Nicholas Zaleski: Team Momenta

If you walked around campus on April 1, you might have noticed several Purdue men doing some pretty crazy stunts. These flips and tricks were all a part of “1000 Back Flips for Japan,” a charity event that raised money for the Japan Disaster Relief. What you may not know is that the men behind this unique effort are part of a legitimate student organization here at Purdue, Team Momenta, that began in 2007. So legitimate, in fact, that they were recently invited to perform during halftime at a Detroit Pistons game. Nicholas Zaleski, team co-founder and Purdue alum, was gracious enough to sit down with Her Campus and give us an exclusive look at our very own “freerunning and Parkour” team. 

Her Campus: Nicholas, many people aren’t familiar with the terms “freerunning or Parkour.” What is it that you do? What is Team Momenta all about?
Nicholas Zaleski: Freerunning is a discipline of overcoming obstacles and manipulating the world around you. There’s a lot of acrobatics, climbing, vaulting, and fluidity involved … The more focused you are, the more fluid the movement, and the more beautiful it appears. The whole goal is to make it look effortless in motion. There are lots of similarities between freerunning/Parkour and martial arts, dancing etc. In the end it becomes a mesh of different motions to produce the art of movement.
 
HC: You founded Team Momenta with three of your best friends. Tell us your story!
NZ: I had an interest in freerunning but didn’t know how to get it started at Purdue. I went to the Purdue Gymnastics Club in Lambert and began by learning a back flip on my first day. That very night I met Jerred Endsley, who was as into freerunning as I was. Our strong passion inspired us to collaborate. It wasn’t about pure power or random flipping in the air; it was about beauty and philosophy in movement. We spent almost 8 hours at a time in the gymnastics arena when we were getting started. That same fall, Matt Barnes and Adam LaPlante joined in. The four of us started a Purdue club in the fall, and in September of 2008 we had our first callout. Over 100 people showed up, and we hadn’t even publicized the event. It was all word of mouth. That’s when we realized it was going to get big.

HC: How has Team Momenta transformed since it first started? Is there a long-term goal for this organization?
NZ: It was last year that we decided that continuing practices with the gymnastics club wasn’t keen to our discipline, and we felt like we were abusing their equipment, so we moved to Malone’s Gym just northwest of campus. Adam spoke with the owner and we got free access to all the equipment. All we had to do was volunteer once a week to train the kids that came to the gym from local schools. Later in the summer we realized we wanted to start a formal class that taught freerunning (from the basics to the advanced levels), since we loved teaching and spreading the love. So we put together a curriculum, and went through all the business and insurance paper work to be able to start the classes as a legitimate business. Now we have 40-50 regular Purdue students that we train every week. In the coming fall, we’re starting another school in Boulder, Colorado. Hopefully, as the instruction continues, perhaps some of our students will one day open up schools to further spread the discipline we share.
 
HC:  So can anyone join in? Are there any prerequisites to joining Team Momenta?
NZ: Literally any one can join. You don’t need any athletic experience at all. However, when you don’t have experience, you have to go through a lot of basic training before you move ahead. Women are equally welcome. In fact, one of the best freerunners in the USA is a woman: Luci (Steel) Romberg (Team Tempest) out in California. They do a lot of commercials, stunt work in Hollywood, TV Shows, and freerunning/parkour events.

HC: How often do you guys perform? How did you land up the Detroit Pistons gig?
NZ: We have done a few charity events … any opportunity we had, we jumped on it. It was through WFPF (World Freerunning & Parkour Federation), that we landed the Detroit Pistons gig.
 
HC: What message do you want to convey to people, as freerunners and as a team?
NZ: The message we want to convey to people is that freerunning is not just a bunch of guys messing around. There is a very deep philosophy involved. There is peace in being one with your surroundings, instilling mental control on physical motion, living life in the present moment, focusing on each and every step aside from the art of fluid movement behind this. Freerunners are a compassionate family, there is a bond and it binds us all.

Check out the group’s pre-halftime video from the Detroit Pistons game! (Note: these stunts can be extremely dangerous if not properly trained. Please do not try to recreate or reenact.)

Want to learn more? Check out Team Momenta’s website and look for the team’s next performance, 2 a.m. this Sunday at Purdue’s Relay for Life! 

Photo 1: Jerred Endsley and Nicholas Zaleski; credit: Laila Rahmatian, lailarah@gmail.com
Photo 2: Matt Barnes, Adam LaPlante, Jerred Endsley, and Nicholas Zaleski; credit: William Cabral, williamfcabral@gmail.com
Photo 3: Nicholas Zaleski; credit: Robert Justinian Peng, rpeng@purdu.edu
Photo 3 edited by: Nicholas Zaleski