In a corner of suburban Singapore, Betty Boon vaults a guardrail, crawls underneath a slide, executes forward shoulder rolls and scales a steep slope, finishing the course to applause.
“Good job,” the 69-year-old’s coach cheers.
This is “geriatric parkour,” where about 20 retirees learned to tackle a series of relatively demanding exercises, building their agility and enjoying a sense of camaraderie.
Photo: AFP
Boon, an upbeat grandmother, said learning parkour has aided her confidence and independence as she ages.
“When you’re weak, you will be dependent on someone,” she said after sweating it out with her parkour classmates in suburban Toa Payoh, under the shadow of government-built apartment blocks.
“I feel more alive, it’s a whole new world,” she added.
Photo: AFP
The discipline has gained a devoted following of senior citizens in the city-state, which is among the world’s fastest-aging countries.
Singapore is projected to become a “super-aged” nation this year, meaning the proportion of residents aged 65 or above exceeds 21 percent.
By 2030, one in four Singaporeans would be aged 65 or above, according to the health ministry.
Photo: AFP
As the society grays, various activities and industries have mushroomed up to cater to elderly people’s needs, including social activities and group exercise classes.
Coach Tan Shie Boon, 33, said he was initially met with skepticism when he started offering parkour classes for older students in 2017, especially due to the risk of injury.
However, his idea was to share maneuvers that could help elderly people with their balance, stamina and coordination.
Photo: AFP
“It’s meaningful. I can see the impact of my work,” he said.
Parkour, a discipline that originated in France, focuses on overcoming physical obstacles such as walls, gaps and platforms without any aid.
Often called the “art of displacement,” it involves running, jumping, climbing, rolling and vaulting to quickly dart from one point to another.
The activity has a young, athletic following, but coach Tan and his students insist it can be suitable for every age.
“When people hear the word parkour, they think it’s only for youngsters who can jump from rooftops,” said retired banker and parkour enthusiast Irene Chuah, 67. “We don’t do that. We jump over benches.”
Tan, who specializes in coaching elderly people in his classes across Singapore, tailors all the stunts to match the capabilities of his students, aged between their early 50s and 83.
“The whole point of parkour is to improve your agility... You’ll be faster in your reaction,” he said.
“When seniors fall, they get severely injured, because they have a lack of coordination, balance and agility. They’re not fast enough to react in time,” he added.
Chuah experienced firsthand how the moves she learned in parkour class can apply outside of practice.
When a cart she was pushing at a supermarket hit an obstacle, it overturned and pulled her over.
However, thanks to her training, she managed to jump over the mess, remain on her feet and escape unharmed.
“Nobody helped me because the people thought I was young,” Chuah said with a laugh.
Retired kindergarten teacher Ling Ying Ying, 66, said doing parkour helped her to be able to mop the floor on her knees “like we used to do when we were young.”
At the fitness space in Toa Payoh, the parkour students also practiced traversing down an incline and scaling a low wall during the 90-minute session.
A couple of students jumped over a gap after some encouragement.
Life after retirement used to be “quite dull,” Chuah said.
“After parkour, I can go line dancing, and I can remember the steps. You dare to do a lot of things that you think only young people can do,” she added.
Her classmate Boon said one time she brought her grandchildren to a neighborhood playground and taught them to jump onto a platform and do forward rolls.
When she looked back, she saw a line of other children wanting to try the moves.
“Since then, I became like the favorite grandmother. The children recognize me even when I’m far away,” she said.
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