Lancaster University Parkour and Tricking Society (LUPATS) is a society for traceurs, or anyone aspiring to become a traceur, who train on campus at Lancaster University.
Parkour is about promoting self-awareness, learning what you can do and about developing and improving your skill set.
The aim is to get from point A to point B as quickly, efficiently and as safely as possible, using your body to negotiate any obstacles in the way.
You may have already seen members of the society training as you have been out and about on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and thought that it looked difficult, challenging and dangerous. Well, know this: you are two-thirds right. Parkour certainly isn’t easy. It’s also challenging. Yet done correctly, parkour is a very safe discipline where the emphasis isn’t on competition, but on personal development.
As you may have seen already, the society trains just about everywhere on campus. Some of the most popular areas include the wall just outside of Venue, the LUSU area where the Spar is and behind the
Management Building. They meet Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6pm at Ruskin Library and the sessions last
for two hours.
The society does have strict rules about safety and as such there are very few incidents resulting in injuries during LUPATS’s training time. Even so, many of the members are also trained in first aid but you are taught how to perform the moves in the safest way possible, meaning that new members can enjoy
themselves with almost no fear of injury.
The society also enjoys a bit of variation. In term one a ‘Zombie Apocalypse’ social was held, where
members of the Exec dressed up as zombies and chased the members through campus.
This was great fun for the society but also provided an opportunity for them to try out their skills in a
unique way. Last term they held a ‘Capture the Flag’ social where they split into two teams, both guarding a flag. The objective was to take the opposing flag and return it back to their own base.
LUPATS do not merely meet up and train, they enjoy using their discipline to have fun and are not shy to do so.
The society also regularly meets up for tricking sessions on Friday nights. Whereas parkour has a strong philosophy surrounding it, tricking is more geared up for those who just enjoy showing off.It involves flips, kicks, vaults. The society has equipment like foam blocks and crash mats so anyone can go down and participate in a safe environment.
Throughout the year the society has met in County South Lecture Theatre, but due to constraints put on
by exams this recently has not been possible but the group have adapted to overcome this and are hoping to stage outdoor tricking sessions when the weather permits.
The society welcomes anyone who has ever taken an interest in parkour or tricking: regardless of past
experience. LUPATS is built to allow new members to develop and train at their own pace so that skills are developed over time. All you need is £1 and your Purple Card number and you can become a member of the society. All of the training sessions after that are free. Tricking is £1 per session, but that helps
the society look after its equipment so that members can continue to enjoy their sessions.
Tricking is more geared up for those who just enjoy showing off LUPATS is a fun, active society where you will make loads of friends. On top of all that you will learn a discipline which you will no doubt enjoy and will want to keep on improving at.
