Parkour! Parkour!

COEUR d'ALENE - Nothing is off limits.

Not that park bench, that trash can, that seawall or that railing. Not even those steps or picnic tables.

Not when Samuel Smith, Jerry Blakley and Josh Blakley are around.

"The world is our playground," said 20-year-old Jerry Blakley.

Yes it is, when you know parkour.

They might vault, jump, climb, flip or roll - whatever it takes to go over and around obstacles in their path.

Smith, 17, and the Blakley brothers, both 19, are inviting others to join them for Saturday's "Gym Extreme" parkour competition from 2:30-7 p.m. at IEGA's gym, 6360 North Sunshine St.

They're expecting about 50 from ages 8 to 22 to compete in what they say is the first such event in North Idaho. There's a bit of money and prizes on the line, but mostly, it's about putting Coeur d'Alene on the map in the world of parkour.

"We're trying to make this pretty big here," Jerry Blakley said.

"It's definitely like an underground sport that's growing and getting a lot bigger and popular," Josh Blakley said.

Smith has been performing parkour as a sport for seven years and even owns a company, Fluid Parkour Clothing.

"It's kind of a way of life. I'd like to say since I was born, since it's just movements," he said.

Efficiency and speed are key in parkour, a YouTube sensation that started in Europe before slowly taking hold in the U.S. about a decade ago.

To get started, Jerry Blakley turned to YouTube, then watched and learned.

"Then we went outside and tried it," he said.

It gained more fame when it was highlighted on "The Office," as Michael Scott (Steve Carrell) and Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) tumbled over desks, bounced off walls, crashed into chairs, jumped into empty cardboard boxes and tossed papers around while yelling "Parkour, parkour!"

Outside is better, but inside works, too, for parkour purists. All you need is yourself and a willingness to crash and burn sometimes.

"You don't have to buy a skateboard. You don't have to pay competition fees unless you want to. Just go out and do your thing," Smith said. "You always have an environment to do it, whether you're poor or whether you're rich. You still have walls, you still have obstacles to traverse."

Saturday's competition will involve three age divisions and a 40 feet by 40 feet course with an array of obstacles. Each contestant will get a chance to review the course, then come up with their routine.

There will be a free running event, with each person having 45 seconds to showcase their best tricks. Extra competitions include farthest and highest kong, a type of jump.

Parkour is popular in North Idaho.

Smith and the Blakleys teach a parkour class Thursday nights that has about 50 students. Cost is $10 an hour.

While they spend a lot of time in the gym, they love to train outside.

"You can practice anywhere," Smith said.

All three have suffered a variety of scrapes, cuts and bruises along the way, but that just makes them more determined.

"Basically, we just look at what's in front of us and come up with options," Jerry Blakley said.

Smith likes the freedom of parkour.

"The creativity level, the ability to do what you want to do," he said.

"It's not somebody telling you what to do," Jerry Blakley said. "It's your own sport, you're coming up with your own way of doing things."

Josh Blakley likes it for the entertainment value, and notes that parkour is free.

"Do whatever you want," he said. "You can come up with your own style, your own moves."

And soon, you too could be shouting, "Parkour!"

Information: 772-9443