Programs for Youth / Origins in the Omicron Era

Dear Origins Community,

I hope most of you are relaxing and enjoying your winter holiday. It has been a weird, albeit familiar few days navigating the new PHO orders. It is important that we do our part to keep transmissions down and ease any strain on our health system. The orders include the closure of adult gyms and fitness classes where transmission is believed to be a high risk.

The good news is we do not have to close. Parkour does not have a Canadian governing body, but it is recognized as a sport in other major countries worldwide, and we know that our practice/play differ greatly from gym and fitness class operations. We have not had transmission in either of our facilities in the 2 years that covid-19 has been active in BC. So, again, the good news is we can accommodate people of all ages, but this does come with a number of caveats:

• Classes will be for Kids & Youth (21 yrs old or younger) only
• Adults can attend Open Practice. A new schedule is available with a variety of convenient times in place of classes.
• The weight room will be closed.
• Hand sanitizing and physical distancing during Open Practice will be strongly encouraged.
• We ask that you come in for skill practice and do any effortful conditioning outside or at home.
• Masks are mandatory for All Ages in common areas. Masks are optional during activity for children under the age of 12.
• Vaccine cards are mandatory for Adults.
• We are operating at half capacity, and ask that you reserve your visit in advance.
• Memberships will continue to run. Please contact us via e-mail if you wish to pause or change your membership.

Can Children attend Open Practice?

Yes, however we require that parents supervise children younger than 13. It is important that Children understand the etiquette and appropriate behaviour in our facilities. Starting January 2nd  Parents or guardians must be in arms reach of their child when supervising. One parent or guardian can be responsible for up to two children under 13 years of age.

We will only be allowing children to be unsupervised if they have passed a red band exam or if they have taken a Parkour Safe Course with their parent or guardian. Courses are offered on Saturdays & Sundays (Vancouver) and Fridays & Saturdays (Port Moody). A Parkour Safe Course is 45-50 min in length. This course must be attended by both the child and parent or guardian.

When Will Adult Classes be Back?

The current PHO orders run until January 18th, 2022. We are prepared to reintroduce adult classes at this time, but it is possible the orders will be extended. A new schedule with even more class offerings was set to begin in the new year, but we will be postponing the launch. Check out our Vancouver & Port Moody Schedule pages to see the current and future schedules.

Thank you as always for your patience during this difficult time. We are doing our best to keep our community safe, and we can’t wait until all of us, big and small get to play together again!

Happy Holidays to You and Yours!

• René