Competitor makes a living leaping off buildings
Traverse City native Levi Meeuwenberg has made a living out of defying death and beating the odds.
The 22-year-old is a professional freerunner - an urban athlete who jumps, bounces, leaps and catapults off walls, park benches, light poles or anything sturdy enough to support his weight for the spilt-second needed to launch in a new direction.
His professional career began in a big way back in 2006: performing in the music video, "Jump," by Madonna.
Meeuwenberg also worked as a freerunning performer and dancer on Madonna's "Confessions" tour from April to September that year. He described the experience as one of the most rewarding of his career.
"It allowed me to travel and learn about the world, how business works, and how people work," Meeuwenberg said. "(Madonna) was always nice to me - perhaps because we're both small-town Michiganders," Meeuwenberg said.
The G4 channel hit television show "Ninja Warrior" also opened up a new opportunity for Meeuwenberg to display his athleticism. After learning about the online contest from friends, Meeuwenberg decided to make a video to send in to the show.
It was voted as one of the top six videos by online voters so he was sent to Los Angeles, Calif., for a qualifying round.
After passing the qualifying round, Meeuwenberg traveled to Japan to compete in the twentieth "Sasuke," competition, a four-round obstacle course that "Ninja Warrior" broadcasts. He made it farther through the course than any other competitor and was the only American to make it to the third stage.
"The trip to Japan and the experience of running the course were really unforgettable," Meeuwenberg said. "It hardly even seemed real to me that I had done so well the first time. I made many friends through the whole process and just had so much fun."
Some may also recognize Meeuwenberg from his stunt work for Phillips Television commercials or from the pilot episode of the NBC television show "Chuck," among other performances.
"Usually, I see him with other freerunners, but what I've noticed is that he always seems to be the one pushing the boundaries," said childhood friend Andrew Rozycki.
Meeuwenberg was inspired by videos of French traceur Cyril Rafaelli, as well as David Belle, who is largely credited as the founder of the freerunning's sister sport of parkour. Parkour is defined as the practice of efficiently moving to develop the body and mind to overcome obstacles.
Even as a child, Meeuwenberg spent much of his time outdoors.
"I remember spending all day out in the woods, exploring and climbing trees." Meeuwenberg said.
Meeuwenberg, and fellow Traverse City native Mike "Frosti" Zernow, has been with a team called The Tribe, a nationwide parkour group, since it was first established.
The Tribe was formed by Mike Toorock, who is also Meeuwenberg's manager and the man who selected Meeuwenberg to be a part of the group.
"I knew Levi was very skilled, helpful, and a leader in his community," Toorock said.
He is also part of University of Michigan's Michigan Parkour Club, where members train three times a week primarily on the university's central campus. Anyone interested in the group, Meeuwenberg said, may contact Michigan.Parkour@umich.edu.
What is freerunning?
It can be seen in movies like "Casino Royale" and "Punisher: War Zone," numerous television commercials, and the "Mirror's Edge" video game.
But what is freerunning?
"Freerunning is to see your environment differently and being able to utilize it to develop yourself," said Sebastien Foucan, credited as the founder of freerunning, in a 2006 web post.
Freerunning evolved from the French art of parkour, which pushes its practitioners to travel through an environment as quickly and efficiently as possible, as though escaping an emergency.
Freerunning takes away much of the urgency and efficiency of parkour, allowing athletes to use obstacles in more elaborate ways, and perform more acrobatic tricks. There really are no "rules" for freerunning, and runners can express themselves however they like.
"An easy way to understand is that in parkour you treat your surroundings like an obstacle course, while in freerunning it's more of a playground," said Traverse City-based professional freerunner Levi Meeuwenberg.
Freerunners like Meeuwenberg will often include gymnastic flips, handstands, and wall-running in their runs.
Freerunning and parkour have gained popularity in recent years over the Internet, thanks in large part to video sites like Youtube.
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