Sarvas Former soccer player, got into parkour because it challenges his mind and body.
3 Jake Smith All-around trickster, very creative in his freeruns. Also competed on ANW 1 and ANW 3
4 Drew Drechsel Performs huge flips off high platforms. Was in Sasuke 27 and American Ninja Warrior 3.

Week 1: Tempest vs. Rogue

Original Airdate Location(s) Parkour Teams Speed Round Freestyle Round Sudden Death Round Winning team
Seattle City Hall
Freeway Park*
Tempest Time: 56:27 Orosco = 7.4
Darnell = 7.0
Meeuwenberg = 8.8
Total: 23.2
Meeuwenberg = 9.1 Tempest
Parkour Team Speed Round Freestyle Round Sudden Death Round Losing Team
Rogue Time: (52:85) 57:85* Baker = 8.3
Smith = 8.0
Sarvas = 8.4
Total: 24.7
Baker = 8.4 Rogue

  • * The competition was moved from City Hall to Freeway Park in the middle of the Freestyle Round because of rain.
  • * A five-second penalty was imposed on Rogue when Sarvas missed a "fly zone" on the course.

Week 2: Tribe vs. Miami Freerunning

Original Airdate Location(s) Parkour Teams Speed Round Freestyle Round Winning team
Freeway Park Tribe Time: 55:65 Hughes = 7.9
Graves = 7.9
Zernow = 8.5
Total: 24.3
Tribe
Parkour Team Speed Round Freestyle Round Losing Team
Miami Freerunning Time: 56:52 Woods* = 7.9
Valladares = 8.3
Gonzalez = 8.0
Total: 24.2
Miami Freerunning

  • * David Rodriguez removed himself from the freestyle round after suffering a leg injury in the speed round. Reserve, Jared Woods, replaced him.

Week 3: Rogue vs. Tribe

Original Airdate Location(s) Parkour Teams Speed Round Freestyle Round Winning team
Downtown Seattle
(alleyway)
Rogue Time: (43:25) 48:25* Smith = 8.2
Baker = 8.7
Drechsel = 8.5
Total: 25.4
Rogue
Parkour Team Speed Round Freestyle Round Losing Team
Tribe Time: 50:25 Zernow = 8.4
Sanders = 7.6
Graves = 7.8
Total: 23.8
Tribe

  • * A five-second penalty was imposed on Rogue when Smith missed a "fly zone" on the course.

Week 4: Tempest vs. Miami Freerunning

Original Airdate Location(s) Parkour Teams Speed Round Freestyle Round Winning Team
Downtown Seattle
(alleyway at night time)
Tempest Time: 50:33 Orosco = 8.8
Sinclair* = 7.5
Darnell = 8.0
Total: 24.3
Tempest
Parkour Team Speed Round Freestyle Round Losing Team
Miami Freerunning Time: 55:89 Rodriguez = 7.8
Gonzalez = 7.5
Woods = 8.3
Total: 23.6
Miami Freerunning

  • *Levi Meeuwenberg was forced out of the competition after injuring his left wrist while practicing on an elevated bar for the speed round. Later, it was revealed by a medic that he fractured his wrist and would be out the entire season. (This was the very injury that forced Meeuwenberg out of the 26th Sasuke
    Sasuke (TV series)
    Sasuke is a Japanese sports entertainment television special in which 100 competitors attempt to complete a four stage obstacle course. An edited version, renamed Ninja Warrior, is screened in at least 18 other countries....

     tournament and made him give his spot to alternate Adam LaPlante.) Reserve player Caine Sinclair will take Meeuwenberg's place for the rest of the season. On another note Sinclair had come in with a broken toe on his left foot and injured his right ankle in the speed round.

Week 5: Tempest vs. Tribe

Original Airdate Location(s) Parkour Teams Speed Round Freestyle Round Sudden Death Round Winning Team
Seattle Center (rooftop) Tempest Time: 46:33 Sinclair* = 8.3
Darnell = 8.1
Orosco = 7.8
Total: 24.2
Orosco = 9.0 Tempest
Parkour Team Speed Round Freestyle Round Sudden Death Round Losing Team
Tribe Time: 43:71 Zernow = 7.7
Sanders* = 7.5
Hughes = 7.6
Total: 22.8
Hughes = 8.4 Tribe
  • *Caine Sinclair competed with an injury—a broken toe on his left foot that he injured before the season began. He suffered through that and also "tweaked" his ankle in week 4.
  • *Perhaps from nerves, Sanders threw up before the speed round, but still managed to compete.

Week 6: Rogue vs. Miami Freerunning

Original Airdate Location(s) Parkour Teams Speed Round Freestyle Round Winning Team
Seattle Center (rooftop) Rogue Time: 44:51 Drechsel* = 8.0
Sarvas = 7.8
Smith = 8.0
Total: 23.8
Rogue
Parkour Team Speed Round Freestyle Round Losing Team
Miami Freerunning Time: 47:20 Woods = 7.6
Valladares = 8.6
Gonazlez = 7.5
Total: 23.7
Miami Freerunning

  • *Drew Drechsel competed with an injury to his toe popping out on his right foot that he injured during the speed round, but remained in the freestyle round.

Week 7: Tribe vs. Rogue

Original Airdate Location(s) City Hall Parkour Teams Speed Round Freestyle Round Winning Team
Seattle City Hall Tribe Time: 49.74 Graves = 7.5
Hughes = 8.5
Zernow = 8.9
Total: 24.9
Tribe
Parkour Team Speed Round Freestyle Round Losing Team
Rogue Time: 51.55 Smith = 7.7
Baker = 8.2
Drechsel = 8.2
Total: 24.1
Rogue

Week 8: Tempest vs. Tribe

Original Airdate Location(s) Parkour Teams Speed Round Freestyle Round Sudden Death Round Winning Team
Qwest Field Tempest Time: 1:32:10 Sinclair = 8.5
Darnell = 8.1
Orosco = 8.5
Total: 25.1
Orosco = 9.0 Tempest
Parkour Team Speed Round Freestyle Round Sudden Death Round Losing Team
Tribe Time: 1:24:28 Graves = 7.9
Hughes = 8.2
Zernow = 8.4
Total: 24.5
Zernow = 8.6 Tribe

Regular Season

(After 6 Matches/Week 6)
Team Win Loss
Tempest (C) 3 0
Rogue* 2 1
Tribe 1 2
Miami Freerunning (X) 0 3

(C) = Championship Berth / (X) = Eliminated / * = Eliminated in the play-offs
Championship Match

  • *Team Tempest is the first ever Pro Parkour League (PPL) champions.

See also

  • American Ninja Challenge
    American ninja challenge
    American Ninja Challenge was a nationwide competition sponsored by G4 to send a number of American citizens to Japan to compete in the hit TV show Ninja Warrior...

  • American Ninja Warrior
    American Ninja Warrior
    American Ninja Warrior is a spin-off of Sasuke. It began on December 12, 2009 in Los Angeles, California, with the top 10 competitors moving on to compete at Mount Midoriyama in Japan...

  • Sasuke (TV series)
    Sasuke (TV series)
    Sasuke is a Japanese sports entertainment television special in which 100 competitors attempt to complete a four stage obstacle course. An edited version, renamed Ninja Warrior, is screened in at least 18 other countries....

  • Ultimate Parkour Challenge
    Ultimate Parkour Challenge
    Ultimate Parkour Challenge is a mini-series that premiered on October 22, 2009 on MTV featuring the six of the top parkour and freerunning competitors from around the world expressing their styles against each other in a series of themed challenges filmed in California...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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